Columbia Hills Historical State Park

Anjel Craig (Anjel)

Beautiful views of the river with cliffs and wildflowers. Also the rock art is amazing

Lucille Cashin

The pictograph and petroglyphs tour is incredible. If you can make it for a tour (only offered weekend mornings at 9am) i highly recommend it. Make sure you have an appointment before arriving. Nearby Horsethief butte is also charming, not the largest rock formation but great views from the top. I went on kind of a cold and sporadically rainy day, I would prefer that to hot and sunny as it can get VERY hot in summer. I would have been nervous about snakes if it were really sunny anyway. Lots of rock climbers on the day I went. The wildflowers are very pretty this year

James Hubbard

Amazing location with an amazing lake for fishing, swimming, kayaking etc. Discover pass is required or pay for day use. They have a small amount of kayak rentals available. You'll have to visit the camp host for details on renting. The RV campsites do not have sewer hookups but have electric and water. Non issue for me, however about 30-45min east is Mary Hills State park. Which is also on the river and is another amazing campground in itself. There are bathrooms on site, alongside outside showers and even indoor showers that take quarters. The lake was clean when I went. Saw a few people fishing and claimed they had bites but this time we didn't do any fishing. I took my 4yr old into the lake for swimming and we all had a blast. The grass is well maintained and green! A small walking trail around the lake is available (not handicap) which provides scenic views. Within the park there is also petroglyphs which can be observed. Parking is available closer to the petroglyphs alongside a small boat ramp into the river. If you're into star gazing... It was unbelievable on what you could see at night. I took a few photos from my phone but can't expect alot from a phone camera. Ensure you bring a telescope as you won't regret it! There is tent camping sites available as well. THINGS TO DO AROUND: In the area we didn't get to visit as much as we liked but another 30min east is the Mary Hill stone hedge veterans memorial. It's a replica of other stone hedges and is worth a trip to see. I went to a few other various parks, there's tons of trailheads but the heat sorta limited us on outside activities during my visit. (Was 108-110) for most of the days I was here. (August 2021). I'd recommend eating at Big Jims drive in. Easily found on Google Maps. Not to far of a drive. This place had some enemorous burgers and amazing ice cream. RV CAMPERS: With that said the park is well maintained. When you arrive if it's your first time pulling an RV it's a bit confusing as it's "Columbia hills state park" but there is also a sign. That says the lakes name as well. It isn't very well marked. When you pull into the park you'll see a gravel road that will access the RV area. It is small and close together but trees provide shade on the RV during the day that helps keeps temperatures down in the summer. (Was 109 in August 2021). There was also no check-in locations. They have sites marked for those who make reservations and if it says "open" I'd imagine overnight is fine. Again check with the camp host on details there. If you like the review please consider following and liking the review for additional updates!

Diana CarsonWalker

I had no idea this park existed. Looks like great camping, swimming and hiking. But the petroglyphs! Amazing. Literally can see them from the car. So grateful to the Native American tribes who pushed to get these out and accessible. What a sacred treasure.