Wahkeena Falls Day Use: Picnic Area – Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area OR

Description

The picnic area at Wahkeena Falls benefitted from the attention of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollees soon after the program was rolled out in March 1933. Workers from CCC Camp Benson improved a picnic area on the north side of the Columbia River Highway at Wahkeena Falls by adding stone fireplaces, picnic tables and a community kitchen/picnic shelter. As a result, the Wahkeena Falls Picnic Area is the largest day use area on the historic Columbia River Highway.

The Wahkeena Falls Community Kitchen, similar to the community kitchen at Eagle Creek, consists of post and beam construction, three to four feet of stone masonry making up the lower portions of the structure, and vertical board and batten from the stonework to the eaves line. The cooking area consists of a central open hearth fireplace with two side stoves.