The Columbia River is one of the more magnificent rivers in the United States. The river’s headwaters actually begin inside Canada, but the majority of it flows through Washington State and along the Washington-Oregon border before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. A great deal is known about this important natural resource, but here are 7 things you don’t know about the Columbia River.

1. 498 miles of the Columbia River’s total length of 1,243 miles is found in Canada.

2. Cape Disappointment marks the northern edge of the mouth of the Columbia River. It received its name from British Captain John Meares who had searched for the river, couldn’t find it, and determined that it didn’t exist.

3. More than 40 percent of all wheat that is exported from the entire United States is at one time or another barged down the Columbia River.

4. There are 14 hydroelectric dams that produce power on the Columbia River, three of them lie within the borders of Canada’s British Columbia.

5. Despite the fact that the Columbia River starts in Canada and flows south into Washington State, the first 200 miles of the river actually flows northwest from its source.

6. The largest dam on the Columbia River is the Grand Coulee Dam. The original planned height of the dam was to be between 200 and 300 feet, during construction the planned height of the dam was changed to 500 feet high.

7. The three Columbia River dams that are found inside Canada, Mica Dam, Duncan Dam and Hugh Keenleyside Dam, were all built in the late 1960s and early 1970s and were required as part of the Columbia River Treaty between the United States and Canada. They are all mainly used for water storage, although power production was enabled at two of the dams years after they were completed.

The Columbia River is a great source of hydroelectric power and recreational opportunities. It has developed into one of the more important resources that the Pacific Northwest has and is used to the benefit of the entire nation. There are a number of worthwhile attractions and locations to visit up and down the entire length of the Columbia River.

1. Mount Rainier is actually topped by two separate volcanic craters.

2. Six rivers flow from the glacial snow of Mount Rainier, they are the Puyallup, Carbon, Mowich, Nisqually, Cowlitz and White rivers.

3. The first European to view Mount Rainier was the British explorer Captain George Vancouver. He named the mountain after his friend, Rear Admiral Peter Rainier.

4. Mount Rainier National Park was created by President William McKinley and was the fifth national park in the United States.

5. As recent as 1924, the United States Congress considered a resolution to change the name of Mount Rainier to Mount Tacoma.

6. In 1946, 32 people died when the plane they were in crashed into the side of Mount Rainier, the crash site was located on the South Tahoma Glacier.

7. The Wonderland Trail is a 93 mile long hiking trail that circumnavigates the entire mountain.

The pure beauty of Mount Rainier is one of the reasons that anyone visiting the state of Washington needs to make sure that they include it on their list of places to see. Mount Rainier rarely disappoints its visitors and usually rates very high with travelers from out of state. There is so much to do in and around the mountain that anyone with any outdoor recreation interests will find more than enough to occupy themselves with.