Lovely respite on a hot summers day. For 9 years I've enjoyed camping near the gorge over Labor Day…read moreWeekend but haven't ventured over to the water until this year when a neighbor convinced me it was time to check it out. Wanapum Dam keeps this portion of the Columbia River from flowing and thus creates a lake type setting for water recreation and relaxation. I'm so glad I was finally able to check it out. The water was refreshing (72-74 degrees or so) and people were out on the water on boats, kayaks, paddle boards, jet skis, and big floating birds etc. You'll need to bring or purchase a WA state parks pass for $10/day or $30/year. There is a nice big grassy area for playing bocce ball, frisbee, football, or whatever your heart desires. People had camp stoves and were cooking and picnicking, while others just lounged about. All in all it was a great place to be by the water.

I have been in this state park on numerous occasions. Take my airstream and hang out. It's a…read moregreat place to stage for traveling up and down the river. RV sites are large and open for the most part with electric, water and sewer. The winds at night are a riot during the hot parts of the summer. They blow like crazy. There is a day park separate from the RV park that you can walk to to swim and/or just relax. During the summer it is always crowded. Vantage has a gas station with food if you need it. Gorge is very close. Across the river are parks that are supported by Grant County PUD which are very nice and usually not many people. I'm impressed with the money and resources that Grant County PUD has put into the area. Just south of the Wanapum on the same road is a small park on a lake (small) that no one is ever there. Called the cove. If you have a boat you are in heaven with the Colombia River at your call.

Nice clean recreation camping area developed by Grant County PUD…read more Nice bathrooms, well marked tent pads, river trails, paved. Pretty river views, looks to be open year round First bathroom gets a lot of use as a highway rest stop.

This is a very clean, very quiet, and very beautiful State Park. The views of the Columbia River…read moreare stunning! The bathrooms and showers are always clean. And the staff are so nice and helpful. The only thing I'd warn newcomers about is the wind. It gets very VERY WINDY!!! I mean nearly every night! So if you're tent camping be sure you bring extra stakes. If your camper camping pull in your awnings before the dying goes down or you'll wish you had. But other than that, which isn't a bad thing if you expect it, this is the perfect camping spot.

* Summer Flashback * When I think of state parks and forests…read morein Washington, I always assume they'll consist of lush green foliage. However, Eastern Washington takes on a totally different landscape! The Gingko forest was dry like a desert and I immediately felt like I was transported to a different state. The park is split into two main areas which both require the Discover Pass or $10 for admission. The first area is home to the gift shop, interpretive center and stumps of petrified wood outside on display. This was my first time seeing any remains of petrified wood which are actually considered stone. The wood was smoothed over and some of the surfaces had developed shiny deposits! There are some plaques to read around the exhibit which describe the history of the land and provide more information on the petrified artifacts. It's an amazing realization that we were standing in an area that was once overtaken by lava flows. We could actually see lava remains on the grounds as well! From behind the interpretive center, you can get an expansive view of the Columbia River and Vantage Bridge. Inside, you'll find various types of petrified wood clearly labeled in glass displays which are definitely worth taking a moment to browse. A friendly park guide was also happy to answer any questions. About two miles up the road is a trail which apparently leads to petrified logs. Unfortunately, due to high fire risk (dry summer weather), this area was closed. Somewhere, you can see petroglyphs as well which we also missed this time around. While driving to and from this area, we spotted a herd of antelope! They were in the middle of the road and we caught a glimpse of them as they crossed right in front of us. What a sight! Overall, this is a park that everyone can enjoy, even those who cannot walk a far distance. The petrified wood and interpretive center at the first location is within a very short distance of the parking lot. While not exactly what I expected of a state park, it was still a fascinating visit. I couldn't help but marvel at all of the artifacts that originated from thousands of years ago. Stop by and touch a piece of history!

