cgoodwin (208.12.28.149)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Monday, June 07, 2004 - 2:54 am: | |
If you like the desert this is a great place. I-90 from Seattle, cross the bridge over the Colombia after Vantage and continue for a few miles the first exit reads "The Gorge", left at the exit and follow the road about 1/2 mile and take the first left. This road is a few miles long with great views, rock climbing, etc. Follow the road all the way to the end and it disappears inot the Colombia river. This is the "old vantage highway" now underwater after the dam was built.
At the end the road is used as a boat launch and there is a huge parking lot. On week days there is rarely anyone there and you are right on the river. I stayed almost every weekend last summer and was only asked to move once, then they only asked me to move 100 yrds to an upper lot if I was staying overnight. That said, they stop checking at 6pm and do not check again until 9am and I was only spoken to once during the whole summer. I told them that I would move to the upper lot when we got ready to call it a night and they were pleased with that.
If you plan on visiting this spot it is worth checking the web for concerts held at "the gorge" which is only a few miles away. If there is a concert that weekend, avoid this spot. no one camps but all day there will be a hundred people there swimming and generally making use of the area.
beautiful trails along the river and back into the desert. do watch for rattlers as I photographer several there in August.. |