written by Lauren Kramer | photography by Sagecliffe Resort & Spa

There’s no better place to appreciate the dramatic basalt cliffs of the Columbia River Gorge than Sagecliffe Resort & Spa, which sits on the dusty hillside 1,200 feet above the river. Built in 2005, the eighty-room resort is artfully and elegantly furnished, with all windows pointing to the deep blue ribbon of the river and the soaring cliffs on either side of it, their rusty red colors illuminated by the changing angles of the sun. Adjacent to 6,500 acres of public land, Sagecliffe encompasses a winery that opened in Spring 2024. The lush vineyards of its neighbor, Cave B Estate Winery, are interlaced between the resort, which means guests are surrounded by vineyards. Sagecliffe’s other neighbor is the Gorge Amphitheatre, making this the ultimate overnight venue for concert lovers seeking music and deluxe comfort. If you want to steep yourself in the peace and serenity of the gorge, come in the shoulder season or mid-week, when you’ll miss the 30,000 concert goers.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Sagecliffe offers eighty rooms in a variety of accommodations, including fifteen “cliffehouses” overlooking the gorge, cavern rooms with kitchenettes, and one- and two-bedroom homes. The cliffehouses feature elegant, modernist decor coupled with high ceilings, wood floors, gas fireplaces, coffee and tea-making facilities and flat-screen televisions. Utterly private, their secluded, grapevine-shaded patios are a peaceful place to sip a glass of wine as you gaze at the heart-stopping view.

AMENITIES

Sagecliffe’s large selection of recreational offerings includes pickleball and tennis courts, a gym, a full-service spa, a large swimming pool, table tennis, fire pits, lawn games and hiking trails that lead directly from the resort down to the Columbia River basin.

DINING

Tendrils, the resort’s upscale restaurant, is a from-scratch kitchen helmed by Brooke Vader, a talented young chef who makes everything in-house, from bread to gelato. Dishes featuring locally sourced ingredients can be ordered inside the restaurant, on the patio overlooking the gorge, pool-side or at The Fox & Quail Whiskey Bar. The menu features casual fare like wood-fired pizza, fish and chips, pasta and enchiladas, as well as upscale dinners of filet mignon and halibut.

HISTORY

The resort, winery and amphitheater were built by Vince Bryan and his wife, Carol, who moved from New York City to Quincy in 1981 to start a vineyard. They invited 1,000 guests to celebrate their first harvest in 1984, and realizing their property encompassed a natural amphitheater with great acoustics, they built terraces and a stage and hired a Wenatchee band to entertain. Within seven years that venue became Washington’s much-loved Gorge Amphitheatre, now owned by Live Nation. The Bryans established Cave B Estate Winery and, in 2005, Cave B Inn & Spa, which was renamed Sagecliffe Resort & Spa when it came under new ownership in 2020.

344 SILICA ROAD NW
QUINCY
www.sageclifferesortandspa.com