Exploring the Earth and Sky of the West

Columbia River Gorge, Washington & Oregon Photography

  • A cluster of large, yellow, daisy-like flowers sits next to a boulder at the base of a tall cliff of brown rocks.
    Balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sp.) was just beginning to bloom in some of the drier, sunnier parts of the gorge.
  • A few clusters of small yellow flowers sit on a rock with a river and gorge in the background.
  • A thin, tall waterfall plunges off of a cliff into a pool.
    Elowah Falls, burned in the Eagle Creek Fire of 2017, begins t show re-growth.
  • A broad river sits at the bottom of a green valley
    Looking east toward The Dalles along the Columbia River Gorge on a spring afternoon.
  • Fungus and moss grows on a rotten log on the forest floor
    An unknown species of fungus shares a decaying log with some moss
  • A cluster of bright pink flowers in a grassy field next to a rock.
    Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii) are some of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in large numbers in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.
  • A patch of bright pink flowers at the base of a low, rounded hill
    Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii) are some of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in large numbers in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.
  • A cluster of bright pink flowers in the middle of a hiking trail.
    Grass widows (Olsynium douglasii) are some of the earliest wildflowers to bloom in large numbers in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.
  • A waterfall and cascade flows through a verdant forest.
    Starvation Creek Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon
  • A waterfall and cascade flows through a verdant forest as a hiker looks on.
    Starvation Creek Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon
  • A trio of bright pink rocket-shaped wildflowers are seen in front of grasses and a yellow wildflower.
    Shooting Stars (Dodecatheon sp.) are among the early blooming wildflowers in the eastern Columbia River Gorge. A yellow fritillary (Fritillaria pudica) lurks in the background.
  • A streak of headlights illuminates a winding mountain road with stars overhead.
    Motorcycle headlights illuminate the sweeping curves of the Historic Columbia River Highway. The constellation of Canis Major sits just above the horizon.
  • A large river sits at the bottom of a broad, deep gorge.
    An early spring view of the eastern Columbia River Gorge from Rowena Crest.
  • A thin waterfall plunges from a cliff of volcanic rock and covered in bright green mosses.
    One of the highest waterfalls in Oregon, Latourell Falls plunges over a cliff of columnar basalt at the western end of the Columbia River Gorge, not far from Portland.