Washougal, Washington - Lewis and Clark Trail Experience

Information

Washougal is always open

360-607-5990

Free to visit the city

lat: 45.5811472 long: -122.3538195

Washougal offer an abundance of small town charm and scenic natural beauty to explore.

The City of Washougal, WA, incorporated in 1908, was home to a robust Native American culture and some of the very earliest American settlers and pioneers in the Washington Territory. Beautifully bordered by the Columbia and Washougal Rivers, it is located at the western entrance to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Visitors enjoy shopping, dining, hiking, art, water sports, parks, breweries, history and more.

On March 31, 1806, Lewis and Clark established a camp at Cottonwood Beach for six days while they secured provisions for the return trip through the Columbia River Gorge. In 2006 the area was renamed Captain William Clark Regional Park and provides excellent access to the Columbia River for swimmers and boaters. The park also includes multi-use trails, restrooms, historic interpretive elements, picnic shelters and parking. It is just one of the many reasons to Visit Washougal.

Washougal – A Place of Discovery

Washougal WA in the fall

Washougal WA in the fall

Cottonwood Beach in Washougal WA

Cottonwood Beach in Washougal WA

Lower Hathaway Park swimming hole

Lower Hathaway Park swimming hole

Sandy Swimming Hole Park

Sandy Swimming Hole Park

Washougal River

Washougal River

Washougal Waterfront Park Trail

Washougal Waterfront Park Trail

Pendleton Woolen Mill Outlet Store

Pendleton Woolen Mill Outlet Store

Two Rivers Heritage Museum

Two Rivers Heritage Museum

Seaman at Reflection Plaza

Seaman at Reflection Plaza

Nearby Attractions

Distance Unit:

Discover Washougal Art Map

Discover Washougal Art Map

Washougal, WA, USA
Distance: 0.00 Away

Galleries and Venues Food and Drinks Festivals and Events

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Seaman Sculpture in Reflection Plaza

Seaman Sculpture in Reflection Plaza

Reflection Plaza, Pendleton Way, Washougal, WA, USA
Distance: 0.17 Away

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Washougal Coffee Company

Washougal Coffee Company

Washougal Coffee Company, Main Street, Washougal, WA, USA
Distance: 0.19 Away

Food and Drinks Coffee Houses

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Two Rivers Heritage Museum

Two Rivers Heritage Museum

Two Rivers Heritage Museum, Durgan St, Washougal, WA, USA
Distance: 0.28 Away

Museums and Interpretive Centers

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Cottonwood Beach at Captain William Clark Park

Cottonwood Beach at Captain William Clark Park

Captain William Clark Park, Index Street, Washougal, WA, USA
Distance: 1.17 Away

Outdoor Experiences General History Viewpoints

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Lewis and Clark Heritage Trail

Lewis and Clark Heritage Trail

Captain William Clark Park Trail, Washougal, WA, USA
Distance: 1.51 Away

Walks and Hikes Outdoor Experiences

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Captain William Clark Bust

Captain William Clark Bust

Captain William Clark Park Trail, Washougal, WA, USA
Distance: 1.51 Away

Galleries and Venues

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Confluence Bird Blind at the Sandy River Delta

Confluence Bird Blind at the Sandy River Delta

Confluence Trail, Troutdale, OR 97060, USA
Distance: 1.59 Away

Galleries and Venues Tribal Experiences

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Sandy River Delta

Sandy River Delta

Sandy River Delta, Thousand Acres Road, Troutdale, OR, USA
Distance: 2.04 Away

Outdoor Experiences

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Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Washington, Lewis and Clark Highway, Washougal, WA, USA
Distance: 2.53 Away

Outdoor Experiences

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Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site

Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site

Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site, Jordan Road, Troutdale, OR, USA
Distance: 2.99 Away

LC Features Walks and Hikes Outdoor Experiences

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Reed Island State Park

Reed Island State Park

Reed Island State Park, Washougal, WA, USA
Distance: 3.02 Away

Outdoor Experiences RV and Camping

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Sign Up for the Lewis & Clark Trail Experience Newsletter

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Instagram Feed

Check out our YouTube Channel! We have some great

Check out our YouTube Channel!

We have some great content being posted there every Saturday - you’ll see videos related to personal stories and adventures on the trail, special reports on various trail locations, and much more!

Be sure to subscribe and share with friends as well!

https://www.youtube.com/@lewisandclarktrailalliance

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Here’s a summary of another video you can find there, ‘ Where Louisville Begins - Visit Historic Locust Grove’:

“This c.1792 Georgian mansion tells the story of its owners, William and Lucy Clark Croghan, and the story of American beginnings. William and Lucy Clark Croghan and Lucy’s brother, General George Rogers Clark, welcomed a generation of American luminaries to their home to rest, dialogue, campaign, and duel. Presidents James Monroe and Andrew Jackson, John James Audubon, Cassius Marcellus C, and Lewis and Clark—among others—all passed through Locust Grove. Now a National Historic Landmark, Locust Grove is a unique example of early Kentucky architecture, craftsmanship, and history.

Director of Interpretation Kaitlyn Tisdale takes us on a virtual tour of this historic location.

