The highway runs roughly parallel to the river and Interstate 84. There are two drivable sections. The west section is reached by taking Exit 17 from Interstate 84. Follow signs through Troutdale and cross the Troutdale Bridge, then take a right onto the historic highway, which passes Dabney State Park and the communities of Springdale and Corbett, which has the last gas before Cascade Locks. A mile-and-a-half from Corbett begins the a stretch with some of the most photographed vistas of the Columbia Gorge.

You can reach the eastern section from Interstate 84 at Exit 69 at Mosier. You are transported along a series of loops to the top of Rowena Plateau and the Governor Tom McCall Preserve before being delivered to The Dalles.