Columbia & Snake Rivers

Visit Waterfalls on the Columbia and Snake Rivers

UNESCO World Heritage Sites along the Columbia & Snake Rivers

Along the Columbia & Snake Rivers of the Pacific Northwest, and nearby you can find these amazing UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Visits to some may be included in your river cruise itinerary, but some may require some creative travel planning by your River Cruise Artist in order to visit.  Learn more below about these UNESCO Sites and the history you can experience when you visit them. Let River Cruise Your Way take you away to the history around the Columbia & Snake Rivers.

Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park is located in the heart of California. With its ‘hanging’ valleys, many waterfalls, cirque lakes, polished domes, moraines and U-shaped valleys, Yosemite provides an excellent overview of all kinds of granite relief fashioned by glaciation. At 2,000 to 13,000 feet in elevation, a great variety of flora and fauna can also be found here. Yosemite is a long distance south of the Columbia River region, but perhaps a flight to San Francisco after your river cruise to explore this exciting UNESCO World Heritage Site. A Columbia River Cruise will not get you to Yosemite, but since you are not too far away why not extend your river cruise vacation and let River Cruise Your Way customize your journey to include a visit.

Olympic National Park

Located in the northwest of Washington State just west of Seattle, Olympic National Park is renowned for the diversity of its ecosystems. Glacier-clad peaks interspersed with extensive alpine meadows are surrounded by an extensive old growth forest, among which is the best example of intact and protected temperate rainforest in the Pacific Northwest. Eleven major river systems drain the Olympic mountains, offering some of the best habitat for anadromous fish species in the country. The park also includes miles of wilderness coastline, the longest undeveloped coast in the contiguous United States, and is rich in native and endemic animal and plant species, including critical populations of the endangered northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet and bull trout. A couple hours’ drive north of the Columbia River Olympic is a nice pre- or post-river cruise excursion to explore.

Redwood National & State Parks

Just across the border from Oregon to California is the Redwood National Park that comprises a region of coastal mountains bordering the Pacific Ocean north of San Francisco. It is covered with a magnificent forest of coastal redwood trees, the tallest and most impressive trees in the world. The marine and land life are equally remarkable, in particular the sea lions, the bald eagle and the endangered California brown pelican. Visit these magnificent Redwoods on a customized pre- or post-cruise extension planned by River Cruise Your Way.

Your Columbia & Snake River Cruise Awaits!

Are you ready to start planning your Columbia & Snake River Cruise Vacation Your Way? A River Cruise Artist at River Cruise Your Way is ready to be your vacation concierge. Contact us today at 1-800-259-7612 or use the form below and let us know when it is most convenient to call you, we will confirm via e-mail, and then reach out at the agreed upon time and date.