Dismal Nitch at Lewis and Clark National Park
Ok. I used to pride myself in knowing just about everything in the way of scenic travel in Washington State. Imagine my surprise when we were camping recently and I discovered there was a NEW national park in our state! Well, not just in our state, but portions of the Lewis and Clark National Park are in the southwest corner of Washington, at the mouth of the Columbia river.
This new park (new to ME, that is) is a partnership of the Washington State Park system, Oregon State Park system, and the National Park system. While we have visited many of these sites before, they were not part of a National Park at the time. This is a great example of agencies doing something RIGHT. We loved it.
Drawing from William Clark's Journal
The park includes the following areas within Washington state:
- Dismal Nitch
- Station Camp
- Cape Disappointment State Park
- Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
- Ft. Columbia State Park
Who would name a place ‘Dismal Nitch’? Apparently, William Clark would, back in November of 1805. If you are a group of explorers wanting to FINALLY get to the Pacific ocean, but are pinned down for weeks by huge Pacific storms, dismal in November is VERY appropriate. Now, though, it’s a rest stop on WA-401.
Park Service Map
You can see why they stayed huddled down there… the cove in the river is protected by a protrusion of land just to the west that would give them some relief from the wind and big waves blowing up the Columbia from the Pacific ocean. It’s the last place to ‘rest’ before dragging your trailer across the 4 + mile long Astoria bridge. Very nice accommodations, great view, lots of history.
More comments will be shared on a subsequent post about the other attractions in southwest Washington. If you are a Lewis and Clark buff, which I am, this stop was well worth the time, dismal weather or not.