There’s nothing more scenic than traveling the Columbia River on the Washington side (State Highway 14) and this is a great place to stop for the night and get some exercise .

Going east on State Highway 14, cross US Route 197 and 4 miles beyond you will see the sign for Columbia Hills (It use to be called Horsethief Lake State Park and some maps still list it as such) Milepost 85.There are 8 sites with partial hookups for RVs up to 30 foot, but I think larger rigs would fit in most of them. Water, 15 amp electricity, tables, fire grills and a dump station are available. Boat launching facilities are located right outside the park and very accessible.

We really enjoyed the petroglyphs and pictorgraths alongside the trail to the river. They were removed before the lake was flooded and the Native Americans come to the area to worship. We were unable to see She-Who-Watches as the trail was closed due to vandalism, but during the summer, on weekends they do have tours and we will be going back for that.

If you like to be alone, Palouse Falls State Park is just for you, at least when we were there last October. There are no hookups and you park your rig in the parking lot, (tent sites are on grass). The only other folks we saw, took one look at the park and decided to move on.

Now the road (Highway 261) to the park from the south (town of Starbucks) has this bridge 1000′ over the Snake River and it is not for the faint of heart and no place to meet an 18 wheeler like we did.The road off the highway, is gravel and dirt but very do’able. You might meet a grazing cow who will take his/her time moving off the road. Wildlife is abundant, and the falls are spectacular. The trail to the falls is wheelchair accessible.

Andersen’s RV Park is located in Long Beach, WA. The good news is… the spots are quite level considering you are on a gravel pad! I parked, put my “level” in the freezer, and it was DEAD ON! The bad news is… your front yard is also someone else’s back yard. What do I mean by this? Your neighbor’s picnic table is right next to YOUR utility pole, and on the other side of your RV, YOUR picnic table is next to your neighbor’s utility pole. A little inconvenient, but this configuration allows the RV park to put the spaces closer together. The park is located about three and a half miles past Long Beach, on the dunes. You back your RV right up to the dunes, and walk to the beach. On the down side, it’s outside of town, in case you need any supplies or food. There is a very cheap bus (Route 20, fare is 35 cents as of this writing) that operates on weekdays and Saturdays between Oysterville and Illwaco and goes past the RV park. However, the schedule has varying intervals and last bus is 6:00 PM.

The RV park has wireless, but I had trouble connecting. I took my computer outside and got it working, then it worked inside the RV. Who knows? Excellent cable selection, about 80 channels. If you need to use the restrooms or the laundry room, the park will issue you a key (which you have to remember to return when you leave….). The laundry room and bathrooms weren’t the greatest, but then again, this area is popular for clam digging, so keeping restrooms and showers clean is difficult. For washing clothes, all you get is cold water in the laundry room.

The park has 50 amp and 30 amp connections. I tried to use the 50 amp connection, it didn’t work and I had to use the 30 amp connection. The manager came by to test it, and stated that it was working properly. Who knows?

The park sells propane on site, price is higher than elsewhere. There is a large sandlot for children to play in. This park has recycle bins for those who wish to recycle.