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Benson State Recreation Area, Near Portland, OR

Photo: Sarah McDevitt from Oregon, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

Benson State Recreation Area

A state recreation area on the south shore of the Columbia River, a mile west of Multnomah Falls, with a lake for swimming and fishing.

Near Portland, OR

About Benson State Recreation Area

Benson State Recreation Area lies along the southern bank of the Columbia River in the Gorge. Its facilities include a disc golf course, a group picnic shelter that can be reserved, and a calm lake used for swimming and fishing. The state stocks the lake with fish from March through October. A paved path leads from the parking lot to an accessible fishing dock. Benson Lake has no dock and allows only non-motorized boats, which must be carried a short distance. The park is named for lumberman Simon Benson, who donated the land.

  • #state park
  • #Columbia River Gorge
  • #lake
  • #swimming
  • #fishing

What's around here?

The closest stops to Benson State Recreation Area, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Outdoor Adventure

    Multnomah Falls

    No admission fee

    Oregon's tallest waterfall, a 620-foot two-tiered cascade just off the Columbia River Gorge highway.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    0.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing

    Bridal Veil Falls State Scenic Viewpoint

    Check prices

    A small Columbia River Gorge state site with a steep trail down to a two-tier waterfall and a paved loop with river views.

    3.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Shepperd's Dell State Natural Area

    Check prices

    A two-tier waterfall beside the Historic Columbia River Highway, reached by a short, stair-lined trail.

    4.1 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Guy W. Talbot State Park

    Check prices

    Quiet Columbia Gorge picnic park beside the Historic Columbia River Highway, with access to Latourell Falls.

    5.7 mi awayMore like this

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Columbia River Gorge Waterfall Tour

    $50+

    A small-group day tour along the Historic Columbia River Highway, stopping at Vista House and a string of waterfalls.

    6.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sightseeing

    Crown Point State Scenic Corridor

    Check prices

    A basalt cliff above the Columbia River Gorge, crowned by the historic Vista House observatory and rest stop.

    6.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

Near Benson State Recreation Area

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