With the height of summer behind us and kids back in school now is, arguably, the best time to visit any of Grant PUD’s 19 Columbia River-site recreation areas – another benefit of the locally owned-and-operated hydropower generated at Priest Rapids and Wanapum dams.
Beat the crowd and bask in the crisp mornings, warm, sunny afternoons and natural glory of early fall in the Columbia Basin. Absorb the soul-nourishing panorama of sage, basalt and craggy shadows of the early morning and evening.
Take a riverside walk or chilly dip in the Columbia. Drop a fishing line (state license required) from boat or riverbank. Bring your binoculars to observe the resident and migratory birds that call the Basin home or choose it as a rest stop.
All Grant PUD campgrounds – the Sand Hollow, Rocky Coulee, Priest Rapids and Crescent Bar recreation areas and the Jackson Creek Fish Camp – are open year-round. Reservations are optional. If you arrive as a drop-in camper, check the list on the campground’s info kiosk to see which sites have been reserved… and just choose one that isn’t! Drop boxes for cash or check payment are on site.
Free public boat launches and day-use areas are open all year, too, including the trail, playground, beaches and park areas at Crescent Bar. The Crescent Bar Golf Course is also open year-round, but green fees are required. Visit www.crescentbarrecreation.com/golfing for golf info.
Click on the Camping, Boat Launches, Day Trips, Things to Do and Park Rules tabs – also easily visible on the 509River homepage – for everything you need to know to get the most out of your visit.
This past spring and summer, plenty of visitors did just that.
Grant PUD rec areas welcomed visitors from 14 U.S. states, some as far away as Florida and Washington D.C., and four countries – Canada, Germany, Austria and The Netherlands. Many, many visitors, both local residents and from all over Washington come, too, often more than once per season.
At the more rustic Sand Hollow recreation area, nights stayed totaled 398 this rec season, up from 378 nights in 2024. Total nights stayed at other Grant PUD camping areas were down slightly through mid-September but ranged from 340 to 369 with months still left to tally.
Fire pits reopen Oct. 1, after wildfire danger has diminished, but always be fanatically careful with sparks, flame, cigarettes and heat. The desertscape is still tinder dry after the hot summer months.
Fall 2025 adventures await you at Grant PUD recreation areas. Enjoy them. And be safe.
