From Moffett Creek to Tanner Creek at Bonneville, distance 1.36 miles, the road ascends gradually for a half mile, reaching an elevation of 144 feet, commanding an especially good view of the Columbia River, both east and west, as well as many fine mountain peaks.
Descending on a 5 per cent grade the road will cross Tanner Creek on a 60-foot reinforced concrete girder bridge only 55 feet above sea level. Tanner Creek is a clear, cold mountain stream coming from the summit of the Cascade Range, fed by melting snow and springs.
Through this section the traces of the old road have mostly been obscured by the construction of the state trail. On the western end, it is safe to assume that the trail wanders along the path of the old highway, but on it's eastern end, where old Route 2 slips under the freeway, the original route of the CRH is more difficult to pinpoint. Mostly, it lays under the rushing traffic of the modern interstate, leaving little evidence of the road's slower and quieter past.
Construction on the Warrendale-Moffett Creek trail probably won’t begin until the year 2002. The state is halfway through design work on the 1.5 miles of trail between Moffett Creek and Tanner Creek. “You can hike it now, but it isn’t paved,” Kloos said. The trail will be paved and upgraded for bicycles in 2000. “As we get more connections, there are more possibilities where you can start or stop your trip,” she said. The new Cascade Locks segment should attract tourists and provide recreation for local residents.
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Interpretive Sign: Building a "Poem In Stone"Historic Columbia River Highway. Oregon. April 30, 2013.Copyright © 2015 A. F. Litt, All Rights Reserved