Lewis and Clark's Columbia River - Tunnels, Washington State Highway 14

Lewis & Clark's Columbia River - "200 Years Later"
"Tunnels"

Includes ... Washington State Highway 14 ... North Bank Road ... Lewis and Clark Highway ... Tunnel No.1 ... Tunnel No.2 ... Tunnel No.3 ... Tunnel No.4 ... Tunnel No.5 ... Tunnel No.6 ... Tunnel No.7 ... Tunnel No.11 ... Cape Horn Tunnel ... Blum Tunnel ... Anderson Tunnel ... Lyle Tunnels ... Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway ...

Image, 2005, Tunnel No.2, Washington State Highway 14, click to enlarge

Click image to enlarge

Tunnel No.2, Washington State Highway 14. View from west looking east. Image taken May 1, 2005.

Tunnels, Washington State Highway 14 ...

Washington State Highway 14 traverses the north side of the Columbia River from the Interstate 5 Bridge at Columbia River Mile (RM) 106.5, to the Interstate 82/395 Bridge at RM 291. The majority of this route is a two-lane road. Between Drano Lake and just past Lyle, Washington there are seven tunnels carved through the Columbia River basalts. The first five tunnels are clustered together east of Drano Lake. The first tunnel, Tunnel No.1, begins at the east end of Drano Lake at RM 163.5, with Tunnel No.2 another half mile east. The last two tunnels - Tunnels No.6 and No.7 - are located immediately east of Lyle and cut through the Rowena basalts.

Tunnels, Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway ...

In the early 1900s the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad built eleven tunnels on the north side of the Columbia River between Washougal and North Dalles. The longest was Tunnel No.1, the Cape Horn Tunnel, at 2,382 feet. The shortest was the Drano Lake Tunnel at 122 feet. The Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railroad (SP&S) was the dream of Sam Hill, who controlled the Great Northern and the Northern Pacific Railroads. Hill built the SP&S line to "protect his buisiness interests in the Pacific Northwest" against the competing Union Pacific line on the Oregon side of the Columbia. The Northern Pacific and Great Northern shared construction costs and ownership of the SP&S line. The SP&S line officially opened on March 11, 1908, and existed until it merged with the Burlington Northern line in 1970.

Tunnels

Cape Horn Railroad Tunnel ...

The Cape Horn Railroad Tunnel (Railroad Tunnel No.1) at 2,382 feet, is the longest of eleven tunnels built along the north side of the Columbia River for the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway. The tunnel cuts through the massive basalt flow known as Cape Horn.

Click image to enlarge	Railroad Tunnel at Cape Horn. West portal of the railroad tunnel at Cape Horn. View from Bridal Veil, Oregon. Image taken March 6, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	East Portal, Railroad Tunnel at Cape Horn. East Portal of the Railroad Tunnel is just barely visible behind the trees on the right side of Phoca Rock. View from Dalton Point, Oregon. Image taken October 25, 2003.
Click image to enlarge	Cape Horn Railroad Tunnel east portal, with train in tunnel. View from Dalton Point, Oregon. Image taken October 22, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	Cape Horn Railroad Tunnel, with train in tunnel, from Dalton Point, Oregon. Image taken October 22, 2005.

Drano Lake Tunnels ...

Washington State Highway 14 Tunnel No.1 and Railroad Tunnel No.2 are at the eastern edge of Drano Lake. The Railroad Tunnel is the shortest of the eleven railroad tunnels along the Gorge, measuring only 122 feet.

Click image to enlarge	Tunnel No.1, Washington State Highway 14. View from west end of Drano Lake. Image taken November 4, 2004.
Click image to enlarge	Washington State Highway Tunnel No.1 and Railroad Tunnel No.2. View of the west portals. Image taken June 4, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	Tunnel No.1, Washington State Highway 14. View from west end of Drano Lake. Image taken May 24, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	Railroad Tunnel No.2, Drano Lake. View of the west portal. Image taken June 4, 2005.

Tunnel No.2 and Railroad Tunnel No.3 ...

Washington State Highway 14 Tunnel No.2 and Railroad Tunnel No.3 are half a mile further east of the first tunnels at Drano Lake. The date on the arch of the Highway Tunnel says 1936. The Railroad Tunnel is known as the "Blum Tunnel". It is 416 feet long. These tunnels can be seen from across the Columbia River at Oregon's Mitchell Point.

Click image to enlarge	Washington State Highway Tunnel No.2 from Mitchell Point. Railroad Tunnel No.3 is not visible behind the trees. View of the west portal. Image taken June 4, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	Tunnel No.2, Washington State Highway 14. View from west looking east. Image taken May 1, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	"Blum Tunnel", Railroad Tunnel No.3. View from west looking east. Image taken May 1, 2005.

