Columbia River Gorge Trip

The Columbia River Gorge is a breathtaking stretch of the Columbia River--running between Washington and Oregon--featuring NINETY waterfalls. A solid handful of those waterfalls are both easily accessible and within a thirty mile stretch of each other.

Spring 2021 our family ventured down to the Gorge for the first time and quickly fell in love with the area. So much so, in fact, that when we wanted to do a vacation this spring we couldn't help but go back. One of the biggest reasons (besides the waterfalls) was Wind Mountain Ranch, our lodging of choice both years.

Wind Mountain Ranch is a family owned operation located in Stevenson, Washington. While it's primarily used as a wedding venue (aptly named Gorge-ous Weddings) in the summer, the ranch's intimate cabins are open to guests in the off season.

As a family of five with a large puppy, finding lodging can be tricky. Wind Mountain Ranch's cabins (three of which allow dogs), open land, and affordable prices have had us sold these past two trips. Most days we haven't left to adventure until after noon because of how much there is to see on the ranch's property.

When we venture on from the ranch, though, the ninety waterfalls can make exploring the Gorge overwhelming. Both years I organized our days based off of family-friendly accessibility, geography, and popularity. If you're hoping to make a trip to the Gorge, but don't want to spend hours researching, here's our "itinerary" (in parenthesis because...kids) from this year's trip:

Thursday:

10:30 Leave South Seattle

12:30 Rest stop: NatureScaping of SW Washington's Wildlife Botanical Gardens, Brush Prairie

2:30 Check in at Wind Mountain Ranch

6:00 Eat & Play at Skamania Port Waterfront

Friday:

12:00 Lunch at Sugarpine Drive-In

1:00-5:45 LaTourell Falls, Multnomah Falls, Horsetail Falls, & Ponytail Falls

6:00 Picnic dinner & play at Bonneville Fish Hatchery

Saturday:

3:00 Starvation Creek Trail: Starvation Creek Falls, Cabin Creek Falls, and Hole in the Wall Falls

6:00 Dinner at Downwinder Tacos in Hood River

7:30 Children's Park Playground

Sunday:

11:00 Check out of Wind Mountain Ranch

12:00 Apple Creek Country Store in Hood River

1:30 Guler Ice Caves via Atkisson Snowpark

4:00 Head home

Last year we were satisfied with the abundance of waterfalls in the Gorge, peace at the ranch, and homemade ice cream at Sugarpine. This year, however, we took the trip to celebrate two of our boys' birthdays and wanted to add in something special for them. Our oldest loves all things geology and our youngest, basically since infancy, has been obsessed with anything related to volcanos. We hoped to see Ape Caves (a lava tube near Mt. St. Helens) but it ended up being closed. After a thorough Google Maps search we were thankfully able to find a replacement: Guler Ice Caves.

Guler Ice Caves is a lava tube south of Mount Adams that showcases stalactites and stalagmites made entirely from ice. Unfortunately by summer these formations often melt so springtime is the best time to check them out. Unlike Ape Caves, Guler Ice Caves are not well known or highly trafficked. If you're hoping--like we were--to see the ice formations before they melt you've got to do some extra leg work. We ended up being able to park at Atkisson Snowpark and then hiked 1 mile in snow to reach the cave. It wasn't terribly difficult but I now know that I am not a fan of hiking in snow without snowshoes.

Once you reach the cave you've got options! Not gonna lie, exploring a remote cave with massive icicles hanging over us was easily the riskiest thing I've ever done. But gosh was the experience worth it! In the midst of the unique beauty, my oldest and I got to see what's called the "Crystal Grotto"--a sparkling effect caused by fungi and bacteria--in some of the ice formations. Without traction spikes we were unable to move efficiently, but some friends who joined were able to do the entire length of one of the caves and even crawl out the other end!

Needless to say, the additional adventure up to Guler Ice Caves was worth the trek. If you're exploring in spring, I'd recommend snow shoes, spikes, head lamps, and wearing layers--the cave is drastically cooler than the forest. And, while I hope I wouldn't have to say this, remember to always explore responsibly. Guler Ice Caves is very much a hidden gem, so be sure to respect it and the surrounding forest by leaving no trace.

That's all the fun vacation information I've got for ya! So tell me, have you ever been to the Columbia River Gorge? And would you dare to enter a remote ice cave?