Things to do nearMosier Twin Tunnels

The Mosier Twin Tunnels are a centerpiece of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail, a multi-use path that follows the alignment of what was once America's first scenic highway, completed in 1916. The original tunnels were blasted through the basalt headlands east of Hood River to carry automobile traffic along the Columbia River Gorge, a feat of early highway engineering guided by engineer Samuel Lancaster, who insisted the road honor rather than dominate the landscape. After decades of closure and a partial rockslide that sealed one tunnel, the Oregon Department of Transportation undertook a careful restoration project that reopened the tunnels to cyclists and pedestrians in 2000, removing the route entirely from motor vehicle use.

Today the roughly five-mile paved trail between Hood River and Mosier passes through both tunnels and along open cliff-edge sections where the Columbia stretches out hundreds of feet below and the arid eastern slopes of the gorge rise in layers of golden and rust-colored rock. Interpretive signs along the route explain the geology of the Columbia River Basalt flows, the construction history of the highway, and the ecology of the gorge's transition zone between wet western forest and high desert. Wildflowers bloom along the exposed sections in spring, and the basalt walls hold heat well into autumn, extending the comfortable hiking season.

The town of Mosier itself, sitting just below the eastern trailhead, is a quiet agricultural community with fruit orchards and a small-town character that contrasts pleasantly with the popular tourist infrastructure of Hood River a few miles west. The Mosier Twin Tunnels stand as a rare example of historic infrastructure thoughtfully adapted for recreation, making them one of the most distinctive and memorable outings in the Pacific Northwest.