Columbia Hills Historical State Park

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Located in the eastern Columbia River Gorge, this state park has 4 different areas to visit. Chances are, your weather will be much nicer here than the parks further to the west.

This is where you go to car camp, picnic and play in the water, typical to many other state parks. Unique to this location are the Native American pictographs and petroglyphs. The Temani Pesh-Wa exhibit is open daily for self-guided viewing. The world-famous Tsagaglalal, (She Who Watches) and other pictographs and petroglyphs can be viewed by making a reservation to participate in a regularly scheduled ranger-led tour. The displays were moved to this higher ground when the local dam was built on the Columbia.

Horsethief Lake

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WA State Parks

Columbia Gorge

This is a great short hike to scenic vistas of the river and nearby mountains. Flower and rock fields make exploring this area extra fun. Easy scrambling can get you to the top on the river side of the butte. There is also numerous rock climbing locations at Horsethief Butte as well as some protected Archaeological sites. The Butte is a dominate feature along the Columbia River, similar to Beacon Rock.

Horsethief Butte

On the north side of the highway, this trailhead offers access to miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails that crisscross the Columbia Hills with views of Mount Adams, Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. In the springtime, the hills are covered in places with colorful wild flowers, especially arrowleaf balsamroot and lupine.

Crawford Oaks Trailhead

This is a historic homestead ranch has several historic buildings and farm equipment displays. The Dalles Mountain Ranch trailhead allows visitors access to the same trails as the Crawford Oaks Trailhead, but from the top. The area is also wildflowers in the spring. Right above the ranch is a DNR natural area where you can walk a road to the top of Stacker Butte for incredible 360 views.

Dalles Mountain Ranch Area