Ainsworth State Park | |
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![]() Gorge cliffs above the Ainsworth campground | |
Type | Public, state |
Location | Multnomah County, Oregon |
Nearest city | Portland, Oregon, USA |
Coordinates | 45°35′32″N122°03′25″W / 45.59234°N 122.057029°W [1] |
Operated by | Oregon State Parks and Recreation |
Ainsworth State Park is a state park in eastern Multnomah County, Oregon, near Cascade Locks. It is located in the Columbia River Gorge, adjacent to the Historic Columbia River Highway. The park, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, offers a seasonal, full-service campground, access to Gorge hiking trails beyond park boundaries, and a day-use area.
Ainsworth State Park lies within the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, [2] and is 4 miles (6.4 km) from Multnomah Falls. It is named for John Churchill Ainsworth (1870–1943), a prominent Oregon businessman, Portland banker and chairman of the State Highway Commission from 1931 to 1932. He donated the land in 1933 that became the park and was a son of pioneer steam-boatman John Commingers Ainsworth. [3]
The park was affected by the Eagle Creek Fire, but damage was limited. [4]
The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to 4,000 feet (1,200 m) deep, the canyon stretches for over eighty miles (130 km) as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the state of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south. Extending roughly from the confluence of the Columbia with the Deschutes River in the east down to the eastern reaches of the Portland metropolitan area, the water gap furnishes the only navigable route through the Cascades and the only water connection between the Columbia Plateau and the Pacific Ocean. It is thus that the routes of Interstate 84, U.S. Route 30, Washington State Route 14, and railroad tracks on both sides run through the gorge.
Multnomah Falls is a waterfall located on Multnomah Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, east of Troutdale, between Corbett and Dodson, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. Spanning two tiers on basalt cliffs, it is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon at 620 ft (189 m) in height. The Multnomah Creek Bridge, built in 1914, crosses below the falls, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Historic Columbia River Highway is an approximately 75-mile-long (121 km) 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 has been recognized in numerous ways, including being 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. The historic roadway was bypassed by the present Columbia River Highway No. 2 from the 1930s to the 1950s, leaving behind the old two-lane road. The road is now mostly owned and maintained by the state through the Oregon Department of Transportation as the Historic Columbia River Highway No. 100 or the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department as the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail.
Crown Point is a basalt promontory on the Columbia River Gorge and an associated state park in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in eastern Multnomah County, approximately 15 miles (24 km) east of Portland. Crown Point is one of the scenic lookouts along the Historic Columbia River Highway, providing a panoramic view of part of the Columbia River. It stands 733 feet (223 m) above the river and is the remains of a lava flow that filled the ancestral channel of the Columbia River 14 to 17 million years ago. The Point was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971.
Oneonta Gorge is a scenic gorge located in the Columbia River Gorge area of the American state of Oregon. The U.S. Forest Service has designated it as a botanical area because of the unique aquatic and woodland plants that grow there. Exposed walls of 25-million-year-old basalt are home to a wide variety of ferns, mosses, hepatics, and lichens, many of which grow only in the Columbia River Gorge. Oneonta Gorge with its 50 species of wildflowers, flowering shrubs and trees has been described as "one of the true dramatic chasms in the state." The Oneonta Gorge Creek Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Bridal Veil Falls is a waterfall located on Bridal Veil Creek along the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. The waterfall is accessible from the historic Columbia River Highway and Interstate 84. Spanning two tiers on basalt cliffs, it is the only waterfall which occurs below the historic Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway. The Bridal Veil Falls Bridge, built in 1914, crosses over the falls, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Eagle Creek is a creek located mainly in Hood River County, Oregon, in the Columbia River Gorge, with its last roughly 0.5 miles (0.80 km) and mouth in Multnomah County. A tributary of the Columbia River, the creek flows for approximately 15 miles (24 km) from the Thrush Pond between Eagle Butte and Tanner Butte to its mouth near Bonneville Dam. The East Fork Eagle Creek is a major tributary that begins at Wahtum Lake and joins the main stem approximately 2/3 the way between the Thrush Pond and the Columbia River, separated by Indian Mountain.
Shepperd's Dell is a small canyon in the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon, located at 45.54833°N 122.195°W which is less than one-third mile southeast of Rooster Rock State Park. The Shepperd's Dell Bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This is a list of properties and historic districts in Oregon that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are listings in all of Oregon's 36 counties.
The following list presents the full set of National Register of Historic Places listings in Multnomah County, Oregon. However, please see separate articles for listings in each of Portland's six quadrants.
Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site is a state park in eastern Multnomah County, Oregon, near Troutdale and Corbett, and is administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. It is located on the Sandy River, near its confluence with the Columbia River. Broughton's Bluff marks the westernmost extent of the Columbia River Gorge at the site.
Vinzenz Lausmann Memorial State Natural Area is a state park in northern Hood River County, Oregon, 5.3 miles (8.5 km) west of the city of Hood River, and is administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. It is located in the Columbia River Gorge, adjacent to an abandoned section of the Historic Columbia River Highway. This park is one of a trio encompassing areas in the vicinity of Mitchell Point, along with Seneca Fouts Memorial State Natural Area and Wygant State Natural Area. The three parks offer scenic hiking and views over the Gorge.
Wygant State Natural Area is a state park in northern Hood River County, Oregon, just west of the city of Hood River, and is administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. It is located in the Columbia River Gorge, adjacent to an abandoned section of the Historic Columbia River Highway. This park is one of a trio encompassing areas in the vicinity of Mitchell Point, along with Seneca Fouts Memorial State Natural Area and Vinzenz Lausmann Memorial State Natural Area. The three parks offers scenic hiking and views over the Gorge.
Viento State Park is a state park in north central Hood River County, Oregon, near the city of Hood River. The park, named for the former Viento railroad station located there, is administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The park is on the south bank of the Columbia River in the Columbia River Gorge. Interstate 84 and the Union Pacific Railroad pass through the park. It offers a seasonal, full-service campground, access to gorge hiking trails beyond park boundaries, a day-use area and river access for windsurfing and kiteboarding.
Sheridan State Scenic Corridor is a state park in the Columbia River Gorge, west of Cascade Locks, Oregon. The 11-acre (4.5 ha) property, containing an old-growth forest, is located on the south side of Interstate 84 at approximately milepoint 42.5, and was not accessible by motor vehicle since I-84 was built in 1960. However, with the opening of the Eagle Creek-Cascade Locks segment of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail in 1998, it has become easily accessible by foot or bicycle. The park is on a triangular lot, surrounded by I-84 and the Mount Hood National Forest.
John B. Yeon State Scenic Corridor is a state park in the U.S. state of Oregon, administered by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. It is located about 35 miles east of Portland in the Columbia Gorge. It is named in honor of John B. Yeon, one of the principal financiers of the Historic Columbia River Highway U.S. Route 30 which was constructed between 1913 and 1922. Located in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, the park features hiking trails that access some of the nearby waterfalls, including Elowah Falls.
The Eagle Creek Fire was a destructive wildfire in the Columbia River Gorge, largely in the U.S. state of Oregon, with smaller spot-fires in Washington. The fire was started on September 2, 2017, by a 15-year-old boy igniting fireworks during a burn ban. The fire burned 50,000 acres, and burned for three months, before being declared completely contained. As late as May 29, 2018, it was still found smoldering in some areas.
Tanner Creek is a creek located in the Columbia River Gorge in Multnomah County, Oregon, United States, that is a tributary of the Columbia River.