This was a fun excursion and was a part of the One Big Ticket for the Halloweentown festival I…read morepurchased. Those that paid this kind of admission hot to go on a boat across the Columbia to this island and walk on some of the designated paths to see Bigfoot. Lots of Halloween decor on the loop we went on, sculptures or maybe props to look like sculptures and a couple opportunities with Bigfoot. As part of the ride to this island we also ate some roasted marshmallows. I felt this was a highlight to the whole experience. As for the island itself it looks like a very chill place and even more so when it doesn't have a festival on it. Nice riverside beaches and places to have picnics. On another ride the person driving the vehicle said in the summer there are free boat rides to downtown St. Helens that go back and forth.

Camped here this weekend and had such a great time. We had a group campsite (#23) that faced the…read moreriver and front row to watching the annual Sand sculpting competition, which was a fun surprise to happen upon. You have to take a boat shuttle with your camp gear to get to the island, where you can load a cart pulled by an ATV that park staff will drive to your site. You can purchase firewood bundles that staff will also deliver directly to your site. Our site was more than ample space for a large 3 room tent, a 2-room tent, and two single tents, an ez-up, and about 15 chairs around the campfire plus the 2 site picnic tables. There was some sort of scavenger hunt going on and last year, I hear a bunch of people (or the staff?) dressed up as pirates - even had a "pirate" ship and walked around the island speaking Pirate jargon. Everything was very clean, especially for as many sites (at least 75, I believe) and people that were there. I was surprised to still see some empty campsites this late in summer, but apparently this is not yet a well-known little slice of Heaven on the Columbia. There is no running water on the island, so bring water with you or just hop back on the shuttle boat - it's just a couple minute ride over to the Marina and parking and short drive into St. Helens. The camp staff were all incredible - helpful, friendly, and all-around really good-natured people. It was quiet and peaceful, just the kind of place where you go to forget life for a while. There were no crazy loud parties, and I slept better here than I have for weeks at home. The dogs chased eachother up and down the beach, we found several agates on the other, less sandy side of the island. Theyveven have a disc golf course! There's something about camping that just feels serene. I enjoyed a kid-free weekend camping but I am so excited to bring my kids back here. 5/5 Stars. 2 thumbs up. We will be back. Thank you Sand Island and staff for an awesome weekend!

A beautiful place to walk along shore of Columbia River, and my family and I love to fly our kites…read morehere as well! Also, a great place to search for rocks of all kinds to add to your collection :)

A tiny thumbnail park with a nice view, a few steps down to access to a small beach, a couple of…read morebenches and a picnic table. Located in an historic neighborhood in Columbia City. Perhaps it's named Pixie Park because it's so small? Nice place to enjoy a sandwich or a smoke break before tackling rush hour traffic.

Such a cool park! I desperately wanted to get out in nature while we were visiting St. Helen's for…read moreHalloweentown so we decided to check out this spot. They have a nice trail you can take through beautiful large trees. The second half of the trail is more in brush and dessert type of feel, but still beautiful nonetheless. They also have little workout stops you can do along the way which we enjoyed playing around with haha. The also have disc golf, too, which we even saw a couple people playing so that was pretty cool to see. The only thing I will say is the trail does take you one weird way and it's near a homeless encampment so just beware that. But you can always walk a different way. Also at one point you are next to a road which kind of loses the sense of being in the park and in nature away from streets, but honestly, it's not for too long. Absolutely beautiful trail! And super easy. They allow dogs, too, which I love! Highly recommend checking it out.

What a great ADA friendly park! We stopped on our road trip adventure and I am so glad we did…read more There are bathrooms with toilet paper, soap and running water. The cobwebs in the bathrooms are totally in tune with the spirit of Halloween But it's a public park bathroom, the toilets were clean. That's what matters. The playground had lots of families. Very happy we stopped by!

What a lovely spot to launch in the water, it's calm and easily accessible. It's $3 to park and you…read morepay at the kiosk, if you don't have your own paddling gear( canoe, SUP, and kayaks) they have them for rent in the office. When the water is high in May and June is the best time to see the swiftlets gliding around the water as the fly towards the nests they have built on a nearby abandoned floating shed.. If you are new to kayaking this would be the place to start you have lots of local long-timers who have become experts willing to pass on their knowledge and the staff is friendly and helpful also. They have a small picnic area and a hiking trail (that was mostly submerged in the Columbia) and a small swimming area. 10/10 would recommend:)

One of my favorite places to kayak in the Portland area. There is a convenient place to unload and…read moreload your kayaks, although it gets pretty crowded on the weekends. Other than a more crowded location on the weekends, I have no no negative things to say about this awesome place There is a daily fee to park in their parking lot, but it's minimal for an all day pass ($3). You can also rent kayaks/SUPs from the Next Adventure location located at Scappoose Bay. There is also a place to load/unload and dock boats on a more long-term basis as well. The views of Mount Saint Helen's are great and you can see so much wildlife when kayaking around through the inlets. I've seen bald eagles, great blue herons, ospreys, deer, turtles and even a cow once! on my last visit, there was an abandoned ship in an inlet to investigate as well. You can spend time exploring the different in loads or the former appears on the banks or you can paddle straight to the Columbia for a more "action" on the water. If you kayak, this is a must-visit place in the Portland area!

Beautiful nature center with nicely groomed trails, benches for resting and great attractions…read more Highly recommended for a nice walk with the family!

Beautifully well maintained! Wonderful National wildlife refuge!…read more Upon entering, we immediately noticed a coyote stalking rodents in the brush. We came here to see the trumpeter and tundra swans and we weren't disappointed! There were dozens upon dozens of them, on the different bodies of water, throughout the park. We also saw egrets, a couple of blue herons, a nutria and several different duck species. While walking down one of the paths we noted several garter snakes. We are looking forward to return with our grandsons, they will love it here.