Sight · Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Choose among wind sports, sheltered paddling, or a riverbank picnic.
Overview
Map
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
Mayer State Park River Access“You're approaching Mayer State Park's river access, separate from the Rowena Crest overlook.”
Plays as you drive up to Mayer State Park – River Access 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
Mayer State Park’s river-access side is a string of three day-use areas along the Columbia, distinct from the park’s Rowena Crest overlook. East Mayer draws windsurfers and kiteboarders, Mid Mayer is set up for swimming, fishing and picnics, and West Mayer faces sheltered Salisbury Slough with a boat ramp. Turn off I-84 at Exit 76 and follow the signs to the section that fits your plan.
Mid Mayer’s rock-and-sand spit slows some of the Columbia’s current, and ponderosa pines shade picnic tables and grills nearby. A life-jacket loaner station is there, with several sizes. At East Mayer, tables give spectators a place to watch the wind sports; West Mayer is the boating area. The river still has swift currents and submerged obstructions, so use a properly fitted life jacket. Water levels fluctuate near The Dalles Dam; check conditions before launching.
This is a day-use visit: parking requires an Oregon State Parks permit, available on site. Bring picnic supplies if you plan to eat at Mid Mayer. Restrooms are listed for the park, including a vault toilet at East Mayer’s north end. From the water’s edge, the rocky shore makes a strong foreground against the Gorge cliffs across the Columbia. The park’s original 260 acres were donated by Mark A. Mayer in 1924 and included the Columbia River overlook and Rowena Loops.
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
ModerateTom McCall Point Trail3.5 mi · 3 hr · 0.6 mi awaySpring flowers lead to a windy bluff with big Gorge views.
EasyRowena Plateau Loop2.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 0.7 mi awayIce Age ponds, spring flowers and two big views from the plateau.
EasyKlickitat Trail: Lyle to Fisher Hill Trestle3.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.1 mi awayEasy riverside walking ends at Fisher Hill’s high trestle.
ModerateLyle Cherry Orchard Trail5 mi · 3.5 hr · 1.2 mi awayAn old orchard and spring blooms above the Columbia.
EasyBalfour-Klickitat Loop0.8 mi · 30 min · 1.2 mi awayA short paved loop to a bird blind above the Klickitat.
ModerateKlickitat Trail — Fisher Hill to Klickitat11.4 mi · 5 hr · 2.3 mi awayA quiet riverside rail bed, with a fishway and a long walk.
ModerateKlickitat Trail: Fisher Hill Bridge to Pitt8.5 mi · 4 hr · 2.3 mi awayA long, gentle rail-trail walk beside the Klickitat River.
EasyCatherine Creek Interpretive Trail1 mi · 54 min · 4.1 mi awayA paved mile through wildflower slopes to the Catherine Creek Falls view.
Sight · 0.5 mi awayRowena Crest OverlookSee the Columbia and Rowena Loops together in one roadside view.
Beach · 2.6 mi awayDoug’s Beach State ParkWatch Gorge windsurfing from a sandy shore, with basalt cliffs behind.
Campground · 2.9 mi awayMemaloose State Park CampgroundCamp beside the Columbia, with Memaloose Island in view.
Sight · 3.1 mi awayMemaloose OverlookA quick river view across to Memaloose Island.
Sight · 4.2 mi awayColumbia Gorge Discovery Center & MuseumIce Age fossils, Gorge history, and raptors on a riverside campus.
Sight · 4.9 mi awayMosier Creek FallsA quick waterfall stop, with a historic bridge on the way in.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.
