Table Mountain is a peak rising on the north side of the

Columbia River The Columbia River (Upper Chinook language, Upper Chinook: ' or '; Sahaptin language, Sahaptin: ''Nch’i-Wàna'' or ''Nchi wana''; Sinixt dialect'' '') is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river headwater ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

state, about north-northwest of

Bonneville Dam Bonneville Lock and Dam consists of several run-of-the-river dam structures that together complete a span of the Columbia River between the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington at River Mile 146.1. The dam is located east of Portland, Ore ...

. It is one of the most spectacular landmarks of the

Columbia River Gorge The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the state ...

. Its southeast face drops in less than one horizontal mile (1.6 km.), and is topped by an almost vertical cliff. Table Mountain is joined by the similar Greenleaf Peak to the northeast, and also by Hamilton Mountain to the southwest, which is lower, (), but similarly steep and much closer to the Columbia. Together these peaks form an impressive group on the Washington side of the Gorge. Between 1425 and 1450 AD the south side of Table Mountain sheared off and dammed the

in an event known as the Bonneville Slide. The river soon carved a new bend around to the south, but for a while Native Americans living in the area could walk across. This led to the legend known as the Bridge of the Gods.

References

Mountains of Washington (state) Columbia River Gorge Mountains of Skamania County, Washington Washington Natural Areas Program Protected areas of Skamania County, Washington {{SkamaniaCountyWA-geo-stub