The once-sleepy blue-collar town continued adding to its outdoor attractions in recent years, as the city works to promote both its location as western gateway to the Columbia River Gorge and its spot in history books.
• Population: 13,870
• Major draws: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Capt. William Clark Park at Cottonwood Beach.
• Major drawback: Developers spent two years planning a $350 million public-private enterprise, RiverWalk on the Columbia, at the Port of Camas-Washougal. That fell through and ended up the subject of litigation.
• Must see: Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Parker’s Landing Historical Park, Lacamas Lake Park.
• Population: 13,870
• Major draws: Gateway to Columbia River Gorge, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Capt. William Clark Park at Cottonwood Beach.
• Major drawback: Developers spent two years planning a $350 million public-private enterprise, RiverWalk on the Columbia, at the Port of Camas-Washougal. That fell through and ended up the subject of litigation.
• Must see: Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Parker's Landing Historical Park, Lacamas Lake Park.
• Web site: <a href="http://www.ci.washougal.wa.us.">http://www.ci.washougal.wa.us.</a>
• Web site: http://www.ci.washougal.wa.us.
The Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, which would barely rate a glance from drivers on state Highway 14, underwent a $1.7 million makeover to make it as enticing to humans as it is to thousands of waterfowl, innumerable throngs of wildlife and more than 200 bird species.
The makeover includes a parking lot for 20 cars, vault toilets and a 2-mile-long trail with an informational kiosk, observation platforms and a 110-foot-long bridge spanning Gibbons Creek. The refuge’s grand opening was held in June 2009.
The city celebrated the opening of its first off-leash dog park last fall. The 7.5-acre park is fenced and includes walking trails and a separate area for small dogs.
In 2005, Washougal turned neglected Cottonwood Beach on the Columbia River into $3.2 million, 80-acre Capt. William Clark Park, site of an 1806 camp for the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Even though the city highlighted its history during the bicentennial of the expedition in 2006, it hasn’t been living in the past.
Washougal was once a town of loggers, farmers and millworkers. Back then, modest bungalows were the rule.
In the past decade, the city’s population doubled and city officials annexed nearly 2,000 acres to the north, making space for hillside subdivisions with homes often valued at more than $500,000.
Commercial development followed, as the city worked with entrepreneurs to transform its long-dormant downtown.
