Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
cliffsides to make way for The Dalles Dam. The campground at the park (509/767-1159, open Apr.-Oct.) has four standard sites ($17), eight
partial utility sites ($23), six primitive sites ($12), a dump station, and a restroom.
Doug's Beach State Park
This tiny park is a staging area for the throngs of windsurfers who come here all summer long to play on the Columbia River. This is not a place
for beginners since the swells can reach six-eight feet at times. There's no water or camping, but it does have outhouses. The park is located 2.5
miles east of the town of Lyle along Highway 14, and 7 miles west of Columbia Hills State Park. Park hours are 6:30 A.M.-dusk in summer and
8 A.M.-dusk in winter.
Getting There
Amtrak
(800/872-7245,
www.amtrak.com
)
trains stop at the little settlement of Wishram, nine miles east of The Dalles dam. Service is daily,
heading west to Bingen, Vancouver, and Portland, and east to Pasco, Spokane, and continuing all the way to Chicago.
Highway 97 heads north from the Columbia to the little town of Goldendale, 10 miles away, passing scores of cows, happily munching away or
taking it easy along the route. The horizon is dominated by the snowcapped summits of Mount Hood to the south and Mount Adams, Mount St.
Helens, and Mount Rainier to the west. North of Goldendale, Highway 97 climbs through ponderosa pine forests as it reaches 3,107-foot
Satus
Pass,
before descending into the scenic and lonely Yakama Reservation, and finally the town of Toppenish in Yakima Valley, 50 miles away.
Goldendale began when the first farmers and loggers settled here in 1879 and has grown slowly over the decades since.
Sights and Recreation
Goldendale's 20-room
Presby Mansion
(127 W. Broadway, 509/773-4303, 10 A.M.-4 P.M. Mon.-Thurs., 9 A.M.-5 P.M. Fri.-Sun. mid-Apr.
-mid-Oct., $4.50 adults, $1 ages 6-12, free for children under age 6) is the home of
Klickitat County Historical Museum.
Built in 1902, this
magnificent white-clapboard mansion is filled with pioneer furnishings, historic photos, farm equipment, and other artifacts. Be sure to check out
the annual Christmas lighting party on the first Sunday of December.
Goldendale Observatory
Head a mile north of town and uphill through open ponderosa pine forests to
Goldendale Observatory State Park
(509/773-3141,
www.parks.wa.gov
), where you'll find one of the nation's largest telescopes open to public viewing as well as several smaller portable telescopes.
Take a tour and enjoy free audiovisual programs, displays, and demonstrations 2-5 P.M. and 8-midnight Wednesday-Sunday April-September,
2-5 P.M. and 7-10 P.M. Friday-Sunday in winter.
Festivals and Events
G'day Goldendale Community Days
(509/773-3677) in early July features arts and crafts, ethnic food, a flea market, antique auction, beer
garden, and parade. If the antique auction doesn't get your adrenaline pumping quite enough, check out Goldendale's annual
4th of July Demoli-
tion Derby and Motocross Race
(509/250-0206) at the Klickitat County Fairgrounds. The
Klickitat County Fair and Rodeo
(509/773-3900)
is another thrill-ride held over Labor Day weekend, including a carnival, parade, and chute after chute of angry bulls! This is one little town that
knows how to do “extreme.”
