Beach · Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Watch Gorge windsurfing from a sandy shore, with basalt cliffs behind.
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The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Columbia River Gorge Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Doug's Beach“You're nearing Doug's Beach, where the Columbia squeezes through Rowena Gap and the wind draws windsurfers onto the river. If sails are out, the sandy shore is a fine place to watch them against the dark basalt bluffs.”
Plays as you drive up to Doug’s Beach State Park in the Parkwolf Columbia River Gorge Tour Guide.
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“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Doug’s Beach State Park is a 400-acre day-use park on the Columbia River near Lyle, Washington. In Rowena Gap, the river narrows between basalt cliffs and intensifies the Gorge’s wind. Windsurfing is the signature draw: when sails are out, the sandy shore gives you a good view without needing to launch.
The shoreline brings pale sand and dark basalt rocks together, with the Gorge’s steep walls across the water. For a photo, keep some shore in the foreground and the bluff line above the river; it shows the scale better than water alone. Doug’s Beach is named for windsurfer Doug Campbell, who helped popularize Gorge windsurfing and co-founded a local windsurfing business. Washington acquired the 400-acre park in 1993.
Parking is alongside State Route 14. A paved, fenced pedestrian path crosses the railroad at signal arms and continues to the beach. The day-use park has restrooms and parking; picnic tables sit near the river. The state warns that high winds and rough, fast water can make water activities dangerous. Boaters, paddlers and windsurfers are told to know their limits and wear life jackets.
Wildlife
267 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
51 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
136 sightingsAmerican PikaMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
16 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
195 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
74 sightingsChinook SalmonMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Columbia River Gorge. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateLyle Cherry Orchard Trail5 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayAn old orchard and spring blooms above the Columbia.
EasyThe Dalles Riverfront Trail8 mi · 3.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA riverfront path to historic Fort Camp, coves, and a sandy beach.
ModerateKlickitat Trail — Fisher Hill to Klickitat11.4 mi · 5 hr · 2.8 mi awayA quiet riverside rail bed, with a fishway and a long walk.
ModerateKlickitat Trail: Fisher Hill Bridge to Pitt8.5 mi · 4 hr · 2.8 mi awayA long, gentle rail-trail walk beside the Klickitat River.
EasyKlickitat Trail: Lyle to Fisher Hill Trestle3.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 3 mi awayEasy riverside walking ends at Fisher Hill’s high trestle.
ModerateTom McCall Point Trail3.5 mi · 3 hr · 3.2 mi awaySpring flowers lead to a windy bluff with big Gorge views.
EasyBalfour-Klickitat Loop0.8 mi · 30 min · 3.2 mi awayA short paved loop to a bird blind above the Klickitat.
EasyRowena Plateau Loop2.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 3.3 mi awayIce Age ponds, spring flowers and two big views from the plateau.
Sight · 2 mi awayColumbia Gorge Discovery Center & MuseumIce Age fossils, Gorge history, and raptors on a riverside campus.
Sight · 2.6 mi awayMayer State Park – River AccessChoose among wind sports, sheltered paddling, or a riverbank picnic.
Sight · 3.1 mi awayRowena Crest OverlookSee the Columbia and Rowena Loops together in one roadside view.Parkwolf’s Columbia River Gorge ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
