Sacajawea State Park Pasco
Sacajawea State Park is located approximately five miles southeast of Pasco, WA in the north-western part of the United States. The park can be found at the meeting place of the Snake and Columbia rivers, and occupies a 284-acre marina, with a 9100 feet freshwater shoreline. Because the park is for day use only, vehicle parking permits are no longer required. The park is open from 6:30 a.m. to dusk during the summer months but closed during the winter months beginning on the 30th of October. The park reopens again on the 23rd of March for the summer season.
Directions
Finding the park from Pasco, WA one should drive east along Highway 12 towards Walla Walla and take a right turn on Tank Farm Road. Drive over the railroad tracks and follow the road to the entrance of the park. The Sacajawea State Park offers great picnic facilities with over 123 unsheltered picnic tables. There are also 7 sheltered tables, and two kitchen shelters, one of which can accommodate up to 200 guests. Please note that only one of these kitchen shelters has electricity and a large barbecue grill.
Activities
Activities in the park include freshwater boating, non-motorized boating, fishing, personal watercraft, swimming, and water skiing. If you’re not keen on water, then we’re sure you’ll find something to do, as other activities in the park also include two basketball courts, horseshoe pits, a volleyball pitch, and other selected interactive activities. For those who love exploring, Sacajawea State Park also offers 1.2 miles of hiking trails with excellent wildlife viewing opportunities.
Bird Watching
There are also great bird-watching areas with numerous species spotted throughout the year. These include crows, ravens, doves, pigeons, ducks, eagles, geese, gulls, hawks, herons, hummingbirds, ospreys, owls, pheasants, and quail. Visitors to the park also report frequent sightings of coyotes, deer, marmots, muskrats, rabbits, and raccoons, to name but a few. As fishing is also permitted in Sacajawea State Park, several species are found in park waters. These include bass, bluegill, catfish, crappie, salmon, and sturgeon.
Boat Ramps
The park also has two boat ramps and approximately 200 feet of dock for easy access to the water. The lagoon, used as a boat launch, is also relatively protected and sheltered to provide for easy boat launches. Permits for watercraft launching and trailer dumping are also available from the park for as little as $5 a day. Annual permits are also available when park staff is at hand, however, annual permits can be bought online or at State Park Headquarters in Olympia. The Sacajawea State Park also offers moorage for boats at docks, floats, and buoys, from 1 p.m. to 8 a.m., from as little as 50 cents per foot. A minimum charge of $10, however, is applicable. Annual moorage permits may also be purchased from any park offering moorage services.
Geography
The Pasco, WA park’s geography mostly consists of sand dunes and wetland ponds, with maple and oak trees providing a beautiful backdrop to the landscape. Hence the reason Lewis and Clark used the area for their expedition as a campsite during their great exploration of North America. The park is also named after a Shoshone Indian woman, Sacajawea, who traveled with the expedition.
More Information
For more information or to make a reservation please call the Sacajawea State Park office at (509) 545-2361. For information regarding moorage, you can also call (360) 902 8844. Telephone devices for the deaf are also available at (360) 664-3133.
Related Resources:
- Pasco and McNary Wildlife Refuge
- Eco-Tourism and Pasco Washington
- Museums and Pasco WA
- Arts and Music in Pasco WA