Columbia River Delta

River current, Pacific swell, shifting sandbars, and strong winds can combine to create steep and rapidly changing seas. Numerous shipwrecks near the Oregon-Washington border gave the wider coastline its grim nickname.

Licensed Columbia River Bar Pilots board large vessels and guide them through the river mouth. The United States Coast Guard also operates specialized rescue and training capabilities in the area.

No, the Columbia still forms a broad tidal estuary before entering the Pacific. Dams and flow regulation upstream have nevertheless changed sediment movement, seasonal discharge, and estuarine habitat.

The estuary provides access to ports including Astoria, Portland, and Vancouver, Washington. Ocean-going traffic must first cross the hazardous Columbia Bar before proceeding upriver.