The Columbia River Basin: Spanning Seven U.S. States and British Columbia

The Columbia River Basin covers a vast area of western North America. In the United States, it includes parts of Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. A smaller portion extends into southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The Columbia River itself rises in the Canadian Rockies, flows through diverse landscapes—forests, deserts, valleys—and empties into the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon. The basin is renowned for hydropower, salmon runs, irrigation agriculture, and stunning scenery.