The Vista House is a building on Crown Point, a basalt cliff along the Columbia River Highway that offers a breathtaking scenic view of the area.
I swung by the Vista House with a friend while I was in Portland, right before we went to see Latourell Falls (which is only 2.4 miles east of the viewpoint). It was a bit gloomy when we went, but that didn’t stop us from soaking up all the Oregon beauty around us.
From the viewpoint, you can catch a nice view of Mirror Lake and the Columbia River.
My friend spent several minutes outside and also took some time to walk around so we could catch a panoramic view of our surroundings.
Crown Point was shaped by the same floods, winds and volcanic lava flows that created the scenic Columbia River Gorge, which is home to the popular Multnomah Falls. Crown Point was designated a National Natural Landmark in the early 1970s for its “exceptional value in illustrating the national history of the United States.”
Although the highlight for us was the view, the Vista House is nice, too. It’s an eight-sided, 55-foot-tall building that was completed in 1916/1917 and was constructed as a rest stop observatory for people traveling along the Columbia River Gorge Highway. In 1974, it became listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Inside the building, there are restrooms, a gift shop and an espresso bar. Funds from the gift shop and espresso bar go toward interpretive and restoration projects.
If you find yourself on the Columbia River Highway, be sure to stop by the Vista House. Since it was built, it has attracted millions of visitors, and it’s not hard to see why. There’s ample free parking around the building and the view is spectacular!
Vista House is located at:
40700 Historic Columbia River Hwy
Corbett, OR 97019
For more information on the Vista House, click here.
To read more about the history of the Vista House, click here.