Nature
3
The Columbia River Gorge is a deep canyon where the Columbia cuts through the Cascade Range between Washington and Oregon, creating the only navigable route through the mountains and the river’s only water link between the Columbia Plateau and the Pacific. Formed over millions of years and dramatically shaped by the Missoula Floods, it features steep walls, exposed volcanic rock, many waterfalls, and sharp climate changes from rainforest to grassland. People have used the corridor for more than 13,000 years, from Native communities and trade to Lewis and Clark, transportation routes, and modern recreation. In 1986, it became a federally protected National Scenic Area.
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