Itinerary

The June Bug will set out on Thursday, August 23.

Thursday, August 23
   If you want to joint camp Thursday night, we could do it at the Port of Washougal/Camus. If not, then the June Bug would probably overnight at Government Island (River Mile 115, not as far as Washougal) which is only accessible by boat. Brian & Leslie will be in touch by phone after they leave on the boat, so contact them when they are underway if you want to try to meet.


Friday, August 24
   A possibility would be to meet on Friday night at Cascade Locks Marine Park.


Saturday, August 25
   12:30 Someone picks Leslie and Brian up at The Dalles Marina.
   1:00 Meet at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center
   Dinner: Baldwin Saloon
Camping: Horsethief Lake (Columbia Hills) State Park
   Backup Camping: the camping area at Avery boat ramp, which is a little further east. It's free, and I think usually has low use. The rest room is primitive, and the camp sites are not developed, but it is a nice setting on the water. You can park right beside the water. Brian's camped there in his pickup truck with the back opening up to the shore. So, if Horsethief is full, just drive east about 3-4 miles approx. and you will see a sign for Avery boat ramp. Drive down to the ramp, crossing the RR track, and you will see places to camp right beside the water.


Sunday, August 26
   8:00 Anyone wanting to lock through The Dalles Dam on the June Bug meets at The Dalles Marina. Lock-through at 9:00. At Horsethief Lake State Park the passengers can dinghy ashore, or swim ashore (suggest wearing life jacket), to rejoin the campers, about 10:00 a.m., or else passengers will transit to Maryhill State Park on the JB, arriving approximately 2:00/3:00.
   Activities: Maryhill Museum, Stonehenge, Maryhill Winery, other wineries, paragliding ;-). We can check out nearby one of the (many) places where Leslie broke bones paragliding.
   Camping: Maryhill State Park


Monday, August 27
   Activities: Maryhill Museum, Stonehenge, Maryhill Winery, other wineries, paragliding ;-). We can check out nearby one of the (many) places where Leslie broke bones paragliding.
   Camping: Maryhill State Park


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For more information about further possibilities see: http://columbiaeast.blogspot.com/

Charbonneau Park, Lake Sacajawea - joint camping

Here’s an option on the Snake, east of Pasco and on the shore of Lake Sacajawea, that has RV and boat camping:
Charbonneau Park
This will probably be the furthest up-river point for the June Bug, and it affords another place for those who want to transit locks, either up or down at the Ice Harbor Dam.

Possible itinerary: meeting at Sacajawea Park for breakfast or for lunch, then Charbonneau Park in the evening. The JB would lock through at either the 3:00 or the 6:00 slot for recreational craft up-river lock-throughs. Anyone wishing to lock through could board the Bug at Sacajawea Park.

Windust Park, Lake Sacajawea - joint camping

Lake Sacajawea, Snake River Mile 39, North River Bank

http://www.recreation.gov/campgroundDetails.do?subTabIndex=0&agency=nrrs&parkCode=wipa

http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/corpsoutdoors/siteInfo.asp?siteID=119&lakeID=101&address_id=225

Fishhook Park, Lake Sacajawea - joint camping?

Lake Sacajawea, Snake River Mile 18, South River Bank
This link to Fishhook Park mentions boat camping. This one doesn't.

Hood Park, Lake Walulla - joint camping?

Lake Wallula, Snake River Mile 2.5, South River Bank

This Hood Park link mentions boat camping. This one doesn't.

Hat Creek St Pk - lunch spot 9m east of Umatilla

~Columbia River Mile 298


Here's another beautiful spot we could meet. It does not have camping, like Crow Butte does, but it could be a beautiful lunch stop. Also, all those who would like to come on the boat for a transit of the locks at McNarry Dam, several miles down river, could off-load there. We could load at Umatilla, just downstream from the dam, and off-load at Hat Creek.

   http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_19.php?md=pic

Umatilla, OR - joint camping

~Columbia River Mile 292



This looks like a good place for joint boat moorage and RV camping:
Umatilla Marina RV Park

Boardman, OR - joint camping

~Columbia River Mile 268, South River Bank

This looks like a joint boat / RV camping pardise:

The Marina Park
Marina Park photo album
Camping on the water's edge

http://www.iinet.com/~englishriver/LewisClarkColumbiaRiver/Regions/Places/boardman.html

Wine tasting

A person who sells wine to the stores suggested going to several places in the Tri Cities--one of which was Waterbrook -- in Walla Walla -- just a little beyond the Tri Cities.

There are lots of wineries along the Columbia. Hedges was one he gave high marks to.

http://www.winesnw.com/gorgehome.html#Today_WineCountry

- Leslie

Crow Butte Park, Paterson WA - joint camping

Lake Umatilla, Columbia River Mile 262, North River Bank

Crow Butte Park looks like a good place for joint boat/RV camping when the JB heads east next summer:
http://www.crowbutte.com/new_page_1.htm
http://www.crowbutte.com/Back-in%20Lot%20with%20RV.JPG
http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/corpsoutdoors/parks/crowbut.htm

A variety of campsites are available on Crow Butte such as pull through and back-in RV campsites, tent campsites with full hookup (power, water, sewer, and active dump station). Waterfront sites and dry sites available, first come first serve by reservation.

