It’s easy to imagine a gang of horse thieves hiding out at Horsethief Butte—the high basalt walls form a natural fortress and there are a number of narrow entrances into the interior of the butte that would make it easy to defend from a posse of lawmen.

I visited this Washington state park in early spring this year during another road trip and was interested in seeing it at a different time of year. In the spring, the wildflowers were spectacular. In winter, it was quieter and all that remained of the spring and summer bloom were this year’s seeds and berries.

Winter is a good time to visit since you’re likely to have the place to yourself. A well maintained trail takes you from the parking area out around the front of the butte. Signs of extensive trail braiding are evident as visitors have created several different routes into the centre of the butte and up to a variety of view points—try to keep the most heavily trodden paths and resist the temptation to create a shortcut. It was actually challenging to create photographs that had minimal signs of human impact.

Both early morning and late afternoon are excellent times to photograph Horsethief Butte as the light is perfect. In the morning, the front side of the rock facing the Columbia River is well lit and by late afternoon the road facing side of the butte is warmed by the setting sun.

I didn’t run into any horse thieves during my visit, but I could easily imagine them hunkered over a small fire in the central opening in middle of the rock walls. It sure would have been fun to ask them to pose for a few photographs!