Lyle, Washington

The community of Lyle is located on Highway 14 in western Klickitat County, overlooking the Columbia River. Lyle is unincorporated.

Major local industries are timber, ranching and recreation. Lyle is only a few short miles from Doug's Beach, one of the Columbia Gorge's best spots for windsurfers.

Lyle Lions Club Community Center

Lyle Community Resources

Lyle Community Action Council
PO Box 815
Lyle, WA 98635
Community contact telephone:
(509) 365-3903

Lions Club Community Center:
Fifth & Hwy. 14
(509) 365-2110

Fire: 9-1-1 (emergencies only)
Non-emergency: 509-365-5409, 509-365-2565

Lyle Junior-Senior High School

Lyle Junior-Senior High School
District #406
(509) 365-2211

Klickitat River Area

The canyon of the Klickitat River is one of the most picturesque along the Columbia. On either side the hills rise a thousand feet above the bed of the river, along which the railroad winds in graceful curves. At times the scene changes and a magnificent thicket of scrub oaks crowns the hills, while below the rushing stream dashes down the canyon.

The town of Lyle is located at the mouth of the Klickitat River, with the falls of the Klickitat only three miles away. Here a large volume of water is forced through a narrow chasm. It is probable that in past ages the water at this point fell sheer over the face of the rock for some distance, but as years went by the rock was worn away until little more than a rapids remains.

View of the Columbia River from Catherine Creek trail

Wildflowers bloom proficiently in the early spring at Catherine Creek (Late Feb., March, early April)

Catherine Creek

One of the Mid Columbia Gorge's most scenic nature trails, Catherine Creek, is accessed at the Lyle junction. Catherine Creek affords nature lovers a field of native wildflowers overlooking the spectacular vista of the Columbia Gorge. The lower trail is paved and is accessible by wheelchair. Benches for sitting show up in opportune places, allowing visitors a comfortable spot to view the waterfalls from the creek, sit under a majestic old tree, or view the sun glinting on the waters of the Columbia as you look west toward the community of Mosier, Oregon. More rambunctious hikers can take the upper trail.

History of Lyle

When Klickitat County was chartered by a legislative act in 1859, the majority of the population in the new county resided along the Columbia River at a place known as Klickitat Landing (Lyle). The first white settler at Klickitat Landing was Egbert French who arrived from Ohio. He married an Indian girl and one daughter was born to them while they lived here. In 1866 Mr. French sold his holdings to James O. Lyle and moved to White Bluffs on the upper Columbia River.

Lyle Post office today

Soon after relocating, Mr. Lyle got a post office established and was the first postmaster. Klickitat Landing was one of the three first post offices north of the Columbia River and east of the Cascades in Washington territory. The other two were Yakima City and Klickitat Creek. Mail was delivered to Klickitat Landing by river steamer.

SP&S Railroad construction was started in 1905 and in 1910 CR&N Railroad became part of the SP&S. The old town site of Lyle, which laid south of the newly constructed railroad was purchased by SP&S and in 1909 the present town site was plotted. Steamboats ceased to operate on the Columbia River after the completion of the North Bank line.

For more information about the history of Lyle, click here.