Explore Government Cove
Cascade Locks, Oregon
Description
Added by Chandler Schoonmaker
Easy parking. Low congestion. Lots of view points. No parking pass required. Family friendly.
From downtown Portland follow I-84 East for about 50 miles until you reach mile marker 51. Get back on the highway but Westbound until you reach mile marker 47 pull off and take a right over the train tracks and you're there.
Beautiful scenery all around and if you get there early enough, you can catch the sun coming up over the cascade mountain range. Super vibrant colors as the sun is coming up such as purples, oranges and reds. Makes for amazing pictures and also one of the prettiest views of the gorge in my opinion.
Government Cove would make a wonderful place for a romantic picnic or a morning/evening with the family. Not a ton to do so you probably don't want to spend the whole day there. Super fun though to explore around the cove and find different places to hangout at.
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Explore Government Cove Reviews
This land is owned by the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Tribe. I've been visiting the island for many years, and when I visited this Sunday... I found that the metal gate was wrenched open and people were driving into the island. If the gate has been clearly tapered with, one should not drive through just because the gate is now "open." The Warm Springs have been hit very hard by COVID, to make matters worse they are experiencing issues accessing clean water... as such their primary concern is not going to be replacing the damaged gate. Therefore, please respect the intent of the gate, to keep cars out of the interior of the island... use your legs folks it's not that far. Please be respectful of the island, it is not yours and it is not mine it is land that belongs to the Watlala (Cascade) People, Upper Chinook people that were removed and split between the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Reservation and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation in 1856 and 1860. Educate yourselves: https://ndnhistoryresearch.com/2017/05/02/cascade-watlala-removal-in-april-1856/ Also if you want to donate to support the Warm Springs Tribe Water Crisis: https://www.mrgfoundation.org/the-chuush-fund-2/ Please make corrections to this if something I wrote is inaccurate - I am a non-native POC, and by no means claim to be an expert.
5.0
Hiked here a couple times with my dad in middle school. No permit! Gorgeous views.
4.0
We left Hillsboro around 5 am and got there before sunrise at 6. It was a little confusing getting there and we ended up at one wrong place, but soon realized our mistake. You can drive wherever you want and then park and hike/walk the rest. We brought our border collie and he had a blast running around exploring. There were quite a few other people camping and we may try that next! Definitely recommend trying this place out! Breathtaking when the sun rises!!
5.0
Leave No Trace
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Nearby
Indian Point via Herman Creek Trailhead
Dry Creek Falls via PCT
Gorton Creek Falls
Emerald Falls
North Lake via Wyeth Trail
Ruckel Ridge Loop
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