The Bonneville Dam is Located in the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area 40 miles east of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. The Bonneville Dam was the first of the major dams to be built on the Columbia River. It was one of the northwest's largest Depression-era New Deal projects, built to harness the river for hydroelectric generation and to improve navigation.

Construction of the dam began in 1933, and water began to rise in 1937. In a short time, the impoundment drowned the historic Cascade rapids that had been a treacherous obstacle for Native Americans for generations and for European-American explorers and travelers since the arrival of Lewis and Clark. The dam which is  2,690 feet long and 197 feet high, is about two miles downstream from the Bridge of the Gods located in Cascade Locks, Oregon.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains Bonneville Lock and Dam for hydropower production, fish and wildlife protection, recreation and navigation. There are visitor centers with interpretive programs and tours on both the Oregon and Washington sides.

Since 1938, Bonneville Dam has supplied the region with inexpensive electrical power. Visitors can experience first-hand the operation of two hydroelectric powerhouses and watch migrating fish traveling upstream at the underwater viewing rooms next to the fish ladders. This area is along the Lewis and Clark route.