Captain William Clark Regional Park at Cottonwood Beach

On March 31, 1806, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark established a camp at Cottonwood Beach while they secured provisions for the return trip through the Columbia River Gorge.

They remained at Cottonwood Beach for six days, which is the longest period of time the Corps of Discovery camped at any site in Clark County.

Almost 200 years later, a multijurisdictional effort celebrated the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial in 2006 by opening Captain William Clark Regional Park at Cottonwood Beach.

Other portions of the park may be available for weddings and other events on a case-by-case basis with an approved exclusive use reservation.

This park is managed in partnership with the City of Washougal and the Port of Camas/Washougal. Clark County manages the picnic shelters.

Picnic shelters Captain William Clark Regional Park has two reservable picnic shelters. Each shelter can seat about 50 people and can be reserved for $85 a day.

Both picnic shelters at Captain William Clark Regional Park have four 6-foot picnic tables, a charcoal barbecue grill, spigot with cold running water, a large countertop for food preparation or serving, electrical outlets and a garbage can.

Captain William Clark shelters (PDF) Additional shelter information (PDF) When the shelters are not reserved, they are available at no charge on a first-come, first-served basis.

Air-inflated “bounce houses” are allowed with approved special use permits, but dunk tanks are not. Shelter reservations and exclusive use reservations