Columbia Hills Historical State Park: A Petroglyph Guide

Columbia Hills Historical State Park is in Washington State along the banks of the Columbia River, about 90 miles east of Portland, Oregon.

We visited on a scorching hot afternoon in the middle of summer. We stayed in Portland for a few nights and explored the surrounding area.

Some trails looked nice, but it was too hot to spend significant time hiking. We were mainly visiting to see the park’s impressive display of petroglyphs.

The park encompasses four sites: Horsethief Lake, Horsethief Butte, Crawford Oaks Trailhead, and Dalles Mountain Ranch Trailhead. The Horsethief Lake section of Columbia Hills Historical State Park is a National Historic Site and is also where the petroglyphs are located.

Columbia Hills Petroglyphs

We pulled into the dirt parking lot at Horsethief Lake at about 4:30 p.m. It was 105 degrees outside, and the wind was blowing so hard it nearly took our breath away getting out of the car. The petroglyphs are located along a short trail next to the parking lot.

There were hundreds of rock art images to view. This is not their original location. They were initially located close to the Columbia River but were removed in 1959 to prevent them from being covered in water from the Dallas Dam.

My wife and I braved the heat and walked the trail, occasionally chasing hats blown off our heads. The petroglyphs were in incredible condition, some of which were the best preserved we had ever viewed. One large face reminded me of the 1982 classic E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

How long does it take to visit Columbia Hills State Park?

We spent about 30 minutes walking around and taking pictures. I could have easily spent longer, but it was so hot and uncomfortable. We had already decided that we wanted to visit again.

There is an incredible petroglyph called Tsagaglalal or “She Who Watches.” It requires a park ranger-guided tour to visit, which is only offered on Friday and Saturday mornings. We were there late Sunday afternoon.

If you live in the Portland area or are passing by on Interstate 84, stretch your legs at Columbia Hills Historical State Park and enjoy an incredible display of Native American rock art.

Also, if you visit during the spring, from about April through May, you can expect an incredible display of wildflowers.