Columbia River (Oregon/Washington)

The Columbia is the mightiest salmon and steelhead river in the lower 48, draining 259,000 square miles from the Rockies to the Pacific. Spring Chinook are the most prized — their fat content from the long upstream journey makes them the finest-eating salmon in the world. The river also holds giant white sturgeon exceeding 10 feet that have been swimming these waters since the Jurassic period.