St. Cloud Recreation Area

Once the St. Cloud Ranch homestead, the area is possibly the largest remaining natural wetland in the Gorge, providing habitat for an extensive variety of wildlife. Paul and Florence Vial named their beloved home St. Cloud Ranch for the suburb of Paris, France where they spent their 1903 honeymoon and early married years. Acquired by the Forest Service in 1990, this historic site offers a great family stroll through a historic apple orchard. An accessible interpretive loop of three-foot wide gravel provides signs explaining the history and views of the Oregon side of the Gorge. Picnic tables at the viewpoint if you want to eat lunch there.