Lake Sacajawea: the crown jewel of
Longview parks
by John L. Perry

"The Lake," an important part of growing up in Longview

As a kid growing up in Longview in the 50s and 60s, “the Lake” was an important part of my life, especially in summer when my friends and I spent many days on the banks of Lake Sacajawea fishing and doing all the other things boys do if they get the chance. Boating on the Lake, however, was forbidden. Everybody knew it was illegal, nobody did it, and nobody questioned it. Well, almost nobody.

When I was 14, I spent $15 of my paper route money to buy an old 10-foot rowboat in which my friends and I explored the 50-foot-wide, slow-moving slough along Washington Way (which drained the Lake and has since been filled in). Of course, we also wanted to use the boat in Lake Sacajawea, but didn’t because boating there was illegal. But my father, George O. Perry, inquired of a co-worker, Clarence Hansen, who was also a Longview City Councilman. After doing some checking, Mr. Hansen reported back he could find no law prohibiting boating on the Lake.

Shortly afterwards, a friend and I rowed the boat up the slough, portaged across Nichols Boulevard, and ventured out onto Lake Sacajawea near the Washington Way bridge. Before long, a Longview police cruiser appeared and the policeman who emerged gestured for us to come ashore. He sternly ordered us to get out of the boat and to remove it from the Lake. He asked how long we’d lived in Longview. When I answered “All my life,” the officer snorted and said he couldn’t believe I’d lived here very long without hearing of the boating ban. I responded, “Yes, I’ve heard of it, but my Dad talked to Clarence Hansen, a city councilman, who said boating on the Lake was OK.”

The policeman returned to his car but soon, after radioing in to, presumably, headquarters, re-emerged and approached us again. By that time, we had carried the boat and our gear up to curbside on Kessler Boulevard and were wondering how we would get it home from there. He asked if we had our parents’ permission to be on the lake. When we both nodded affirmatively, he said “OK, you can go back out there if you want to,” and drove off. So we hauled our craft back down to the water and resumed exploring the Lake from our new vantage point.

Thus, in about 1961 or 1962, the modern era of boating on Lake Sacajawea began.

Not many cities the size of Longview can boast an amenity like Lake Sacajawea. More than eight decades after its creation, the Lake remains a valuable public asset for area residents and the “crown jewel” of Longview’s public park system. Even if your use consists merely of seeing it while driving by, Lake Sacajawea provides a scenic, serene, and natural-appearing view right in the middle of town.

Vital Statistics
Lake Sacajawea is a 8,300-foot long, narrow, crescent-shaped body of water with 4.6 miles of shoreline and four small islands. The deepest point (near Martin’s Dock) is 21 feet deep, while the average depth is six feet. The Lake contains 353 acre feet of water, with a surface area of 60 acres.
The surrounding parkland covers an additional 60 acres, consisting of expansive lawns with large, stately trees, a formal arboretum, a rhodo-dendron garden and a model solar system. There is also a Japanese garden on one of the islands. The Lake is encircled by a wide, packed gravel path and the entire 120-acre Lake Sacajawea Park area is bounded by Kessler Blvd. (east), Nichols Blvd. (west), Oregon Way (south) and Ocean Beach Highway (north).

The surrounding parkland is used for walking, jogging, relaxing, bird watching, picnicking, nature appreciation, frisbee throwing, kite flying, suntanning and community festivals and gatherings. Fishing and non-motorized boating are also important activities on the lake.

There’s got to be a catch
Fishing can be good because Lake Sacajawea is stocked regularly by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife with more catchable-sized trout (rainbow and brown) than any other lake in southwest Washington. Other gamefish in Lake Sacajawea include largemouth bass, bluegill, yellow perch, crappie, and bullheads. Large-scaled suckers, grass carp, common carp, squawfish (northern pikeminnow) and goldfish are also present. Trout cannot reproduce in Lake Sacajawea, due to lack of suitable spawning areas, but most other fish in the lake are self-sustaining. Formerly open for kids only, the lake is now open year-round for fishing by all ages. Standard license requirements and regulations apply.

Float your boat
In previous decades, boating on the Lake was widely believed to be prohibited (but not by all; see Sidebar). These days, however, non-motorized boating is a popular activity. There is no developed launch ramp or boat rental concession, but boaters can carry their canoes, kayaks and other small craft the short distance to the water’s edge for launching.

Lake Sacajawea was created in the early 1920s during the development of Longview, the “Planned City,” built on low-lying land subject to seasonal flooding. To prevent inundation by Columbia and Cowlitz River freshets, dikes (or levees) and a system of interior drainage ditches were constructed, using a fleet of seven floating dredges. Lake Sacajawea was created when Fowler’s Slough, an old channel of the Cowlitz River, was enlarged and deepened during the dredging process.

There were three reasons to dredge Fowler’s Slough: first, Longview’s master plan envisioned a large park encompassing the new lake; second, Longview’s drainage system needed an equalizing basin, or temporary storage reservoir, to contain excess storm runoff; and third, a large quantity of fill material was needed to bring low areas east of the lake up to grade. After the dredge, “Texas,” worked on the million-dollar job for several months, the lake’s margins were smoothed and contoured by a crew of 60 men and 125 horses pulling land planes and graders.

Where’s the water come from?
Direct precipitation to the surface of the Lake and runoff from the surrounding 60 acres provide some of the Lake’s water. Storm water drainage from residential streets west of the Lake adds more. But most of the Lake’s water is pumped from the Cowlitz River, entering the lake at the north end. Lake Sacajawea discharges through buried pipes parallel to Washington Way and leading to Longview’s large sump pump station at Coal Creek slough, west of town, where the excess water enters the Columbia River system.

