The Columbia River Highway is a 75-mile-long scenic highway in the U.S. state of Oregon between Troutdale and The Dalles, built through the Columbia River Gorge between 1913 and 1922. As the first planned scenic roadway in the United States, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, being designated as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, being designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers, and being considered a “destination unto itself” as an All-American Road by the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. Important sights along the highway include several waterfalls including Multnomah Falls, the Cascade Locks, and Hood River.

Beginning in 2022, permits are required to drive some sections of the highway.

Length	75 miles
How Many States	1
Astronomy Sites	4 (2 additional close by)
Cities Close By	Hood River, The Dalles, and Corbett
Bortle Scale Values	3-6

The following is a map of the Columbia Historic Highway.

Astronomy Sites

Vista House State Park

A museum at Crown Point in Multnomah County, Oregon, that also serves as a memorial to Oregon pioneers and as a comfort station for travelers on the Historic Columbia River Highway, Vista House is a great place for viewing the aurora and taking the telescope to view the planets. Although the museum closes every night, the parking lot is always available to just drive up to. What this means is that restrooms are not available when the museum is closed. For more information on astronomy at the Vista House, check out this article.

Womens Forum

Located right by the Vista House State Park, the Women’s Forum is a great place to go if the Vista House is crowded and one is looking for a similar look and feel for astronomy. The views to the East aren’t as wide open as Vista House, but the views of the skies are almost identical. It is a place definitely worth checking out.

Rooster Rock State Park

Rooster Rock is a favorite for OMSI and the Rose City astronomers for doing star parties. Unfortunately the park closes at sunset unless there is a star party, so please make sure to check out the schedule to verify that the park is hosting an event. However, when open, its expansive parking lot offers some nice privacy. The fees to enter the park would be the $5 daily use fee for Oregon State Parks. To learn more about Rooster Rock State Park, check out this article on the subject.

Sherrard Point

The fees to enter the park would be the $5 daily use fee for the US Forest Service. Sherrard Point is located 14 miles from the Historic Columbia Highway and is available to drive up to from June to October and is To learn more about Sherrard Point, check out this article on the subject.

Camping/Lodging

Although none of these sites have camping or lodging on site, the 2 sites of Cottonwood Canton State Park and Lost Lake Resort both have options for camping in campgrounds or cabins. Plus these 2 are great astronomy sites!

Cottonwood Canton State Park

A lovely state park that has much to offer for astronomy and recreation, Cottonwood Canyon State park is a great place to camp after completing the historic highway. There are 25 sights available for camping, 21 of which are primitive sites for tents and self-contained RVs (max site size is 75 feet) that are available first-come, first-served. The remaining 4 sites are rustic cabins, which are reserved months in advance. With its dark skies, Cottonwood Canyon is a wonderful place to visit. The fees to enter the park would be the $5 daily use fee for Oregon State Parks. To learn more about Rooster Rock State Park, check out this article on the subject.

Lost Lake Resort

Although the day fee at Lost Lake Resort is going to be a bit more expensive than some other options, it provides amazing opportunities for nature and relaxing. Lost Lake Resort has wonderful trains, kayaking, fishing, and is far enough away from cities to have wonderfully dark skies. Located on the Northeastern side of Mount Hood, Lost Lake Resort has 148 campgrounds available. To learn more about Lost Lake Resort, check out this article on the subject.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and make sure to view our other unique astronomy roadtrips such as this one for more places to view astronomy when on a roadtrip.