Campground · Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Camp beside the Columbia, with Memaloose Island in view.
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 area
Memaloose Overlook“You're approaching Memaloose Overlook, a small pullout with a view across the Columbia to Memaloose Island. The island is sacred to Indigenous people of the Gorge, who placed their dead there.”
Plays on the road 0.3 mi from Memaloose State Park Campground 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
Memaloose State Park Campground is a seasonal camping area on the east end of the Columbia River Gorge, about 11 miles west of The Dalles. It has 43 full-hookup RV sites and 66 tent sites with water nearby. Many campsites look over the Columbia toward Memaloose Island. Flush toilets, hot showers, a dump station, playground and amphitheater make it a useful base for exploring the east Gorge and The Dalles.
Memaloose Island is a traditional Indigenous burial place, and its name is associated with burial rites in Chinook. Senator Victor Trevitt, an early settler and town promoter of The Dalles, was buried there in 1883; his granite monument is visible from the campground. The island gives the river view an important history beyond the campsite itself.
Interstate 84 and an active rail line border the park, so traffic and trains can be heard at any hour; which is more noticeable depends on your site. There is no safe or legal river access here. Go to nearby Mayer State Park to reach the water. The campground operates seasonally, so check current dates before planning an overnight stay. From westbound I-84, take exit 73 through the rest area. From eastbound I-84, take exit 76, turn around, then take exit 73 westbound. This is separate from Memaloose Overlook on old Highway 30.
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
EasyCatherine Creek Interpretive Trail1 mi · 54 min · 1.2 mi awayA paved mile through wildflower slopes to the Catherine Creek Falls view.
ModerateCatherine Creek Labyrinth3.6 mi · 3 hr · 1.9 mi awayA basalt maze, a creekside waterfall, and a viewpoint worth the climb.
EasyRowena Plateau Loop2.6 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.3 mi awayIce Age ponds, spring flowers and two big views from the plateau.
ModerateTom McCall Point Trail3.5 mi · 3 hr · 2.4 mi awaySpring flowers lead to a windy bluff with big Gorge views.
EasyBalfour-Klickitat Loop0.8 mi · 30 min · 2.5 mi awayA short paved loop to a bird blind above the Klickitat.
ModerateLittle Maui Trail #44251.1 mi · 45 min · 2.6 mi awayOpen oak meadows give way to streamside cascades.
EasyKlickitat Trail: Lyle to Fisher Hill Trestle3.2 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.7 mi awayEasy riverside walking ends at Fisher Hill’s high trestle.
EasyMosier Creek Falls1 mi · 45 min · 2.7 mi awayA quick town walk to an 80-foot, two-tiered waterfall.
Sight · 0.3 mi awayMemaloose OverlookA quick river view across to Memaloose Island.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayMosier Creek FallsA quick waterfall stop, with a historic bridge on the way in.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayRowena Crest OverlookSee the Columbia and Rowena Loops together in one roadside view.
Sight · 2.9 mi awayMayer State Park – River AccessChoose among wind sports, sheltered paddling, or a riverbank picnic.
Sight · 3.8 mi awayMosier Twin TunnelsHistoric highway tunnels with windows that frame the Gorge.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.
