Your Itinerary

1Pre-Cruise Hotel Night
Welcome to Portland!! Enjoy a complimentary night in Portland, OR.

2Embark in Portland, OR
Welcome aboard the American Melody!

3Astoria, OR
You’ll visit Columbia River Maritime Museum, where the American Pride is docked. Other potential places to visit could include the Astoria Column or Fort Clatsop. Local Tip: The easiest tour of Astoria is to ride the Astoria Trolley! It’s $1 for one trip, or pay $2 for a hand stamp and ride as much as you want that day. The Trolley runs from one end of town to the other all day. The conductors are great tour guides, pointing out historical places and interesting Astoria facts. The American Pride will be docked in front of the Columbia River Maritime Museum, and there is a trolley stop right in front of the museum!

4Kalama, WA/Mount St. Helens
Explore Kalama, a small town nestled in between big cities of Portland, OR and Seattle, WA. While here you can peruse one of the many antique stores, take a walk along the Columbia River, or visit one of the nearby wineries. Perhaps the most impactful of all landmarks in the region is Mount St. Helens. From high on an overlook, bear witness to the awesome power of the volcano whose eruption in 1980 scorched 230 sq miles of forest land and forever changed the landscape and the lives of those in the surrounding towns.

5Day of Cruising the Columbia Gorge
The Columbia River Gorge is a spectacular river canyon cutting through the Cascade Mountain Range with amazing natural contrasts of rain forest and desert sea level passage and alpine meadows. As the largest federally protected National Scenic Area in the United States, the Gorge boasts stunning waterfalls, basalt cliffs, lakes, streams, rivers, and fields of wildflowers.

6Stevenson, WA
TODAY IS THE DAY that you’ll visit the world-famous Multnomah Falls! It doesn’t matter if it’s the tallest or the 400th tallest – the Falls are still gorgeous! You’ll also visit the Bonneville Dam and the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center. Local Tip: There are signs marking all the falls: Multnomah Falls, Horsetail Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, etc. The sign that says, “Shepherd’s Dell” is also a waterfall! Don’t pass it by without looking!

7Hood River, OR
Hood River is a beautiful town, sitting at the base of Mt Hood. The complimentary excursion fo the day is a brewery tour at the local Full Sail Brewery. Or you could take a ride on Mt. Hood Railroad, heading up the mountain for great views of the Gorge and Mt Hood! Local Tip: Hood River has amazing breweries and wineries! Just take a walk around downtown and you’ll find hidden treats on every corner. And a great place for souvenirs (and get a laugh out of your friends at home): get a bottle at the Naked Winery!

8The Dalles, OR
Sitting between Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams, The Dalles was the last stop on the Oregon Trail. Included is a visit to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center – a stunning museum documenting the ancient history of the region to the various groups of people who have occupied the region. There’s even a display about riverboats – makes a great photo op! Local Tip: If you want to adventure across the river, you can visit Maryhill Museum of Art. Take some time to walk around the outdoor sculpture garden and walk over to Stonehenge. Built as a replica of the original, this Stonehenge stands as a World War I memorial, completed in 1929.

9Richland, WA
Once upon a time, this was a village known as Chemna, sitting at the mouth of the Yakima River, where Native Americans would harvest salmon runs. The Lewis & Clark Expedition visited Chemna on October 17, 1805. The small farming town of Richland was formed in 1910, until it became a bedroom community for workers on the Army’s Manhattan Project at nearby Hanford. A 5-minute walk from the ship, tour REACH Museum to learn about the creation of the first atomic bomb. Using Hanford Reach National Monument as the focal point, the museum tells the story of the people, the land and the river that connects it all with artifacts and exhibits of the people and the only complete baby woolly mammoth skeleton.

10Pendleton, OR
Journey south to the wild west town of Pendleton, OR! The underground city tour is highly suggested, and will introduce you to the secrets of this city and it’s history in the frontier. Or visit the Pendleton Woolen Mill and Museum, famous for the town’s woven masterpieces that they’ve been creating for more than 100 years! Onboard, representatives from the Bernard Griffin Winery will lead our cocktail hour with an exclusive wine tasting!

11Cruising the Snake River
On your journey to Clarkston, WA cruise the renowned Snake River along mountain ranges, canyons, and plains. Relax on the sun deck or your private balcony and view the spectacular wildlife that lives along its shores, including otter, coyote, pronghorn, deer, mountain goat, and marmots. You may also spot osprey and eagles and a variety of different species of birds.

12Clarkston, WA
At the Washington/Idaho border, lies the twin towns of Clarkston and Lewiston (sound familiar?). Our ship will dock in Clarkston, near Hells Canyon. It is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that everyone take the jet boat tour – nearly every client says its one of their cruise highlights. Hells Canyon is a 10-mile wide canyon, carved 15,000 years ago. The jet boat will take you alongside the canyon walls to view ancient Native pictographs, as well as show off the changes in the geography of the canyon from high desert to alpine forests. Disembark after breakfast.