Lupine and balsamroot at Rowena
Crest Viewpoint, looking out over the
Columbia River Gorge, Oregon, US
CLOCKWISE FROM RIGHT: Zollverein
Coal Mine Industrial Complex, Ruhr
Valley, Germany; hikers making a steep
ascent in Chimanimani National Park;
lions are one of numerous species
in the wildlife-rich Chimanimani
National Park
IMAGES:^ ALAMY;^ AWLIMAGESCOLUMBIA RIVER GORGE,
OREGON/WASHINGTON, US
MINDFULLY WINE & DINE IN THE L ARGEST
NATIONAL SCENIC AREA IN THE US
The largest National Scenic Area in the US is probably
not where you think: it straddles the Oregon-Washington
border and comprises 293,000 acres of public and private
lands along the Columbia River Gorge. With Mount Hood
nearby, the area attracts more than two million visitors
annually. To help reduce tourist impact, a nonprofit
alliance has kick-started a collaborative movement
that’s morphed into a best-practice model for building a
sustainable tourism economy.
Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance initiatives include
the visitor education programme Ready, Set, Gorge, and
the East Gorge Food Trail, a network of farms, historic
hotels, wineries and other homegrown experiences.
Ali McLaughlin, owner of MountNbarreL, which offers
wine-tasting bike tours and other car-free experiences,
says partnering with other local organisations and
educating visitors benefits everyone. “Having tourists
who understand the importance of respecting the area
they are travelling through has gone a long way towards
mitigating concerns from local residents,” she explains.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVEL (US)
RUHR VALLEY, GERMANY
BE SURPRISED BY ART & NATURE IN A FORMER
INDUSTRIAL ZONEMining and steel production once dominated the
densely populated Ruhr Valley, in Germany’s western
state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Today, the region is
repurposing former slag heaps and post-apocalyptic-
looking industrial sites as parks and open-air cultural
spaces. The most famous is the UNESCO World Heritage
Site of Zeche Zollverein (Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial
Complex), home to an outdoor swimming pool, ice rink
and walking trails. “People visiting the area are usually
impressed by the abundance of green,” says Karola Geiss-
Netthöfel, director of the Ruhr Regional Association.
Zollverein is part of the Emscher Landscape Park, an
east-west system of green spaces and corridors covering
nearly 175sq miles. Rent a bike in Essen for a car-free
Ruhr Valley trip along cycling routes or explore on foot
via the 96-mile-long Hohe Mark Steig, a trekking trail
opened in 2021. “The trail combines nature and industrial
culture in a unique way as you pass by several industrial
buildings,” says Karola. A top spot nearby? The 495ft-high
Halde Hoheward, a mountainous slag heap made from 180
million tons of mine waste topped with a giant sundial.
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER (GERMANY)Sustainability
102 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel
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