The Gorge

Among Oregonians and southwest Washingtonians, 'the Gorge' needs no qualifier — it always means the Columbia River Gorge, the 80-mile river canyon that forms much of the OR/WA border. 'Hitting the Gorge' implies a day of waterfall hikes, windsurfing at Hood River, or wine tasting; locals never call it the 'Columbia Gorge' in conversation. Anywhere else in the country, 'the gorge' is ambiguous.