The City of Friendly People 
Kelso, Washington is a growing community of friendly people. In fact, Kelso is known as the “City of Friendly People.” Located in southwestern Washington at the confluence of the Cowlitz, Coweeman and Columbia rivers, Kelso is home to approximately 12,000 residents who take pride in their community and rich heritage.

The Kelso Volcano and Visitor Center, off Interstate 5 at Exit 39, is fully staffed seven days a week and provides information to visitors to ensure they get the most out of their stay in the area.

A surveyor named Peter Crawford founded Kelso in the 1840’s. Crawford, a Scottish native, fell in love with the area and named it “Kelso” after his hometown in Scotland. 150 years later, the city continues to honor its roots with Highlander Festival featuring piping and dancing, a golf tournament and parade.

Located on Interstate 5 at Exits 39 and 40, Kelso is 48 miles north of Portland, Oregon, 125 miles south of Seattle, Washington, and a short 80 miles to the Pacific Ocean beaches. This central location makes Kelso the perfect “hub” for convenient travel to the area’s finest attractions.

A visitor can spend time exploring Kelso and its nearby tourist sites, then return each day to relax and get re-energized at one of Kelso’s outstanding restaurants and lodging facilities. One can travel SR-504 to visit Mount St. Helens, then head back for dinner and a night’s rest. Traveling on SR-503 brings new sights of the volcano. Kelso’s proximity and accommodations will keep guests primed for more visual stimulation.  Conventions and corporate meetings are well served by qualified staff in area motels. There are meeting rooms for groups of 5 to 500 and banquet facilities to serve 1000 people. Kelso area lodging facilities offer modern services, as well as indoor pools. Whatever guests decide to do, whether enjoying a play at the Columbia Theater for the Performing Arts or visiting the Cowlitz Historical Museum, people in Kelso will make their stay a pleasant experience.

There are plenty of outdoor activities in Kelso. Golf at the Three Rivers Golf Course, dubbed the “Driest Course in the Pacific Northwest”, is played on the dredge spoils from the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. The course is reasonably priced and challenging. Visitors can fish in the Cowlitz or surrounding rivers. Most area streams are well regarded by serious anglers. If visiting in January or February, smelt dipping is a “must do” activity! The small, silvery fish may appear quite regularly for consecutive years, then vanish for several more. Kelso is known as the “Smelt Capital of the World,” an indication that the wily smelt have filled the river more times than not.

First-time visitors to Kelso may think they are in “Park City” as the community offers six city maintained parks, including the largest, Tam O’Shanter Park. “Tam O,” as it is fondly called by locals, came into being in 1958 and encompasses 38 acres located along the pristine Coweeman River. The park has multi-purpose fields for soccer, horseshoe pits, girls fast-pitch softball fields, a Babe Ruth park, five Bambino fields and a basketball court. Covered picnic areas, restrooms and a large playground area allow for family outings in Tam O’Shanter park. Joggers and bikers will enjoy the graveled path that runs atop the dike along the river. The path begins in the 2500 block of Allen Street and continues several miles to Talley Way.  In addition to the other small parks located throughout Kelso, the community features Catlin Rotary Spray Park, the only outdoor, public spray park in the Kelso/Longview area. It is open during the summer months for all to enjoy. 

Kelso’s multi-Modal Transportation Center is based in the historic Kelso Train Station and is served by Amtrak rail, national and regional bus service, shuttle vans, taxis and rental cars. Originally built by the Northern Pacific Railroad in 1912, the stately brick building underwent extensive remodeling in the early 90’s, after the City of Kelso launched an aggressive plan to refurbish it. The extensive renovation included the addition of a clock tower and was completed in 1994. Kelso is also well served by major arterials (SR-4, 411, 432 and 433) and Interstate 5, linking visitors to the outlying communities and attractions.

The Kelso Municipal Airport is serviced by charter flights and private jets. With all there is to see and do in and around Kelso, visitors should consider staying four or five days. Visitors will find Kelso’s friendly people excited about sharing their home with others. Kelso is a city of vision, honoring its past and committed to its future.

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