Folks heading up to visit the iconic wildflower displays each spring at the Columbia Hills Preserve on Dalles Mountain might not notice this solitary basalt outcrop along the way, but it holds a surprise for their return trip, especially in late spring and summer evenings: in the right light a smiling face appears in the cliff face, near the top of the rock. Can you see it? To some, it might look like Thalia, the Greek theater muse of comedy. To others it might look more like a smiling Jack of Hearts. Or for space flick nerds, how about Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy?
This handsome rock has no official name. It’s also located on private land adjacent to the Columbia Hills preserve, though it is partly owned by area tribes who have been coordinating with public land agencies to protect iconic East Gorge places like this in perpetuity.
It’s an especially beautiful spot in spring, when the landscape is green with new grass and emerging wildflowers. The rock is also home to a colony of yellow-bellied marmots whose network of dens straddle Dalles Mountain Road. If you’re patient, they can be viewed from pullouts along the road when they are most active in the morning and evening.
Here’s a closer view with the evening light hitting the “smiling” north side of the rock. Can you see it now?
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Image Description: A haystack-shaped basalt monolith rises above bright green, windswept desert grasses and wildflowers on an early spring evening. Beyond, the deep blue Columbia River glides past towering cliffs. In the far distance, rolling desert hills are carpeted with spring green. Wispy white clouds complete the backdrop against a pale blue evening sky.
Photo © WyEast Images (2026)
WyEast Images 
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