What is special about the Historic Columbia River Highway?

It was the first planned scenic highway in the US

Columbia River Gorge Quiz: Multnomah Falls and Waterfalls

This Columbia River Gorge quiz drives the historic highway past waterfalls between Oregon and Washington. Play 10 interactive questions on the Ice Age Missoula Floods, Multnomah Falls and the Benson Bridge, the Historic Columbia River Highway, Vista House, the Bridge of the Gods, Bonneville Dam fish ladders, Hood River windsports and the 1986 scenic area.

Start Columbia River Gorge Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

States
Which two states share the gorge?
Floods
Which Ice Age events helped carve the gorge?
Falls
Which waterfall is the tallest in Oregon?
Bridge
What crosses Multnomah Falls between its two tiers?
Highway
What is special about the Historic Columbia River Highway?
Vista
Which domed building overlooks the gorge at Crown Point?
Legend
Which bridge shares its name with a Native legend of a land bridge?
Dam
Which dam has fish ladders for salmon?
Wind
Which town is a windsurfing and kiteboarding capital?
Status
What protection did the gorge receive in 1986?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which two states share the gorge?
Answer: Oregon and Washington
The river forms their border.
Q2: Which Ice Age events helped carve the gorge?
Answer: The Missoula Floods
Huge glacial lakes burst repeatedly.
Q3: Which waterfall is the tallest in Oregon?
Answer: Multnomah Falls
It drops about 620 feet.
Q4: What crosses Multnomah Falls between its two tiers?
Answer: Benson Bridge
It is a footbridge.
Q5: What is special about the Historic Columbia River Highway?
Answer: It was the first planned scenic highway in the US
It was built from 1913.
Q6: Which domed building overlooks the gorge at Crown Point?
Answer: Vista House
It opened in 1918.
Q7: Which bridge shares its name with a Native legend of a land bridge?
Answer: Bridge of the Gods
A landslide once blocked the river.
Q8: Which dam has fish ladders for salmon?
Answer: Bonneville Dam
Visitors watch fish through windows.
Q9: Which town is a windsurfing and kiteboarding capital?
Answer: Hood River
Strong winds funnel through the gorge.
Q10: What protection did the gorge receive in 1986?
Answer: National Scenic Area
It was the first of its kind.

Waterfalls and Winds Between Oregon and Washington

The Columbia River Gorge cuts through the Cascade Mountains, forming part of the border between Oregon and Washington. During the last Ice Age, the Missoula Floods, huge bursts from glacial lakes, scoured its cliffs, leaving side streams to tumble down as dozens of waterfalls.

Multnomah Falls, the tallest waterfall in Oregon at about 620 feet, drops in two tiers beneath the stone Benson Bridge. The Historic Columbia River Highway, built from 1913, was the first planned scenic highway in the United States, and Vista House at Crown Point has overlooked the gorge since 1918.

The Bridge of the Gods recalls a Native legend tied to an ancient landslide that dammed the river. Bonneville Dam's fish ladders let salmon pass, and Hood River's strong winds draw windsurfers and kiteboarders. In 1986 the gorge became the first National Scenic Area.

What This Quiz Teaches

Travel fans will enjoy these questions.

How the gorge formed
Which waterfalls stand out
Which roads cross it
Which landmarks to visit
Why winds are strong

Did You Know?

Lewis and Clark traveled through the gorge in 1805.
Fruit orchards fill the Hood River Valley.
Some trails were closed for years after a 2017 wildfire.
Sturgeon live in the Columbia River.
Trains run along both banks of the river.