Easy to miss this little park in Ellensburg since it's just a tad off the beaten path, and there's…read morenot a lot of signage. I make the trip from Spokane to Seattle every so often, and when I do, this is one of my required stops to break up the monotony of the road. The parking area is right next to the river and there are a couple of picnic benches there, as well as a boat launch and garbage can. The Yakima river is intensely swift, so it's not safe for swimming or leisurely paddling around. There's a trail along the river that's pretty gorgeous, and comes to a few good resting points along the way. Overall a great little park and definitely a "hidden gem" in Ellensburg.

This is a fantastic park. We went for a quick morning walk. It was more than we expected. Beautiful…read moreviews of the river and short but lovely trails through the woods. My bird app identified about a dozen bird species within a minute. A very special place.

Such a great place to bring your family for a day of fun!! There is a swimming area, a boat dock to…read morelaunch your boat, a fishing dock, and a large park with a playground, frisbee golf course and lots of picnic areas!

This is a big lovely park on the side of I-90 in Moses Lake…read more There are mostly pros, especially in the size (it's huge!) and the variety of things to do here. Even on abuts weekend with a wedding taking place in part of the park, it doesn't feel crowded. There are gazebos galore, 3 buildings with facilities, grills, a playground, a dock, a basketball court, a swimming area and tiny beach, and a disc golf course. You can reach it by the bike path or car. Cons: the freeway is loud in the park proper if you're seeking a quiet place, but I wouldn't call it too obnoxious. I haven't been on a weekday, but on a mid-Sunday in summer, be prepared to pack out your garbage because all cans will be full (and I didn't see places for recycling). If you're an avid disc golfer like S., the course might be a disappointment, say a 2-3 star. There are only nine holes, all par three, and if you are here during a normal summer afternoon, most holes will be obstructed by other park-goers, as it's all incorporated right into the park. But it's a good place to practice, and if you arrive early, especially on weekdays, you can get in a full round. For me, it's great for a summer in-town getaway.

There is a pull-off from West McManamon Road where you can park your car as you visit Drumheller…read moreChannels National Natural Landmark. I had been debating about whether to stop here after hiking some of the trails past the main entrance of the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge and decided to stop because the pull-off had ample space for me to park and a sign denoting the pull-off corresponding to the National Natural Landmark was easy to spot from the road. From the parking area there is a short gravel path to a vista/viewing point that looks out over the channeled scablands. This viewing area has a few informational placards with information about the history of the area and about the importance of the natural habitat the area provides for wildlife. A number of small trails branched away from the vista/viewing point that I chose not to explore. I enjoyed stopping here and it tickled my tastebuds to do more exploring in the vein of past geology projects of mine. In my sedimentology and stratigraphy course as an undergraduate training in geology and geophysics one of my focus projects was on the channeled scablands. I chose the topic because the word scablands was not familiar to me. Funny enough, the channeled scablands ended up being in my home state (Washington State)! So stopping here carried a large sentimental meaning to me. Even if the channeled scablands have not been a focus of your professional activities I recommend stopping here. The location provides a good view of the scablands and a great cursory background of the importance of the area in understanding Earth's (natural) history.

Excellent view of the columns We loved the ride and took…read morepictures of the formations. However we didn't get to see the tall ones or maybe the shadows did not allowed a great view

This is a great little self-guided tour where you walk a trail and view actual petrified wood in…read moreit's natural setting where it was found. Unfortunately thieves keep trying to break it and steal chunks of it so it has to be caged off like being locked up in a jail. The cage really obscures photographs but it's totally understandable since we are in a world full of thieves in undesirables. You will be up in a beautiful open desert setting. It is not beautiful like a forest but it is beautiful to see another type of landscape created for us.

Nice stop off I-90 if you need to stretch your legs and take a little walk. The interpretive…read morecenter itself has a movie showing how the petrified forest (petrified wood) came about. There are some neat displays, maybe about 10 minutes worth of looking. Great view of the Columbia and the Vantage bridge. You do need a discovery pass to park here, but you can buy a day pass or an annual pass inside from the Park Ranger. Also, a little ways down the street, there is a 3/4 mile short walk through the actual forest, and longer (3+ mile) trails which are signed.. Clean bathrooms and a friendly park ranger make this a nice little break from the car!