Here's another view, more distant, of Crow Butte Park:
http://www.iinet.com/~englishriver/LewisClarkColumbiaRiver/Images/crow_butte_park_2005.jpg
http://www.iinet.com/~englishriver/LewisClarkColumbiaRiver/Regions/Places/crow_butte.html

That really shows the drama of the contrast between the lushness of the park and the desolateness of the eastern dessert terrain, doesn't it.

Arlington - Joint Camping

Columbia River Mile 243, South River Bank


The Port of Arlington has a campground and marina. There is also another RV park about 1 mi S:
  http://www.honkernet.net/visitarlington/columbia.htm
  http://www.easternoregon.worldweb.com/ArlingtonOR/WheretoStay/Campgrounds/

John Day R Confluence - Joint Camping?

Le Page (or Le Paige) Park, Columbia River Mile 219, South River Bank
http://www.boatoregon.com/Library/MARINAGU.PDF
http://www.recreation.gov/or/Lepage_Park/Campground/r/campgroundDetails.do?agency=NRRS&parkId=3248

Maryhill State Park - Joint Camping

~Columbia River Mile 203, North River Bank

Brian got a message from a ranger at Maryhill State Park confirming that they have mooring buoys. This means that Maryhill is a viable site for joint boat/RV/tent camping. It is in a beautiful location on the Columbia river east of the Dalles. Maryhill Museum is nearby, as is Stonehenge, and as is a local winery.

Best of all, it is only several miles from a location where Leslie and Brian have done lots of paragliding at the Cliffside flying site, and Leslie is chomping at the bit to go flying there again!

Here is the place:

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Maryhill
http://www.stateparks.com/maryhill.html
http://www.wildernet.com/pages/area.cfm?areaID=WASPMRYHILL&CU_ID=1
http://www.brainygeography.com/features/WA.park/maryhillstatepark.html

Columbia Hills/Horsethief Lake State Park - Joint Camping

Columbia River Mile 194, North River Bank (WA)


http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Columbia%20Hills

http://www.stateparks.com/horsethief_lake.html

From what I can tell, there are 8 RV-accessible sites & 8 tent sites, and they don’t take reservations, so we should work out a backup camping plan. But if we DO get in, there are petroglyphs there that are worth a look!

Backup Camping: the camping area at Avery boat ramp, which is a little further east. It's free, and Brian thinks it usually has low use. The rest room is primitive, and the camp sites are not developed, but it is a nice setting on the water. You can park right beside the water. Brian's camped there in his pickup truck with the back opening up to the shore. So, if Horsethief is full, just drive east about 3-4 miles approx. and you will see a sign for Avery boat ramp. Drive down to the ramp, crossing the RR track, and you will see places to camp right beside the water.

Hood River area

Bingen - Columbia River Mile 171, North River Bank

An RV Park in White Salmon, near the Bingen Marina (across from Hood River)...not great, but has RV and tent camping:

http://www.bridgerv.com/photo.htm
http://www.bridgerv.com/

(I confirmed that overnight RV parking is not allowed in the Bingen Marina or in the Hood River Marine Park area.)

- Brian

Cascade Locks - joint camping

Columbia River Mile 149, South River Bank

The Cascade Locks Port area is pretty neat, with lots of grass, a place to walk to for viewing the old locks used to bypass the rapids before Bonneville Dam was built, a museum, and a docking and embarking point for taking tours on the local Paddlewheeler.

We might want to do joint RV/tent/boat camping at the Cascade Locks Marine Park. The facilities there are nice, and it is a pretty spot. They have some new campground facilities that over-look the old locks and are only a short walk from the marina. A person Brian talked to said it usually is not full during the week, and the transient marina moorage is never full.

Cascade Locks Marine Park:
   http://www.portofcascadelocks.org/marinepark.htm
   http://www.portofcascadelocks.org/marinepark.htm#Camping

For camping questions email Carol, who is the host, camphost@clbb.net.

The marina and camping area are a short walk apart.

Beacon Rock St Pk - joint camping

Columbia River Mile 142, North River Bank

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Beacon+Rock

Port of Washougal/Camus - Joint Camping

Columbia River Mile 123, North River Bank

There is an RV parking/camping area there right by the marina. The camping area is nothing special, just a fairly open place to camp, but the general setting is nice with good views of the river, lawn areas, a funky floating restaurant (The Puffin) on the water, and a nice restaurant (The Parker House) overlooking the marina.

Trip Beginning

~Columbia River Mile 107

East Along the Columbia

Here is an excellent resource for photos of places along the Columbia River:

http://www.iinet.com/~englishriver/LewisClarkColumbiaRiver/Regions/index.html
http://www.iinet.com/~englishriver/LewisClarkColumbiaRiver/image_index.html