A gateway to Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams backcountry, the rural area of Randle is known locally as the “Big Bottom Valley,” which describes the valley floor of the Cowlitz River as extensive, flat, and fertile.
Randle is a residential community in unincorporated Lewis County that provides some services and supplies. It has an active timber mill and is home to the ranger station for the Cowlitz Valley Ranger District of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Randle boosts access to the Windy Ridge viewpoint of Mount St. Helens, as well as the Mount Adams backcountry, and to a wide variety of outdoor recreation in the forest. The Cowlitz River is a great fishing area, rich in scenic beauty.