Tunnel No.3 and Railroad Tunnel No.4 ...

Washington State Highway 14 Tunnel No.3 is at the east end of Tunnel Lake. It is paired with Railroad Tunnel No.4, the "Severson Tunnel". The Severson Railroad Tunnel is 267 feet long. Remnants of the Broughton Log Flume are visible on the slope above these tunnels. These tunnels can be seen from across the Columbia River at Oregon's Mitchell Point.

Click image to enlarge	Washington State Highway Tunnel No.3 from Mitchell Point. Railroad Tunnel No.4 is just visible behind tree. Part of the Broughton Log Flume is visible on the slope above. View of the west portals. Image taken June 4, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	Washington State Highway Tunnel No.3 and Railroad Tunnel No.4. View of the west portals. Image taken June 4, 2005.

Tunnel No.4 ...

Washington State Highway 14 Tunnel No.4. The railroad tunnel at this point is Tunnel No.5 and is called the "Owl Rock Tunnel". It is 394 feet long.

Click image to enlarge	Washington State Highway Tunnel No.4. View of the west portal. Image taken June 4, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	West Portal, Washington State Highway Tunnel No.4. Image taken June 4, 2005.

Tunnel No.5 and Railroad Tunnel No.6 ...

Washington State Highway 14 Tunnel No.5 is the last of the grouping of five tunnels in a row. It is paired with Railroad Tunnel No.6, the "Alligator Rock Tunnel". This railroad tunnel is 657 feet long.

Click image to enlarge	Washington State Highway Tunnel No.5 and Railroad Tunnel No.6. View of the west portals. Image taken June 4, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	West Portal, Alligator Rock Tunnel, Railroad Tunnel No.6. Image taken June 4, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	West Portal, Washington State Highway Tunnel No.5. Image taken June 4, 2005.

Chamberlain Lake Railroad Tunnel ...

The 755-foot-long Chamberlain Lake Railroad Tunnel, known as the "Anderson Tunnel", is Railroad Tunnel No.8, and lies downstream of Chamberlain Lake. The west portal can be viewed from the Chamberlain Lake Rest Area. Heading east the tracks exit the tunnel and cross the causeway separating Chamberlain Lake from the Columbia River.

Click image to enlarge	Railroad Tunnel at Chamberlain Lake. West portal of the railroad tunnel at Chamberlain Lake. View from the Chamberlain Lake Rest Area. Image taken June 4, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	West Portal, Railroad Tunnel at Chamberlain Lake. View from the Chamberlain Lake Rest Area. Image taken June 4, 2005.

Lyle Tunnels ...

Washington State Highway 14 Tunnels No.6 and No.7 and Railroad Tunnel No.11 are immediately east of Klickitat River and Lyle, Washington. Railroad Tunnel No.11 is 269 feet. The eastern portals of these tunnels can be seen from Mayer State Park on the Oregon side of the Columbia River.

Click image to enlarge	Washington State Highway 14 upstream of Lyle. View from Mayer State Park, Oregon, looking at Washington State Highway 14, upstream of Lyle. View shows the eastern portals of three tunnels. Left to right: Railroad Tunnel No.11, Washington State Highway 14 Tunnel No.6, and Washington State Highway 14 Tunnel No.7. Image taken November 11, 2004.
Click image to enlarge	Washington State Highway 14 upstream of Lyle. View from Mayer State Park, Oregon, looking at Washington State Highway 14, upstream of Lyle. View shows the eastern portals of three tunnels. Left to right: Railroad Tunnel No.11, Washington State Highway 14 Tunnel No.6, and Washington State Highway 14 Tunnel No.7. Image taken June 4, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	Washington State Highway 14 Tunnel No.6, west portal. Tunnel No.6 is upstream of Lyle, Washington. Light in middle of tunnel is space between Tunnel No.6 and Tunnel No.7. Image taken May 24, 2005.
Click image to enlarge	Washington State Highway 14 Tunnel No.7., west portal. Tunnel No.7 is the second tunnel upstream of Lyle, Washington. Image taken May 24, 2005.

From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...

Clark, ...

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^*River Miles [RM] are approximate, in statute miles, and were determined from USGS topo maps, obtained from NOAA nautical charts, or obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Website, 2003

Sources: Burkhardt, D.C.J., 2004, Railroads of the Columbia River Gorge, Arcadia Publishing, San Francisco; Oregon Department of Transportation Website, 2005, "Columbia River Gorge Bike Map"; "Railfanning the Gorge" Website, 2005.

All Lewis and Clark quotations from Gary Moulton editions of the Lewis and Clark Journals, University of Nebraska Press, all attempts have been made to type the quotations exactly as in the Moulton editions, however typing errors introduced by this web author cannot be ruled out; location interpretation from variety of sources, including this website author.