Sight · Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
A short hike to basalt columns and big Columbia River views.
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Plan your stop
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
Horsethief Lake and Columbia Hills Rock Art“You're approaching the access for Horsethief Lake in Columbia Hills Historical State Park.”
Plays as you drive up to Horsethief Butte 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
Horsethief Butte is a columned basalt landmark in Columbia Hills Historical State Park, above Horsethief Lake and the Columbia River. Its sheer cliffs draw climbers, and a short marked hike leads to river and Mount Hood views. This is a worthwhile Gorge-drive leg-stretch for geology fans. The marked summit walk is 1.2 miles round trip with about 200 feet of gain. Its hexagonal columns formed in 15-million-year-old Wanapum basalt; the butte survived the Ice Age Missoula Floods that scoured the landscape.
From the south side, look across Horsethief Lake and the Columbia River toward Mount Hood. For a photo, frame the water with basalt in the foreground to show the cliffs' scale. Wildflowers bloom around the base in spring, while summer sun can make the basalt blazing hot.
Older guides describe longer loops around the butte, but fences and signs now close them. The park also marks two no-climbing areas for cultural-resource protection. Follow the marked route and obey closures; not every scramble or climbing line is an open trail.
The signed trailhead is on the south side of SR 14, 2.8 miles east of the US 197 junction near milepost 86. A vault toilet and picnic table are by the parking area, and a Discover Pass is required. The map point marks the butte, not the trailhead about 0.3 km west. Navigate to the signed trailhead.
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
Sight · 0.6 mi awayTsagaglalal – She Who WatchesProtected rock art above the Columbia, seen on a guided tour.
Campground · 0.7 mi awayHorsethief Lake Recreation Area & CampgroundA compact campground with a swimmable lake and easy picnic grounds.
Sight · 0.8 mi awayTemani Pesh-Wa Petroglyph DisplayRock art moved before The Dalles Dam reservoir covered the originals.
Sight · 2 mi awayDalles Mountain RanchA ranch walk through open hills with a spring wildflower payoff.
Visitor center · 3 mi awayThe Dalles Dam Visitor CenterAn up-close look at dam engineering and the Columbia's fish ladder.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.
