Bridgeport State Park is a 748-acre camping park with 7,500 feet of freshwater shoreline on Rufus Woods Lake. Set directly behind Chief Joseph Dam, this lake is actually a segment of the Columbia River. The park provides 18 acres of lawn and some shade in the midst of a desert terrain. "Haystacks," unusual volcanic formations resembling their name, are the park's most striking feature.

Marine Park: No

Summer: 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Winter: Closed Dec. 19, reopens March 21.

Camping:
Check-in time, 2:30 p.m.
Check-out time, 1 p.m.
Quiet hours: 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.

A park plaque honors Mr. Ralph Van Slyke who, with the most common garden tools, cut a park in the valley above Chief Joseph Dam in the early 1960s. Van Slyke was a retired employee of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The park was named for the town of Bridgeport, which from 1881 to 1889 was known as Westfield. In 1889, Mr. J. Covert, a citizen of Bridgeport, Connecticut, came west to survey a railroad route and renamed Westfield after his hometown.

The park was created as part of a cooperative agreement between Washington State Parks and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps is involved in park-building because of an operating agreement for dams which requires the corps to rebuild recreation areas.

The park has some unique volcanic formations called "haystacks." These basalt structures look like huge haystacks from a distance.

Interpretive programs are provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Subjects include the operation of Chief Joseph Dam, area wildlife, and many other topics of local interest. Programs are usually on Saturdays during the summer season.