Wander Wallula Gap for wild and scenic views

  • By Terry Richard The Oregonian
  • Friday, June 13, 2014 12:50pm
  • Life

KENNEWICK — If you love the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area for dramatic vistas, you’ll love Wallula Gap just as much.

The Wallula Gap isn’t nearly as well known as the designated national scenic area around Hood River, Ore., but the gap that the Columbia River flows through just south of the Tri-Cities has its own quality of beauty.

Wallula Gap is a recognized National Natural Landmark, same as Crown Point in the Columbia River Gorge east of Portland. The gap is a narrow constriction of the Columbia, just north of the Oregon border where the great river makes its last southern run, then swings west to complete its journey to the Pacific.

Find the gap by driving Highway 397 southeast of Kennewick to Finley, a Benton County farm town just up the bench from the Columbia River.

From Finley, keep going southeast on county roads, staying as close as you can to the river. It’s less complicated to follow on the ground than to describe in words. Eventually, the road ends. Park, get out and walk south up to the clifftop for a view of the river from the top.

The public land is a mix of federal, state, county and municipal, but stay off the railroad tracks and don’t enter fenced private lands. This is open country, with no trails. While the cross-country walking can be easy, there are also some very steep slopes to avoid.

It’s open country and you can pick your own route. A description of the hike is on the website hiketricities.com. The twin rock formations, across the river from the top of the gap, are Two Sisters Rocks.

That’s Lake Wallula down below, the reservoir behind McNary Dam. When the ice age floods inundated this part of Washington, the waters backed up at the gap and flooded what became the Tri-Cities with 400 feet of water. Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again.

The views from atop the gap can be stunningly beautiful, no matter when you visit, but remember that this is a very windy spot.

There is no road that goes through the gap on the river’s west side, though the railroad that carries Amtrak from Portland to Spokane runs on that side. U.S. 730 and U.S. 12 run on the east side, which are the main route between Portland and Walla Walla. The gap starts just to the south from where the Walla Walla River enters the Columbia.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

The Moonlight Swing Orchestra will play classic sounds of the Big Band Era on April 21 in Everett. (submitted photo)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Relive the Big Band Era at the Port Gardner Music Society’s final concert of the season in Everett.

2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD (Honda)
2024 Honda Ridgeline TrailSport AWD

Honda cedes big boy pickup trucks to the likes of Ford, Dodge… Continue reading

Would you want to give something as elaborate as this a name as mundane as “bread box”? A French Provincial piece practically demands the French name panetiere.
A panetiere isn’t your modern bread box. It’s a treasure of French culture

This elaborately carved French antique may be old, but it’s still capable of keeping its leavened contents perfectly fresh.

(Judy Newton / Great Plant Picks)
Great Plant Pick: Mouse plant

What: Arisarum proboscideum, also known as mouse plant, is an herbaceous woodland… Continue reading

Bright green Japanese maple leaves are illuminated by spring sunlight. (Getty Images)
Confessions of a ‘plantophile’: I’m a bit of a junky for Japanese maples

In fact, my addiction to these glorious, all-season specimens seems to be contagious. Fortunately, there’s no known cure.

2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited (Hyundai)
2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited

The 2024 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Limited is a sporty, all-electric, all-wheel drive sedan that will quickly win your heart.

The 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T hybrid’s face has the twin red lines signifying the brand’s focus on performance. (Dodge)
2024 Hornet R/T is first electrified performance vehicle from Dodge

The all-new compact SUV travels 32 miles on pure electric power, and up to 360 miles in hybrid mode.

Don’t blow a bundle on glass supposedly made by the Henry William Stiegel

Why? Faked signatures, reused molds and imitated styles can make it unclear who actually made any given piece of glass.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.