Getting There

Take Hwy 14 E from Vancouver, WA (Downtown) for about 20 miles. The newly opened parking lot is located 1.5mi from the 32nd St roundabout, on the right (south). There's room about 15 cars and one bus. (There's a pit toilet as well.)

The Hike

Length: 6.60 mi
Elevation gain: 118 ft
Moving time: 1:59:13
Avg. pace: 18:04
Calories: 1,050
Total time: 2:08:46

The area is called Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge and has two main trails. The newest section is titled Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail which takes you from the trailhead & parking lot to the Columbia River. On Google Maps, the trail, which originates at Steamboat Landing Park, is titled Captain William Clark Park Trail. However, on AllTrails, it's called the Lewis & Clark Discovery Greenway Trail.

The place opened today, May 1st. There are fresh tractor markings everywhere, freshly planted trees, and newly sawn trees carefully placed in the creek bed. It's going to take some time for nature to thrive.

I remember how barren the Sandy River Delta looked back in the early 2000s after a lot of work had been done to reclaim the area for the public. The bird blind could be seen several hundred feet away. Now, the place is lush with life and you don't see the bird blind until you're almost on the ramp.

The Trailhead

Some of my favorite shots

Mt Hood and Crown Point, OR

Late afternoon clouds over the Columbia River

Late afternoon clouds over the Wildlife Refuge

Redtail Lake, Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge

The Lewis & Clark Discovery Greenway Trail dead-ends at the property line of M bar J Ranch.

On the way back I took a different route through a section of Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail that will be closed seasonally from Oct 1 - April 30 for Wintering Waterfowl.