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Lewis & Clark State Park |
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Park Overview
 Lewis and
Clark Trail State Park is a 37-acre camping park with 1,333 feet of freshwater
shoreline on the Touchet River. The park is a rare treasure of old-growth forest
and river in the midst of the surrounding arid grassland.
A vehicle parking permit is no longer required for day visits.
Park Hours Summer: 6:30 a.m. to dusk.
Winter: 8 a.m. to dusk.
The park is open year round for camping and day use. The day-use area is
available for overnight camping in winter.
Campground closed Sept. 15, reopens May 30. Day-use area is available for
overnight camping in winter.
Camping:
Check-in time, 2:30 p.m.
Check-out time, 1 p.m.
Quiet hours: 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
Driving Directions Located 25 miles northeast of Walla Walla, Wash., in
the southeastern corner of the state.
From theTri-cities: Go south on Highway 12 and turn left (east) onto Highway
124. At Waitsburg, turn right at stop sign and then turn immediately left onto
Coppei Ave. At next stop sign, go straight onto Highway 12. Continue east 4.5
miles to park entrances (day-use on right, and camping on left).
Picnic Facilities The park provides two kitchen shelters with electricity,
along with six sheltered reservable by calling the park office at (509)
337-6457. The park offers 50 unsheltered picnic tables available first-come,
first-served.
Activities
| Trails |
Water Activities |
Other |
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- Fishing (freshwater)
- Swimming (freshwater)
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- 1 Amphitheater
- 1 Badminton area
- 1 Baseball Field
- Bird Watching
- 2 Fire Circles
- Interpretive Activities
- 1 Volleyball Field
- Wildlife Viewing
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Fishing for rainbow and brown trout is excellent. Tubing and wading are popular
activities.
Living history depictions of the story of Lewis and Clark take place Saturdays
at 8 p.m. from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Other interpretive programs (living
history and on-site presentations) are available on request. Subjects include
history, botany, animals and astronomy. Call 509-337-6457 for information.
Winter Recreation
- Cross-country Skiing
- Snowshoeing
- Snow Play
Featured Creatures
| Mammals |
Birds |
Fish & Sea Life |
- Badgers
- Bears
- Bobcats
- Coyotes
- Deer or Elk
- Minks
- Muskrats
- Otters
- Rabbits
- Raccoons
- Skunks
- Squirrels
- Weasels
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- Crows or Ravens
- Doves or Pigeons
- Ducks
- Eagles
- Geese
- Grouse
- Hawks
- Herons
- Hummingbirds
- Jays
- Ospreys
- Owls
- Pheasants
- Quail
- Snipes
- Turkeys
- Woodpeckers
- Wrens
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Environmental Features
| Physical Features |
Plant Life |
Special |
"Long-leafed" ponderosa pine still
grow here, as Lewis and Clark recorded in their journals. The
ponderosa are old-growth trees, as are the cottonwood that
abound in the park.
Periodic flooding gives the park its marked riparian character.
Flooding lays down sediment and slows competition from weedy
species, allowing the unusual vegetation of pine trees in the
midst of arid grassland.
Another contributing influence to the existence of the pines is
the park's very wet, almost "rainforest" mini-climate. The
narrow piece of Touchet River valley, on which the park is
built, constricts airflow and causes moisture to remain in the
park. |
- Cedar
- Douglas Fir
- Ponderosa Pine
- Alder
- Apple
- Ash
- Birch
- Cherry
- Maple
- Oak
- Poplar
- Daisy
- Rose
- Berries
- Moss or Lichens
- Thistle
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History The park is located on the historic Nimipooiskit trail that extends
from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. Remnants of the trail can be
observed near the park.
The explorers Lewis & Clark (for whom the park is named) passed through the
property in 1806 and commented on the unusual character of the vegetation.
The park was originally homesteaded by the Bateman family in 1864 and was the
site for neighboring farmers' post-harvest picnics and games. Homesteading began
in the region in 1859. Some of the original homestead sites still remain.
Mmammoth fossils have been found near the park. It is believed they were carried
in during the numerous Ice Age Floods. The Columbian mammoth fossil is the
official fossil of Washington state.
In 1996, catastrophic flooding occurred, laying down a million cubic feet of
sediment in the park. Two additional major floods happened within the year.
Periodic flooding is characteristic of riparian (river-related) terrain, and
gives the park its distinctive character.
The day-use-area restroom was constructed in 1934 from 10,000 stones acquired
from theTouchet River. The day-use-area kitchen shelter was also built in the
1930s and exhibits features of that period. |
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