Ready for an epic journey through history?

For this edition of RV Routes, our series on iconic regional trips, we turn back 218 years to when the Lewis and Clark Expedition crossed into what is now Washington state, following the Snake River as it meets the Columbia River and onward to the Pacific Ocean.

Begin in Clarkston

Start your journey at Chief Timothy Park, an Army Corps of Engineers facility on an island in the middle of the Snake River. It offers nice camping opportunities and also features a wonderful Maya Lin art installation called the Listening Circle, part of the Confluence Project which commemorates important Native American sites along the waterway to the Pacific.

Like the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., which Lin also designed, the Listening Circle has a simple, yet effective power that takes over your senses as you stand amid its footprint in the stark landscape.

After breaking camp, head west toward Pasco on U.S. Highway 12, and think about the Corps of Discovery, which had to negotiate the treacherous rapids of the Snake River. Your journey should be much smoother.

In Pasco, stop at Sacajawea Historical State Park, where the Snake hits the Columbia River, and enjoy a riverside view of the place the tired explorers spent a few days hanging out with area tribes.

Then continue south through dramatic Wallula Gap, a wild and beautiful section of the Columbia, and cross briefly into Oregon, then at Umatilla, cross back over into Washington and follow Washington Highway 14 along the river.

Next stop, Maryhill

The intrepid explorers came through present-day Maryhill State Park as fall was turning cold, and for you, it makes a nice place to camp. Maryhill is located on the eastern edge of the Columbia Gorge, and nearby, you can check out Maryhill Museum of Art.
You can also take a short  break from the Lewis and Clark Expedition for another historical stop at the Stonehenge Memorial and Klickitat County Veterans Memorial, where you can tour a full-scale replica of the real Stonehenge.

Just down the road, consider taking a longer break at Columbia Hills Historical State Park as the Columbia Gorge comes into view. The soaring trails of the Dallas Ranch area offer beautiful views of the big river as it winds west.

A little farther west in the thick of the Gorge, you’ll find one of the most surprising and interesting state parks in Washington. In his journal, Lewis called it “the Beaten Rock” because wild storms were pounding the 848-foot chunk of basalt, but today it’s known as Beacon Rock State Park. If you have the energy, take the wild climb all the way to the top on a dizzying series of railed walkways.

Onward to the coast

By the time the Corps of Discovery got to the lower Columbia, they were in a hurry. Winter was coming and they knew they were getting close to the ocean as the river broadened and was affected by tides. So like them, put the hammer down and push through Vancouver and Longview, continuing west to Cape Disappointment State Park, the place where they finally saw the mighty Pacific.

Cape Disappointment, one of our very favorite state parks in Washington, is worth a long stay. Besides offering views of two beautiful lighthouses and a gorgeous beach, it features the excellent Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, where you can do a deep dive into the Corps of Discovery -- and perhaps reflect on your own epic adventure.

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