Dougan Falls is the best swimming hole yet! Jumping from waterfalls, swimming, perching on rock ledges and relaxing on sandy shores… I loved it so much that I went back again the next day!
Dougan Falls with the Dach
On Saturday I went with my brother and Ginger the wonder-dach. We floated around and explored the different swimming areas. Families were barbecuing and playing in the pools of water near the top of the falls.
The area below the falls is very deep. Kids and some adults enjoy jumping off the falls or the small cliffs across from them, and someone was actually scuba diving down there. I wonder what he found. Buried treasure?!
I didn’t really swim on Saturday, since Ginger was with us, and she isn’t much of a swimmer. I paddled my float around and hiked on the rocks and dirt paths. It was a lot of fun but I regretted not getting fully submerged.
Another Visit With the Kids
On Sunday though, I took my daughter and her boyfriend with me and let them have the floats. I just plugged my nose and jumped right in! The water felt great on a hot summer day! It wasn’t freezing like some of our rivers, just brisk and refreshing. My biggest problem was swimming toward the sun and not being able to see the locations of the large, underwater boulders. I had my daughter scout for me from her float. The water is very clear so you can usually see the rocks. They come almost to the surface in places and could hurt if you hit one with an arm or leg.
On Saturday I was wearing my daughter’s crocks and slipped on a slick, algae-covered stone ledge. That kind of hurt too. Sunday I tried out a new pair of cheap water socks. I got them off instagram for $5.99. They don’t provide much protection against sharp rocks (no rubber soles) but offered good traction on the slippery algae. I was quite pleased with them.
Who Else is at Dougan Falls?
The atmosphere at Dougan Falls is relaxed. It wasn’t crowded and everyone was nice, unintrusive, and enjoying themselves. There was a couple with some chairs on the stone ledge, some men sitting on a boulder having a beer, a mom teaching her young daughter to swim, some kids who caught a large fish (15 inches maybe?) with their hands, several people had dogs to swim and play with, and the waterfall jumpers of course.
One young man about made my heart stop when he dove headfirst into an unseen pool between the tiers of the waterfall, but then he popped up and dove again from the edge into the pool below. I decided to stop watching!
An interesting thing about that fish: I didn’t see any other fish and I have no idea how they caught that one. They didn’t know what to do with it once they caught it so they tossed it onto a rock and it flopped back into the water.
Both of my visits were fantastic! Dougan Falls is a Washington State Park, just beyond Washougal. You do need a discovery pass, or to call and get a day pass. If you happen to be in the Vancouver/Portland area on a hot day I would wholeheartedly recommend this spot for a great way to beat the heat! Take lunch, inner tubes, snorkel gear or your dog. You’ll have a great time!
For more information you might like the Oregon Discovery website or the Northwest Waterfall Survey site.
Most probably, the scuba divers are looking for treasure. Why else would they even go there with so much gear? This swimming hole is absolutely glorious!
It was amazing! Speaking of scuba divers in weird places, my inner tube ran into a snorkeler when we were riding the rapids in Lava Hot Springs. What was he doing there?? There must be treasure everywhere!
Sounds like you had an amazing weekend in a perfect cooling off spot! Thanks for sharing, Alice!
Thanks Beverly! I loved it there and will definitely go back again!