One of my favorite places that we have ever visited was the Pacific Northwest. Back in 2019 we took a 10 day family vacation to this area. There is really so much to see and do that we could take another vacation there for the same amount of days and choose completely different activities. In fact, I am breaking this trip into 3 parts because there is just too much to say about this beautiful part of our country.

We tried to pack in as much as we could into the 10 days we had. We knew we wanted to be busy and do as much sightseeing as possible, but we also didn’t want to overextend ourselves which would result in us maybe seeing a lot more but definitely not enjoying it. After we flew in to Portland, we headed to Troutdale which is the Gateway to the Gorge. We were excited to see the Columbia River and stay two nights there. One of the first activities we did was hike to Multnomah Falls. The drive had many falls along the way you could pull over and look at, but this one was my favorite. We also visited the Vista House at Crown Point.

We used Dave Maroon’s Fishing Charter to guide us down the Columbia River. It was a little difficult to find a tour guide that would take 5 people (most only take 2 or 4) but the one we found was excellent. He was very good with the kids and very patient with all of us. Now we have always loved to fish but we have never fished for sturgeon. They are definitely a lot harder to tell in than bass or crappie. Our guide was amazing. He knew where to find the fish, was great with our kids, and we each caught more than one fish.

Here are more pictures from our time at Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. We had a great view of the river and the as we ate breakfast at our hotel every morning.

We hiked to the top of Beacon Rock, which is a giant basalt rock tower on the Washington side of the gorge. It’s a short trail, only 1 1/2 miles hiking out and back, with a cliff edge boardwalk. The hike up is not easy, but the views of the Columbia River are amazing.

We visited the Port of Cascade Locks Marine Park and saw a beautiful bronze statue of Sacagawea and the dog Seaman, both were part of the Lewis and Clark expedition.

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