Learn more about Louisville history at https://lewis-clark.org/?s=locust+grove”

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1kfBtR17m8)

Park of the Week: Harpers Ferry National Historica

Park of the Week: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Positioned at the meeting place of three states (Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland) and the confluence of two major rivers (the Potomac and the Shenandiah), it is not surprising that Harpers Ferry National Historical Park has seen quite a bit of history. The town was the site of John Brown’s Raid and changed hands between the North and the South eight times throughout the course of the Civil War. It was also visited by George Washington in 1785 as he gauged the need for canals and sluices on the Potomac River.

Many visitors are shocked to find that Harpers Ferry also claims a major role in the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In 1803, Meriwether Lewis stopped at Harpers Ferry as he prepared for his famous journey to the Pacific Ocean. At the time of his visit, Harpers Ferry was the home of the United States Armory and Arsenal. Resultantly, Lewis ordered the production of 15 powder horns, 30 bullet molds, 30 ball screws, extra rifle and musket locks, gunsmith's repair tools, several dozen tomahawks, 24 large knives, and a collapsible iron boat frame. These weapons and tools were used by the members of the expedition as they braved the great wilderness of western North America.

Today, the buildings of Harpers Ferry Historical Park are home to a series of small museums, artisan boutiques, and restaurants. Though the United States Armory and Arsenal itself was burnt down during the Civil War, visitors can still read about Meriwether Lewis’s time in Harpers Ferry on informational signs and inside one of the small onsite museums dedicated to the armaments of the expedition. Tours dedicated to the history of Harpers Ferry also detail Lewis’s time and lodgings as he stayed in town.

Photos credited to Mitchell Pence and Cait Clark, 2024

#lewisandclark #history #adventure #travel #westvirginia #maryland #virginia #potomacriver #harpersferry #shenandiahriver

Our new APP is now available! Check it out if you

Our new APP is now available! Check it out if you haven’t yet to bring the adventure and magic of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail on your mobile device. Scan the QR code here or find it on your app store.

Check out our YouTube Channel! We have some great

Check out our YouTube Channel!

We have some great content being posted there every Saturday - you’ll see videos related to personal stories and adventures on the trail, special reports on various trail locations, and much more!

Be sure to subscribe and share with friends as well!

https://www.youtube.com/@lewisandclarktrailalliance

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Here’s a summary of the latest video you can find there, ‘The Legend of Big Bone Lick’:

“What’s a lick, and what do big bones have to do with it? A “lick” is a term for a natural occurrence of salt. They usually appear around sulfur springs, which are places where water and minerals bubble out of the ground. It often smells like rotten eggs.

People call these places “licks” because animals like to lick the salty deposits. The “big bone” part of its name came from huge bones in this bog. Indigenous oral tradition states that the bones were from the white buffalo, who died when they drank the salty water. Western scientists theorized that animals—including mammoths and mastodons—who came for a salty treat got trapped in the marshy areas around the springs.

This site was influential in the American development of paleontology and theories of animal extinction. Thomas Jefferson knew about this place and asked Meriwether Lewis to stop and collect some fossils and send them back.”

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLevOwbBZzs)

https://lewis-clark.org/the-trail/down-the-ohio/big-bone-lick/

The (Confluence Land Bridge in Vancouver, Washingt

The (Confluence Land Bridge in Vancouver, Washington) is a real link connecting back to the Klickitat Trail, Lewis and Clark, and the development of the Northwest. It completes a circle that’s been broken. -Johnpaul Jones

https://www.confluenceproject.org/

About Confluence:
Confluence connects you to the history, living cultures, and ecology of the Columbia River system through Indigenous voices. We are a community-supported nonprofit that works through six art landscapes, educational programs, and public gatherings in collaboration with northwest tribes, communities, and the celebrated artist Maya Lin.

Site Features:
European and Native American cultures once converged at this Columbia River site, where the Hudson’s Bay Company stood as the first European trading post in the Pacific Northwest. Lewis and Clark camped here, and Fort Vancouver was built here 20 years later. Today, the site features a 40-foot wide earth-covered pedestrian bridge that arcs over State Route 14, reconnecting historic Fort Vancouver with the Columbia River, which helped extend the fort’s influence from Mexico to Alaska and across the Pacific Ocean.

Directions to Vancouver Land Bridge
There are two entrances to the Land Bridge in Vancouver, WA. The south entrance is on Columbia Way Blvd. at Old Apple Tree Park. From I-5, take Highway 14 east and take Exit 1 for SE Columbia Way toward Vancouver National Historic Reserve. Keep right, follow signs for S/Southeast Columbia Way. Turn right and drive west to the sign for Old Apple Tree Park. Park and walk under the overpass to the welcome gate of the Land Bridge.

The north entrance to the Land Bridge is just west of Fort Vancouver. From I-5, take Mill Plain Blvd east. Turn right at Fort Vancouver Way. Stay on Fort Vancouver Way through the roundabout and turn left on East 5th Street. The path to the Land Bridge will be on your right.

Watch -- Virtual Tour of Vancouver Land Bridge on Confluence’s Digital Library (https://www.confluenceproject.org/library/).

Watch -- Tanna Engdahl: We Were Excellent Land Managers (http://xn--https-hw3b//www.confluenceproject.org/library-post/tanna-engdahl-we-were-excellent-land-managers/%22)