The Pioneer Memorial Bridge, also known as the "Blue Bridge" due to its color, stretches between Kennewick and Pasco, Washington. If you've cruised this far up the river, you've left Oregon behind and are heading north. Beyond the bridge, the Hanford Reach National Monument offers both beautiful wildlife and intrigue as a buffer to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation Site where the world's first large-scale plutonium production reactor was built as part of the Mahattan Project in 1942.
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The upper Columbia River can be divided into two areas: the Columbia River Gorge (the Gorge) and the area east of the Gorge. The Gorge is where the river cuts through the Cascade Mountain range and is known for its consistent high winds. For that reason, it has been extremely popular for years now with sailboarders and wind surfers. The high winds conversely can make it challenging to the average boater. The Gorge basically runs from the Bonneville Dam, past the town of Hood River, Oregon, to The Dalles and The Dalles Dam. The town of Hood River is also where the only decent marina and fuel can be found for the entire upper river area. The next fuel stop is not until the town of Umatilla, Oregon, about 20 miles before you get to the mouth of the Snake River and the Tri-Cities area.
IDAHO OR BUST Beyond the city of The Dalles and The Dalles Dam, the river can be characterized by calm winds and hot temperatures in the summer, perfect for water-based activities. For the very adventurous, one can get as far as Lewiston, Idaho, up the Snake River. The first four dams on the Columbia and the first four on the Snake sport locks to navigate. In researching this article, I learned that for this area, the holy grail of boating is to run as far up as Lewiston Idaho, on the Snake River. The Snake River is the largest tributary to the Columbia River. At 1,078 miles in length, its head waters start in Yellowstone Park. The river’s mouth is located near the Tri-Cities area
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in Washington. Even though the Snake is over one thousand miles long, only the first 141 miles to Lewiston can be safely navigated. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, the Army Corps of Engineers constructed four dams with locks between the Columbia and Lewiston creating a series of reservoirs and covering some sixty sets of rapids that hindered boating and shipping up to that time. One thing that needs to be said about this entire area is that moorage and fuel is very limited on the upper river. Careful planning and boat preparation need to be done for each night’s stop, fueling up, and transiting the locks (i.e. plenty of fenders and lines). Venturing beyond Portland on the Columbia River shouldn’t be considered until extensive planning and research go into the trip. The Oregon State Marine Board is a good place to start. They also produce an informative book that can be invaluable (website at oregon.gov/osmb). The next resource should be the Columbia River Army Corps of Engineers website (nwd.usace.army.mil). In addition to detailed information and photos of each dam, there is a schedule for the locks. They have synched up the schedule for each of the locks to make it easier for boaters. Of course, close study of a good chart is a must. Another great secondary resource that I have used for many years now is the satellite view on Google maps. Anytime I have booked trips into places and marinas that I am unfamiliar with, I will pull up the satellite view to get a look at where I am going.
There is one last element that needs to be mentioned, and that is weather. Even though the Columbia River is a marine environment, it is also inland. The weather models that the usual weather sites use do not accurately forecast inland winds. The National Weather Service office in Portland, Oregon, is the source that should be consulted for forecast weather conditions for the Columbia River (weather.gov/pqr). As always, wherever you decide to go cruising proper maintenance, planning, and smart decision making are the keys to a good boating experience. Cruising up the Columbia River is a uniquely Pacific Northwest experience, a slice of that Lewis and Clark spirit set across Washington and Oregon’s dramatic coastline all the way to the Wild West of the interior. If you’ve got the itch, do your homework, be safe, and go for it. Captain Chris Couch is a successful Pacific Northwest-based delivery captain who has been widely used by companies like Alexander Marine for the last 26 years. He has been at the helm through the Panama Canal five times and on four transpacific crossings. His book, The Checklist, is a fantastic resource that covers just about everything relevant to a PNW Boater. You can buy The Checklist, check out his other publications, or contact him at compassheadings.com.