The mighty Columbia River, which eventually empties into the Pacific Ocean between Oregon and Washington, begins in the Columbia Valley on the west side of the
British Columbia Rockies. The headwaters of the Columbia are considered to be
Columbia Lake at the south end of the valley. The river then flows north through
Windermere Lake, past
Golden and eventually turns south just before the
Mica Dam, the first of the many dams that have tamed the river.
