Lewis %26 Clark Trail: All Content
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.Want to support Washington State Parks? Get involved by joining a friends' group. For more information, visit the Friends' Group web page.
Park hours/updates:
Summer: 6:30 a.m. to dusk.
Winter: The park closes Nov. 1, reopens March 31.
Camping:
Check-in time, 2:30 p.m.
Check-out time, 1 p.m.
Quiet hours: 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
Agency information:
Don't move firewood: Please protect the Pacific Northwest from invasive species by obtaining or purchasing your firewood at or near your camping destination (within 50 miles). Firewood can carry insects and diseases that threaten the health of our western forests. You can make a difference by buying and burning your firewood locally. For more information, visit online at www.dontmovefirewood.org or the Washington Invasive Species Council website.
The Discover Pass now can be used on either of two vehicles!Annual pass: $30
One-day pass: $10
(Transaction and dealer fees may apply)
A Discover Pass is required for motor-vehicle access to state parks and recreation lands managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
Exemptions: Your purchase of the Discover Pass supports recreation on state lands. However, the Discover Pass is not required if you are camping or renting overnight accommodations, for the duration of your stay at that state park. For additional exemptions and more information, please visit the Discover Pass website.
Campsite Information:
The park has 24 standard sites, which will fit RVs, available April 1 to Sept. 15. From Sept. 16 until March 30, the standard campsites are closed, but 17 primitive campsites are open in the day-use area. Maximum site length is 28 feet (may have limited availability).Camping is available year-round and is first come, first served. Self-registration is in effect, so please have the correct amount of money ready.
The park provides three restrooms, two showers and one dump station available from April 1 - Sept. 15.
Group Accommodations:
The park provides two group camps that accommodate approximately 100 people each or 10 RVs each. No hookups are available. Fees vary with size of the group. To reserve, call the park office at (509) 337-6457.2013 camping fees:
Please note that the following general fee information is not customized for each individual park, so not all fees will apply to all parks (for example, primitive campsite and dump station fees listed apply only to parks that have primitive campsites and dump stations).May 15 – Sept. 15 (peak season)
Primitive campsite and water trail camping: $12
Standard campsite: $23 non-premium site, $26 premium site
Partial-utility campsite*: $30 non-premium site, $35 premium site
Full-utility campsite*: $32 non-premium site, $37 premium site
*Please note: Camping fees during the 2013 peak season are $28 for partial-utility sites and $29 for full-utility sites at Beacon Rock, Brooks Memorial, Columbia Hills, Conconully, Lewis & Clark and Schafer state parks. These parks are first come, first served.
Jan. 1 – May 14 and Sept. 16 – Dec. 31 (off-peak season)
Primitive campsite and water trail camping: $12
Standard campsite: $22 for non-premium and premium sites
Partial-utility campsite: $28 for non-premium and premium sites
Full-utility campsite: $29 for non-premium and premium sites
Maximum eight people per campsite.
Second vehicle: $10 per night is charged for a second vehicle unless it is towed by a recreational vehicle. Extra vehicles must be parked in designated campsite or extra vehicle parking spaces.
Dump stations (if available): Year-round dump station fees are $5 per use. If you are camping, this fee is included in your campsite fee.
More about park hours
Check-in time is 2:30 p.m., and check-out time is 1 p.m.
Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.
Engine-driven electric generators may be operated only between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Length of stay: You may stay up to ten consecutive days in any one park from April 1 through Sept. 30; the stay limit is extended to 20 days between Oct. 1 and March 31.
Driving Directions
Located 25 miles northeast of Walla Walla, Wash., in the southeastern corner of the state in Columbia County.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).
Park Maps
Lewis & Clark Trail downloadable pdf map #1List of all downloadable Washington State Park PDF maps.
Park Features
Like an oasis in the middle of the desert, this lovely wooded park on the Touchet River refreshes visitors with its unusual vegetation and geology. The park is rich in history.
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.
Mammoth 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 the Touchet River. The day-use-area kitchen shelter was also built in the 1930s and exhibits features of that period.
Interpretive opportunities
The park provides an interpretive display with information on Lewis and Clark and original area homesteaders. A large reader board on Lewis and Clark can be found in the day-use area..Services/Supplies
| Available in the park | Available in the area |
| • Camping | • Auto repair • Airport • Boat rental • Camping • Diesel • Fishing/hunting • Gasoline • Gifts • Golf • Groceries • Hardware • Hospital • Marine supplies • Overnight Accommodations • Pay phone • Postal service • Propane • Recreational equipment • White gas • Wood • Swimming |
Supplies are available in Waitsburg and Dayton Mondays through Saturday noons all year. Saturday afternoons and Sundays may require a visit to Walla Walla (25 miles south) for supplies other than food and fuel. All services listed are within 25 miles of the park.
Activities
| Trails | Water Activities | Other |
| • 2 mi. Hiking Trails | • Fishing (freshwater) • Swimming (freshwater) | • 1 Amphitheater • 1 Badminton area • 1 Baseball Field • Bird Watching • 2 Fire Circles • Interpretive Activities • 1 Volleyball Field • Wildlife Viewing |
Fishing for rainbow trout is excellent. A recreational license is required for fishing and shellfish harvesting at Washington state parks. For regulations, fishing season information or to purchase a recreational license, visit the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife website. Tubing and wading are popular activities. Lewis & Clark Trail provides Saturday evening campfire programs in the summer months through labor day weekend. Programs schedule subject to adjustments due to availability of staff. | ||
Events
The 2013 State Parks free days are as follows:
Jan. 21 – In honor of Martin Luther King Day
March 30 – In honor of Washington State Parks' 100th birthday on March 19
April 27 and 28 – National Parks Week
June 1 – National Trails Day
June 8 and 9 – National Get Outdoors Day and Department of Fish and Wildlife Free Fishing weekend
Aug. 4 – Peak season free day
Sept. 28 – National Public Lands Day
Nov. 9 through 11 – Veteran's Day weekend
Please note: A Discover Pass is still required to access lands managed by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife during State Parks free days. For more information, please visit www.discoverpass.wa.gov.
Find other events at Washington State Parks
Winter Recreation
• Cross-country Skiing• Snowshoeing
• Snow Play
Picnic and Day-use Facilities
The park provides two kitchen shelters with electricity and one picnic shelter reservable by calling the park office at (509) 337-6457. The park offers 50 unsheltered picnic tables available first come, first served.Wildlife
| Mammals | Birds | Fish & Sea Life |
| • Badgers • Bears • Bobcats • Coyotes • Deer or Elk • Minks • Muskrats • Otters • Rabbits • Raccoons • Skunks • Squirrels • Weasels | • Crows or Ravens • Doves or Pigeons • Ducks • Eagles • Geese • Grouse • Hawks • Herons • Hummingbirds • Jays • Ospreys • Owls • Pheasants • Quail • Snipes • Turkeys • Woodpeckers • Wrens | • Steelhead • Trout |
Environmental Features
| Physical Features | Plant Life | ||
| "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 |
Park photo gallery
