The Columbia River Gorge doesn't need our praise, but it deserves it nonetheless. This year that praise is extending beyond the Pacific Northwest all the way up to the United States Postal Service, which is honoring the scenic wonder with a postage stamp all its own.

The 2016 Priority Mail Express stamp, set to be released Jan. 17, will honor "the grandeur of the Columbia River Gorge," the postal service wrote in a press release, featuring a grand and gorgeous scene that will be all too familiar to locals.

The 2016 Columbia River Gorge postage stamp.

The image, created by Chicago-based illustrator Dan Cosgrove, is set high above the Vista House atop Crown Point on the Oregon side of the Columbia River, the setting sun bathing the scene in heavenly hues.

It's a nice northwest memento, but the new stamp doesn't come cheap. One Priority Mail Express stamp - which gets you the "fastest domestic service" - will set you back a whopping $22.95.

The stamp is the most recent addition to a long tradition honoring natural wonders via mail. In 2006 the postal service released a commemorative "Wonders of America" stamp series that included Crater Lake, the Pacific Crest Trail and the coast redwoods, among others.

--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB