We left Boardman for the short drive to Cascade Locks in the Columbia River Gorge. Although it was only a two hour drive, it was an adventure due to the incessant wind. The wind was blowing 30 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. Apparently this is common along the gorge. We had to drive slowly as our camper was constantly buffeted by the strong winds and swaying despite our weight distribution hitch and anti-sway bars. We stopped for coffee en route and talked with a guy on a motorcycle who told us he was stopping for the night despite the fact that is was only 1:00 pm as he found it too dangerous to drive his bike in the wind
Camping at Cascade Locks Marine Park and Campground
We arrived at the Port of Cascade Locks Marine Park and Campground in the early afternoon and were pleasantly surprised. The campground, run by the Cascade Locks Port is a hidden gem with only 18 campsites for small RVs with electric and water hookups and a separate tenting area which mostly serves Pacific Crest Trail Hikers. There is a campground host available on a part time basis and flush toilets and it is beautifully landscaped. There is even a historical museum on site. It It is located at the marina right on the Columbia River and in walking distance to several restaurants and breweries. It is not well advertised and there were only 2 other campers there.
After we set up camp and had lunch, we enjoyed a walk around the park and checked out the river. The Port also serves as a wedding venue and there were a couple weddings in progress. For supper, we decided to check our one of the breweries and had appetizers for dinner. One of the weddings at the port ended up at the same brewery. Apparently having llamas at your wedding is popular according to the waitress and we watched as the bride and groom posed with the llams.
Bike Ride on Historic Columbia River Highway Trail and Walk over the Bridge of the Gods
The next morning, we got up and headed out for a bike ride. The Historic Columbia River Highway had a trail head close to the campground. We headed over, hoping for a 20 mile round trip ride. It is a beautiful trail along the river which goes thru tunnels and over bridges with great views. There was a sign indicating the trail was closed ahead for a landslide but we decided to go as far as we could. We went about 5 miles and then came to the landslide. It was quite a large landslide. We reluctantly headed back.
We headed over the check out the Bridge of the Gods. This is a toll bridge for cars but pedestrians and cyclists can cross for free. It is a route used by hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail to cross the Columbia River. It was too early in the season for thru hikers. It is a 5 month hike and most hikers are in this area in August. The Bridge of the Gods was featured in the movie “Wild” based on Cheryl Strayed’s novel “Wild”.
It was scary but thrilling to walk over the bridge. There are no breakdown lanes, but also not much traffic. The bridge has steel grates that you can look thru as you are walking and see the river raging 140 feet below you. It was also windy. We walked across single file to Washington and back over to Oregon. The views from the bridge were great.
We enjoyed our stop at the Columbia River Gorge and would definately like to return to the area. It is so beautiful and so many hikes and bike rides that are available. Our next stop is the Oregon Coast!