Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

After seeing the geologic splendor of the Columbia River Gorge on your visit to Oregon, learn about the fiery volcanoes, raging floods and massive landslides that created it. The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center, in The Dalles, features exhibits, displays and videos that bring the rich history of the gorge to life. Among thousands of items on display are regional Native American baskets, household furnishings, farm tools and a unique collection of 1,200 padlocks. An Ice Age exhibit, complete with a 13-foot mammoth, helps explain the role the floods played in creating the gorge. Take a walk among the cottonwoods, willows, cattails and sedges that grace the interpretive trail surrounding the discovery center, and see the turtles, ducks, geese, eagles, raccoons and songbirds at home in this habitat. The trail also cuts through vegetation featuring abundant wildflowers in bloom from April through June. And, of course, the stunning views of the gorge are always in season.