The Deschutes River State Recreation Area is a park at the confluence of the Deschutes and Columbia

Columbia River

The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...

 rivers in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. It is a few miles east of The Dalles

The Dalles, Oregon

The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is the largest city and county seat of Wasco County, Oregon, United States. The name of the city comes from the French word dalle The Dalles is...

. The 35.1 acres (14.2 ha) park offers opportunities for camping, fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian trail riding.

History

The chamber of commerce in The Dalles pushed for a state park at the location beginning in 1955. After years of studies, the state acquired the first tract of land in 1963, when it purchased 30 acres (12.1 ha) from the Columbia-Deschutes Power Company. In 1963, an additional 5.1 acres (2.1 ha) were purchased from the Miller family and added to the park.

Details

Deschutes River is one of 28 state parks in Oregon with year-round campgrounds although water is turned off during the winter. There are 34 campsites suitable for recreational vehicles, with electrical and water available. An additional 25 primitive sites with drinking water and facilities nearby are available. The park is along the Oregon Trail

Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...

 and rents a covered wagon for camping. The park includes showers, mowed lawns, and wildlife viewing. Hiking and biking opportunities include a trail named for former governor Victor G. Atiyeh

Victor G. Atiyeh

Victor George Atiyeh is an American politician, elected the 32nd Governor of Oregon in 1978. A member of the Republican Party, Atiyeh was the first elected governor of Arab descent in the United States, serving eight years from 1979 through 1987...

 that runs along the Deschutes. Hunting is also available for pheasant

Pheasant

Pheasants refer to some members of the Phasianinae subfamily of Phasianidae in the order Galliformes.Pheasants are characterised by strong sexual dimorphism, males being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Males are usually larger than females and have...

, Chukar

Chukar

The Chukar Partridge or Chukar is a Eurasian upland gamebird in the pheasant family Phasianidae. It has been considered to form a superspecies complex along with the Rock Partridge, Philby's Partridge and Przevalski's Partridge and treated in the past as conspecific particularly with the first...

, and Hungarian partridge during designated seasons for each. Located on the east shore of the Deschutes River, Heritage Landing boat ramp is on the opposite shore of the park, with the Lower Deschutes Wildlife Area about one mile (1.6 km) upriver.