Friends led the fight to create the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area over 40 years ago. We’ve been working ever since to safeguard the Gorge and ensure its natural wonders will be preserved for future generations.
Cape Horn panorama. Photo by Kenji Sugahara.
What We Do
Protect & Conserve
Protecting the Gorge from the Impacts of Climate Change
By working with local and state governments, organizing the public, and building climate resilience on lands across the Gorge, Friends is on the frontlines of protecting the Gorge from the impacts of climate change.
Journey Through Friends’ History
Since 1980, Friends of the Columbia Gorge has worked to protect, preserve, and steward the Columbia Gorge for future generations.
Activists deliver petitions against fossil-fuel terminals to the Washington State Capitol in Olympia, 2017. (photo courtesy of Stand Up to Oil coalition)
Advocacy Campaigns
Friends empowers community members to mobilize and advocate for the protection of the Gorge’s scenic beauty, natural habitats, cultural heritage, and recreational spaces.
Mosier Plateau. Photo by Cate Hotchkiss.
Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust
Based out of Hood River, Oregon, Friends’ Land Trust works to preserve scenic Gorge landscapes, safeguard and steward sensitive lands, and provide public hiking trails.
Hiking through Tom McCall Nature Preserve.
Gorge Towns to Trails
Gorge Towns to Trails aims to create a 200-mile trail loop encircling the Gorge, connecting communities, promoting recreation and sustainable transit, and protecting lands for wildlife conservation.
The Zimmerly mine (in the foreground) in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Photo by Brady Holden.
Enforcing Gorge Protection Laws
Friends is a citizen watchdog group ensuring enforcement of laws related to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.
Latest News
Keep updated on Friends' work, news stories, and the work happening in the Columbia Gorge.
Dog Mountain, by Michael Orwick.
301 Gallery and Friends of the Columbia Gorge Collaborate to Present INSPIRED! II Art Exhibition
May 20, 2025
Following the success of last year’s inaugural show, 301 Gallery and Friends of the Columbia Gorge are excited to announce INSPIRED! II, an art exhibition opening this summer in downtown […]
Looking west from White Salmon down the Columbia River. Photo by Paloma Ayala.
Holding the Line: How the Gorge Commission was Saved
May 8, 2025
The Columbia River Gorge Commission is the frontline defense against unregulated development, environmental degradation, and climate change threats across the 292,500-acre Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. It ensures that […]
Alashík Preserve. Photo by Monique Trevett.
Shell by Shell: Protecting the Gorge’s Turtle Sanctuaries
May 8, 2025
In April 2024, Friends acquired Alashík Preserve, an ecologically critical property nestled in the wooded valleys of Skamania County. The acquisition marks a major conservation win, permanently protecting habitat for […]