One of Oregon’s most famous Native legends describes a “Bridge of the Gods” across the Columbia River in the Gorge. The tale was long discounted by scientists as fiction. But the river really was spanned here by a natural walkway.
In fact, hikers have been using the remains of the ancient crossing for years. I’m going to recommend that you see for yourself with a hike from an upscale hot springs resort.
The setting for the legend is a vanished Columbia River rapids called the Cascades. Before the waters of Bonneville Dam covered it in 1937, this whitewater narrows had been an important fishing site for the Multnomah tribe. It had also been a hazardous bottleneck for Oregon Trail immigrants…