Water quality in Lake Sacajawea is acceptable for most uses. A 1999 Washington Dept. of Ecology study indicated elevated levels of nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) with very low oxygen content in the deepest water. The relatively high amount of nutrients was attributed partly to fertilizer use on residential and park lawns draining to the Lake. Because the Parks Department uses lawn fertilizers sparingly —only three times in the past 18 years — that seems unlikely to be a major factor.

Probably more important are the numerous ducks and geese which deposit droppings directly into the water and on the sloping, grassy banks which drain into the Lake. Ducks and geese are also the probable source of low concentrations of fecal coliform bacteria detected in 1999. The Parks Department has installed signs asking the public not to feed the ducks and geese, hoping this would encourage the waterfowl to go away. The signs have helped, said Al George, Longview Parks Superintendent.

Despite the high nutrient level of the Lake’s water, troublesome algae blooms occur infrequently, possibly due to the steady input of Cowlitz River water. Fountains installed near Martin’s Dock and at the north end of the Lake increase dissolved oxygen near the surface, but  anoxic conditions persist in deep water. The bottom of the Lake is generally clear of obstructions with a sandy substrate under a layer of slowly decaying leaves and other dead plant material.

Longview’s Parks Department introduced sterile grass carp in 1995 and 2005 to reduce exotic aquatic weeds. The carp did their job and restored areas of open water that had previously been choked by rank, weedy growth. Overall, there has been significant improvement in appearance of the
Lake over the past 20 years.

However, while Lake Sacajawea’s water quality meets or exceeds State minimum standards, swimming in the Lake remains an activity that the Parks Department discourages. Even without swimming, the Lake is a popular place in all weather.
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Longview native John Perry is a retired forester and avid outdoorsman. He served on the Oregon Fish & Wildlife Commission and shares his Brownsville, Oregon home with his black lab, Crater.

In the dreary days of early Spring, when rain and gray skies threaten to dampen the spirits, my husband Don or fellow wildflower enthusiast Melissa Albrecht and I head to the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge and hike one of the trails at Catherine Creek. Even if it is windy, we can usually enjoy the sun, flowers and views of the Columbia River and Mt Hood. Just be aware of poison oak and ticks.

According to Stan Hinatsu of the U.S. Forest Service office in Hood River, the 1,909 acres of former grazing land were purchased by the U.S. Forest Service in 1987 for $1,208,600 as part of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area.

It is possible to make a loop trip by taking I-84 on the Oregon side of the river to Hood River, crossing on the toll bridge ($.75 for passenger vehicles) and returning on Washington SR 14, or vice versa. From the junction of the Hood River Bridge with SR 14, go east 5.8 miles to Old Hwy 8 (County Rd 1230), on the west side of Rowland Lake; turn left and continue 1.4 miles to the trailhead. The trip takes approximately two hours each way. The parking area is along the road on the north side. A porta-potty is located across the road at the start of the universal access trail.

Hikers have several options. On the river side of the road is a universal access trail. On the uphill side are two trails, one heading up the hill to a shelf with a vernal (Spring) pond, and the other veering to the right and crossing Catherine Creek. This is the route we usually take. The creek is crossable on rocks and planks, but a stout walking stick and/or strong companion are recommended.

After crossing the creek, this trail passes an old homestead. One remaining outbuilding has crumbled in the last few years, but the corral remains. Across from the corral is a natural arch in the basalt. The boulders which fell to make the arch are plainly visible, now covered with moss and lichens.

The trail continues up the hill on an old road, then levels for a short distance. From this point it is possible to continue straight ahead, take a branch to the left for an 7-mile loop, or turn right and loop back to the highway along the ridge above the basalt arch for a total of approximately 2.5 miles, with 800 feet elevation gain. Although there are some flowers on the lower part of the trail, most of them are on this ridge. Sources list 80 to 90 species of wildflowers for Catherine Creek, which bloom between March and August. In March, the main attraction is grass widows (Sisyrinchium douglasii var. douglasii), April is the month for camas (Camassia quamash) and shooting stars (Dodecatheon conjugans), and be sure to go back in May for the bitterroot (Lewisia redivia), arrow-leaf balsamroot (Balsamhoriza sagittata) and spurred lupine (Lupinus arbustus). Total hike time? Depends on how many times you stop to smell the flowers.

Meadowlarks flit between pine tree and bald eagles often perch in tall trees along the ridge.

Currently-blooming species, as well as pictures of flowers for various dates are available on a website maintained by Gresham High School.

My favorite reference book for this area is Wildflowers of the Columbia Gorge by Russ Jolley, published by the Oregon Historical Society in 1988. An appendix lists what species can be found during each month from March through August.

Lewis and Clark camped on the Washington side of the river near Catherine Creek on April 14, 1806. Major Creek is about one mile further east on Old Hwy 8 from Catherine Creek. Of course, in 1806, when there were no dams, the area we currently hike was much farther from the river than today.

After scrambling down the rocks to the road, it is a short walk back to the parking area. Hopefully you will have a cooler in your car with cold drinks as there is no potable water on the trail. Because  of the wind, April can be cool, but as the season progresses, the upper ridge can be very warm. Wear layers and sunscreen. Sturdy boots are recommended because the trail on the upper ridge is user-made and rocky.

And if you return on the Washington side, be sure to stop in  Stevenson at the Big River Grill. Here, you can enjoy a repast from the eclectic menu in an old hardware store decorated with license plates and historic photos.

Photo Captions: Don Sturdivant hikes on the trail near Catherine Creek.
A view of Mt.  Hood from Catherine Creek.

Wok Talk: Tasty Tempura
Photos and story by Paul Thompson
Illustration by Deena Martinsen