Columbia River State Park

Long ago I had a group of friends in Portland that were interested in climbing. We decided to go for a day of rock climbing. That day we chose an area called Horsethief Butte. It was in Washington across the Columbia River from The Dalles. It was a great area to practice our new-found interest. And so we did. Lots of cracks, rock faces, and other areas to “play on”.

Things have changed. Columbia River State Park is a new state park, that was formed in 1990 when three parcels of land were purchased and merged with public land to form the park. Besides the climbing area, there is a campground, a picnic area, and a boat launching ramp for visitors to enjoy.

The area that this park occupies has been used by people for thousands of years. They have left behind pictures to prove it. There are both petroglyphs and pictograph displayed in this park. Some petroglyphs were moved here from an area that is now under the lake created by the Dalles Dam. Some petroglyphs are still in their original positions on rock faces above the river. Alongside these carvings are many pictographs decorating the same rock faces. The pictures come in three colors; three, black, and white and in all sizes and shapes, beautiful all. The volunteer guide lead us past many of these interesting pieces of art and also pieces of history. At the end of the trail is “She Who Watches”.