Horsethief Lake State Park

About Horsethief Lake State Park

This is Columbia Hills State Park, which includes Horsethief Lake, Dalling Hills and the Butte-dominated skyline. The lake stands on an old castle whose foothills dominate the skyline, overlooking the Columbia River and its tributaries to the Missouri River.

The lake itself is about 90 hectares in size and is actually a tributary of the Columbia River, which was flooded by a dam, the Dalles Dam. Information about flooding can be found at the lake, which was actually flooded during the last ice age. The channels of the Butte and Columbia Rivers were dug out of basalt rock in the late 19th century to flood the dam and Dalling Dam.

Basalt was formed as a result of lava flows that formed from cracks in the Earth's crust and covered the entire eastern Washington and Oregon region during a long ice age. When looking at the rocks of the river, one notices the stratification that occurs when the banks rise out of the rock.

In some places, the lava flows are several hundred meters thick, and each lava stream represents a different lava flow, each with its own unique features and characteristics.

Indian pictograms, paintings, petroglyphs and carvings, the park contains some of the oldest pictograms in the northwest. Archaeological sites and artifacts are protected by federal and state law, and their disruption or removal is illegal and punishable by harsh penalties. The park contains some Indian pictogram paintings and petrochemical carvings, but artifacts associated with local tribes can be seen at the Horseie Lake State Park Museum and Museum of Indian Art.

The park has been the site of an Indian village for centuries, and Lewis and Clark's expedition camped in the village and described a wooden house in one of their diaries. The village was flooded by the water of the Dalles dam and the park was reopened to the public.

O'Brien said the park was formerly called Horsethief Lake State Park by workers from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who developed the site. The workers were apparently inspired by the many horses kept by Native Americans at the site and thought it resembled a racecourse, similar to the one at the Dalles Dam in Columbia River Gorge in Oregon.

The commission combined the park with Dalles Mountain Ranch and renamed the area Columbia Hills State Park in 2003. Selected premium campsites in the parks can cost $1,000 a day, $2,500 a week or $3,200 a year for a family of four.

Additional vehicles must be parked at a designated campsite with additional parking space, and if a recreational vehicle pulls a second vehicle, a $10 per night fee will be charged for the second vehicle.

Check-in is 14: 30, check-out is 13: 00, and quiet times are 22 - 00 and 06 - 30. In summer, you can stay in the park for up to ten consecutive days, and the length of stay can be extended as long as you wish, with a campsite charge of $10 per night. The park has a year-round fee - disposal costs $5 per use, but this fee is included in the camping fees if you are camping on a campsite with more than one vehicle and without a parking space for your vehicle.

The maximum length of each site is 60 feet, possibly due to limited availability, and the maximum length of the sites is limited to 60 feet, with a maximum width of 30 feet.

In Columbia River Gorge it can be very windy and there are also two primary hiking and cycling campgrounds. Be prepared for such conditions, as it can be very windy in the summer months, especially in late summer and early autumn.

The park has two boat ramps and motorboats are allowed on the lake, but the municipality has imposed the entire lake. The first serves as a campsite and the second as the main parking for the campsites, both of which are mandatory by the municipality.

Day passes are available for $5 and annual passes can be purchased when staff is available, but there is a limited number of parking spaces in the parking lot at the park entrance. The system is operated first, come - how - You - come and the facilities are maintained by a staff of two to three employees per day, one per campsite.

The park is located at milestone 85 and the hotel is located on the Columbia River near the southern border of the state. To travel east or west on I-84, head north on US 197 to the Columbia River Bridge and take Exit 87. Turn right eastbound and continue north until you reach SR-14, then turn left on US-15 to reach the entrance to the park.

Located at milestone 85, the park leads you east to west from Washington along the Columbia River to Washington State Route 14 and then west to US-15.