Troutdale offers several starting points for a trip with different focuses: Harlow House is about architectural and family history, the Historic Columbia River Highway represents a historic scenic route, and the Ch’ak Ch’ak Trail improves access to Sandy River Delta. The options range from a single building to a road route to an expansive natural area. To plan your trip, you can first decide whether you want to focus on cultural history, the development of a road, or scenery and views.
Harlow House: Architectural History and Original Furnishings
Harlow House was built in 1900 for Fred E. Harlow. Original furnishings belonging to the Harlow family can be seen in the house; it opened as a museum in 1979. The dates mark two phases in the house’s history: its construction and its later opening as a museum. The family furnishings give the story of the house an additional cultural and historical dimension.
Historic Columbia River Highway: Scenic Route and History of the Road
The Historic Columbia River Highway was the first scenic highway in the United States. The western 21.6 miles from Troutdale to Dodson follow the original route, with the exception of the section at Oneonta Gorge Creek. There, the route was slightly relocated in 1948 to bypass the Oneonta Tunnel; it crosses Oneonta Gorge Creek on a 1948 reinforced-concrete girder bridge. Its national distinction as the first scenic highway and the precisely dated change at Oneonta Gorge Creek illustrate two scales of the same history: the significance of the entire highway and the development of a single section. The highway can be explored by car, bicycle, or on foot. For your planning, this is a clear choice among three ways to get around, while the historic road remains the common theme.
Ch’ak Ch’ak Trail and Sandy River Delta
A scenic, 3-mile section of the historic 40-Mile Loop, the Ch’ak Ch’ak Trail offers views and improves access to the Sandy River Delta natural area. The delta covers 1,500 acres where the Sandy River meets the Columbia River. It is considered an important viewpoint, offering spectacular views of the western Columbia Gorge. For planning a nature outing, scale matters: three miles describes a route, while 1,500 acres describes a larger area. The trail is a named section; the delta is an expansive river landscape. The trail improves access to the delta.
Depot Park and Troutdale Rail Depot
Depot Park includes a viewpoint at Beaver Creek. Compared with Sandy River Delta, the named landscape feature differs: there, the focus is on the confluence of the Sandy River and Columbia River and views of the western Columbia Gorge; here, it is Beaver Creek. Another aspect of local history is the Troutdale Rail Depot: it was rebuilt in 1907 after a fire. Compared with Harlow House, which was built for Fred E. Harlow in 1900, the Rail Depot tells a story of rebuilding.
Discover more destinations: Gresham, Portland.
Return to the main travel overview: Multnomah.
