Picnic area · Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
A river picnic with views and an old apple orchard.
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
St. Cloud Day Use Area“You're approaching St. Cloud Day Use Area on the Washington shore. I'd stop for a picnic and the old orchard walk if you want an easy river break.”
Plays as you drive up to St. Cloud Day Use Area in the Parkwolf Columbia River Gorge Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“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
St. Cloud Day Use Area is a Forest Service picnic site on the Washington shore of the Columbia, with a short, accessible gravel loop through an old apple orchard to a Gorge viewpoint. It’s an easy place to stretch your legs or stop for lunch, with tables near views toward Oregon’s Oneonta Gorge and Multnomah Falls. A side path heads to the river, but the shore is undeveloped and there’s no specific launch point.
This was the St. Cloud Ranch homestead. Paul and Florence Vial made it their riverfront estate in 1909, planting an orchard among gardens and buildings that are gone now. The remaining trees include Spitzenberg and Newtown Pippin apples, a small reminder of the estate. Interpretive signs tell the site’s history. The Forest Service also notes its cultural significance to Watlala people, who historically used many of the plants and animals found here, and says it may be the Gorge’s largest remaining natural wetland.
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
EasySt. Cloud Interpretive Trail #44100.5 mi · 24 min · 0.1 mi awayAn orchard loop with river views and a story rooted in 1909.
ChallengingMultnomah–Wahkeena Falls Loop4.8 mi · 4 hr · 1.6 mi awayA steep loop links Multnomah and Wahkeena with hidden cascades.
ChallengingMultnomah Falls–Franklin Ridge Loop12.4 mi · 8.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayBig waterfalls down low, a rugged ridge crossing, and a long climb.
ChallengingMultnomah Falls to Devil’s Rest8.4 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayFalls, creek cascades, and a wooded summit reward the long climb.
ModerateMultnomah Falls Trail to the Top2.4 mi · 1.8 hr · 1.6 mi awayClimb eleven switchbacks to a wooden overlook over the upper falls
ChallengingLarch Mountain Trail #4416.8 mi · 7 hr · 1.6 mi awayFalls crowds fade into a quiet creek and ridge climb.
ChallengingMultnomah Falls to Sherrard Point via Larch Mountain Trail14.2 mi · 10 hr · 1.6 mi awayFour waterfalls, a creek gorge, and a hard summit climb.
ModerateOneonta Trail to Triple Falls3.5 mi · 2.8 hr · 1.8 mi awayThree falls reward a rocky, exposed climb above Oneonta Creek.
Sight · 1.5 mi awayBenson State Recreation AreaA lake swim and a round of disc golf in one stop.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayFranz Lake ViewpointA roadside view into a rare lower Columbia marsh.
Sight · 1.6 mi awayMultnomah Falls LodgeA 1925 lodge for dining and visitor services beneath Multnomah Falls.Sight · 1.7 mi awayMultnomah FallsA two-tier waterfall with a 1914 footbridge between its drops.
Sight · 1.9 mi awayWahkeena FallsA 242-foot cascade with a stone bridge at its foot.Sight · 2.2 mi awayFairy FallsA fan-shaped creek waterfall with a bench beside the trail.
Sight · 2.2 mi awayHorsetail FallsA basalt cascade you can see without hiking uphill.
Sight · 2.3 mi awayPonytail FallsWalk behind an 88-foot waterfall through its basalt alcove.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.