Mileage: estimated about 10 miles total (2 miles to where we set up our tents, then we hiked a loop…read moreof about 6 miles, then 2 miles back to the car the next day) Backpacked: April 16-17, 2016 This past weekend a group of us did an overnight backpack trek to Ancient Lakes. 3 first timers backpacking and it turned out to be an awesome trip! We had some problems trying to find directions out to the place, so here's directions from my personal experience. Directions: we stayed in Quincy the night before, so we took the 28 to Whitetail Road. Made a left on Whitetail from the 28, then a right on road 9 NW. follow road 9 NW and it turns into Ancient Lakes Rd NW. At the end of the road, you'll find the west parking lot. I am not sure how to get to the east parking lot. There's a lot of parking here, when we got there by 11 am, it was really crowded but we still found a spot. (When you are on Whitetail Rd, it might look like you are just driving through farms, but buried in there, there's Ancient Lakes!) There is a port-o-potty at the trail head on the west side. Trail head: is well marked, we hiked in about 2 miles and got to the lakes and the rolling grass area where you can set up tent where ever. There are some man made fire rings scattered through out the area. Hiking: After we picked a spot and set up camp, we hiked a loop around the lakes. We started towards the waterfall. It was a scramble up the side of the waterfall, like a class 4 rock scramble lol. Loose rocks, loose footing. From there, we went pass that waterfall and onto the backside where the east parking lot is. Which there's another waterfall there, and there's also camp spots there too. We looped around, it wasn't too hard. We estimated this part of the hike to be around 6 miles round trip back to our tents. Lots of people camping, we counted about 50 tents, then you estimate about 2/per tent, so like 100 people were out here! But you still are able to find solitude. We came across 3 snakes, an owl, and a marmot. Easy trek, not very hilly at all. Good for first time backpackers. The area can be explored in a day. I found this site useful: https://www.theoutbound.com/washington/backpacking/ancient-lakes-day-hike-or-backpack

It's not the landscape, the wildlife, the trails or the views. It's the people. Most are…read moreperfectly fine and are out there to camp, hike, and fish for the sake of the activities. However, there is a percentage that is there because it's free and remote while still being accessible to a town where they can get their drug of choice. You'll recognize them by the ancient, filthy, motorhomes. My son was hiking with his girlfriend when they were approached by one of these "campers" who asked if they had any fentanyl to sell! Wow! Is there no where to escape this scrounge? Anywhere?

Beautiful park. 8…read moreBRAND NEW PICKLEBALL COURTS built 2019! Playground, swimming pool during the summer, favorite picnic spot for groups, the annual venue for the folk life music festival. Local middle school shares the rubber track or run around the circumference of the park for a great elevation changing .89 mile. Terraced grass hillside for intense training. Old growth trees makes the open fields picturesque.

Lovely park in the neighborhood, perfect for walking your dog, or enjoying the day with your…read morefamily. Great area to meet people to during COVID-19 for safe enough distance and fresh air purposes.

Rusty S has kind of said it all but Vantage isn't much of a town at all. It's more of just a rest…read morestop to stretch your legs and get something to eat or take in the gorgeous view of the Columbia river. They have one has station and I believe two restaurants. Other than that and a small motel/campground there isn't much else. It's not far from two state parks though; Wanapum and Gingko. It's a nice place to stop though if you get kind of bored on you drive on I-90.

Not much more than a wide spot in the road at the intersection of I-90 and the Columbia River,…read moreVantage makes a convenient rest stop on road trips through Eastern Washington. There are a few gas stations, a couple of restaurants, and a public boat launch. Just across the bridge (Eastbound on I-90) there's a turnoff for the Wild Horses Monument. No services there, but a fantastic view!