Galavanting Along the Gorgeous Gorge
About This Event
This will be an epic, experimental drive down to the Columbia Gorge, there to frolic along the asphalt ribbons of delight draped over the cliffs and plateaus above the river! The morning will start with some twisty roads winding over the lush rolling hills NE of Vancouver on our way to a drive along the Swift Reservoir south of Mt. St. Helens. From there we'll motor past the McClellan viewpoint (maybe a stop for pix?) before plunging down the hairpins on Wind River Rd heading south to the Columbia River.
After a lunch stop in Stevenson we'll head east through the gorge. More curvy roads await on the bluffs over the river with some spectacular scenery and views that will delight. On the eastern edge of the Cascades we'll head north along the Klickitat River for some awesome canyon driving up to Glenwood. Eventually we'll loop back to end the day on the shore of the Columbia River in Lyle, WA.
Special Notes
Bring a radio! We'll be on the usual channel 5.
Given the distance from home, I won't be doing a pre-drive on this. So, that's a thing. Adventure!
This will be a full day's drive with an early start in Woodland, WA. We'll end about 7pm in Lyle, WA. From there the "official" drive will be over and folks can split for home.
Rest stops are planned about 1-1.5 hrs apart but bathroom areas are limited along the route. Plan accordingly.
Given the semi-remoteness of Lyle, if you wish to stay overnight in the area before heading home the next day YOU will need to make YOUR OWN arrangements with the suggestion to do so sooner than later.
I'll be heading across the Columbia to The Dalles (16 min away) for the night and grabbing some dinner there.
Route map links for the Rever mobile app will be included in the email confirmation for those that register for the event. For more info on the Rever app, see Rever App How To document (must be logged-in to view).
Date and Time
June 28th, 2025
Meet @ 8am
Depart @ 8:30am
Location
Safeway, south edge of parking lot
1725 Pacific Ave
Woodland, WA 98674
There's a fuel station, Starbucks for wake-up juice, and a McDonalds right there.
Event Coordinator
Jay Greening
Bonus!
Before heading for home on Sunday I'll be playing around on the Oregon side of the river for a few hours. There are some MORE twisty roads I want to check out including the Historic Columbia River Road, and a loop out and back east of The Dalles. Then I'll be driving up the Eastern side of the Cascades for home in the Seattle region if anyone wants to go that way. Route TBD.