Rowena Crest Viewpoint

The Rowena Crest Viewpoint sits atop the basalt bluffs of the Historic Columbia River Highway (US-30) between Mosier and The Dalles, managed as part of Mayer State Park. From the paved overlook loop, the panorama takes in the Columbia River below, the gorge opening both west and east, and — most memorably — the Rowena Loops themselves, the stacked horseshoe curves of the highway that engineers built by looping the road back on itself to maintain a gentle grade down the cliff face rather than dropping steeply over a shorter distance. Looking down at those curves from above gives the whole approach a different kind of weight.

The viewpoint also serves as the trailhead for the adjacent Tom McCall Nature Preserve, where the Rowena Plateau Trail and the longer out-and-back to McCall Point are accessible from the parking loop. Spring brings notable wildflower blooms across the plateau — native lupine, balsamroot, and others — and that's also when the viewpoint draws the heaviest traffic. The Gorge is consistently windy here; plan accordingly. There are no restroom facilities at the viewpoint itself, and no dogs are permitted in the nature preserve.