Parking
Use the designated lot at Washougal Waterfront Park. An overflow lot is left of the stop sign; the park has solar-powered restrooms and picnic tables. No entry fee or parking pass is required.
Overview
About Washougal Waterfront Trail
Why go
- A smooth, flat paved path beside the Columbia River.
- Sandy River Delta wetlands face the route across the water.
Heads up
- The same corridor is walked in both directions.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Columbia River Gorge map
Full mapElevation33–49 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
8 active Columbia River Gorge alerts
- ClosureSandy River Delta designated area closureMentions Sandy River Delta, referenced in this guideThe designated area along Sandy River Delta/1,000 Acres is closed to entry and use to protect archaeological objects.Official details
- ClosureEagle Creek Fire area closureDo not enter Oneonta Gorge or the specified trail sections because hazards remain following the Eagle Creek Fire.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Columbia River Gorge Tour Guide
Your drive to Washougal Waterfront Trail, narrated.
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.
More stories near here in the app
- The Pond That Named Troutdale
- Maya Lin’s Bird Blind
- Giving Gibbons Creek Room
- Wait for the Heron to Strike
- 217 audio storiesacross Columbia River Gorge’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Bald Eagle, Black Bear, American Pika, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 111 trails, 78 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Washougal Waterfront Trail
What the walk isThis flat, paved out-and-back follows the Columbia River for about 2 miles round trip, from…
This flat, paved out-and-back follows the Columbia River for about 2 miles round trip, from Washougal Waterfront Park to South A Street and back. It is an easy urban walk rather than a wilderness hike; the river stays beside the path, and wetlands at the Sandy River Delta lie across the water.
Along the riverThe appeal is a close, level riverfront view rather than a climb or a remote Gorge setting.
The appeal is a close, level riverfront view rather than a climb or a remote Gorge setting. The starting waterfront was once the Hambleton Brothers Lumber Company sawmill; it closed in 2010. Today this route forms one link in the Gorge Towns to Trails effort. Keep this route separate from the park’s sub-mile loop and the longer Columbia River Connector route to Steamboat Landing: those add other paths and a different scope.
Before you goWalk east from the Waterfront Park parking lot to South A Street, then return along the same…
Walk east from the Waterfront Park parking lot to South A Street, then return along the same path. Allow about an hour. The pavement is described as ADA-accessible and flat. Dogs are allowed on leash, and no permit or parking pass is required. The park has benches, picnic tables and solar-powered restrooms; an overflow lot is left of the stop sign. Downtown dining along Pendleton Way or Main Street is a separate stop.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Columbia River Gorge
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.
