Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

The two stone pillars lord over the rocky plateau, a pair of rust-red sentinels in a sea of yellow grass. They stand no more than 500 feet from the banks of the Columbia River, a mighty blue ribbon more than two miles wide, silently rolling through the desert landscape.

Twin Sisters is a particularly stunning rock formation, found near the Oregon-Washington Border on the Columbia Plateau. A sacred site for local Native American tribes, the pillars are open to the public as part of the Wallula Gap National Natural Landmark, accessible by a short trail on the side of the highway.



A sign posted at the trailhead shares the "Two Sisters Legend," which says the basalt pillars are actually two Cayuse Indian sisters, victims of trickery and bitter jealously.



According to the legend, Coyote fell in love with three sisters who were catching salmon in the river. A notorious trickster, Coyote watched the sisters by day and destroyed their traps by night. After several days Coyote saw the sisters crying because they were starving for fish. He promised to build them a new trap if they would become his wives.

The sisters consented and Coyote kept his promise. For many years they lived happily, but after a while he became jealous of them. Using his powers, Coyote turned two of the sisters into stone pillars, and the third one into a cave downriver. He then turned himself into a rock so he could watch over them forever.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Just beyond the sign, a small trail leads uphill toward the formation. Here it forks, one branch leading up to a rocky hump a bit closer to the base of the formation, the other heading toward an open area behind it. There’s no need to take the high route unless you want a slightly closer look or just enjoy the adventure.

Really, the best view of Twin Sisters is from behind, where the stunning scene encompasses a slice of the Columbia River at the wide Wallula Gap, and the several sweeping cliffs that surround. In the late afternoon and evening, the setting sun will cast long shadows of the rocks onto the grassy hillside. In the morning, this side is in sunlight, giving a great illuminated view of the rock formation.

A hike from the parking area to the far side of Twin Sisters and back is only about a third of a mile. You can wander around a bit more if you like, but this is really more of a pit-stop than an all-day adventure.

Just north along the highway, a pull-out offers another short hiking trail behind a sign explaining “The History of Wallula” for those who want more. There’s no Twin Sisters to see, but the trail here leads steeply up a rocky slope to some more great views of the cliffs and Columbia River.

Find the Twin Sisters trailhead on the east side of U.S. Route 730. If driving from the south, look for mile marker 4 just before the pull-out. If driving from the north, go about two miles south of the split with U.S. Route 12.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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