Clark County dessert makers go harder in summer than any other time of year. It’s not just the usual rotation getting refreshed. These are limited runs, small-batch flavors, and builds that only make sense when Washington farms are in full swing. Some of this disappears next month. Here’s what’s actually worth going out of your way for right now.
Salt & Straw
📍 740 Waterfront Way, Vancouver, WA 98660
July means the Berries Series, and the lineup at the Vancouver Waterfront location includes Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero, Birthday Cake & Blackberries, Raspberry Marzipan Princess Cake, and Huckleberry Oat Crisp with Foraged Porcini. The Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero is the one to get: tangy and jammy up front, with a slow heat that builds as you eat through it. If you usually stick to the permanent menu, these flavors are a completely different experience.
All five are gone after July 31. Single scoop is $6.25, double is $8.25. One thing worth knowing: Salt & Straw is currently exploring a sale that could top $200 million, which has a lot of people wondering what changes. Order ahead online and your first order comes with a free waffle cone.
Ice Cream Renaissance
📍 5900 NW Friberg-Strunk St, Camas, WA 98607
Ice Cream Renaissance has been making small-batch ice cream in Clark County since 2001, using hormone-free Alpenrose Dairy products, fruit from Willamette Valley Fruit Co. in Salem, and vanilla from Singing Dog in Eugene. No corn syrup, ever. The Botticelli Brownie Sundae is the crowd favorite: in-house chewy chocolate brownie, hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream, chocolate chips, and nuts stacked on top.
If you want to try a few flavors before committing, the sampler flights let you mix and match three, five, or seven scoops. That’s genuinely the best way to do a first visit. The Camas location is the right call if you’re already out on that side of the county.
Crispy Cones
📍 14003 NE 10th Ave, Vancouver, WA 98685
This opened in March 2026 and the format is genuinely unlike anything else in the area. Fresh dough gets baked rotisserie-style into a warm cone, dusted with cinnamon and sugar, then filled with gourmet soft serve, your spread of choice (cookie butter, Nutella, peanut butter, strawberry jam), and toppings. The warm, crispy exterior against cold soft serve is what makes it work.
Crispy Cones was featured on Shark Tank and has locations across 16 states, but this is the first in Clark County. It’s a fast, customizable format that moves quickly. Being right next to Trader Joe’s in Skyview Station makes it an easy add-on if you’re already in Salmon Creek.
Eight Cow Creamery
📍 4327 S Settler Dr, Ste 140, Ridgefield, WA 98642
Eight Cow Creamery is a family-owned, Navy Veteran-founded creamery in Ridgefield making small-batch ice cream from locally sourced milk and seasonal ingredients. The summer lineup has included a red, white & moo built with real local berries and creamy cheesecake bites. The Raspberry Lemon Curd is the current standout: bright, tart, and creamy without going too sweet.
Four rotating vegan options are also available if anyone in your group needs a dairy-free choice. Plus, the staff regularly lets you sample, and the homemade waffle cones are worth adding to your order. If you’re already in Ridgefield for anything else, this is a no-brainer stop.
Frutas Locas
📍 2211 Fairmount Ave, Vancouver, WA 98661
Frutas Locas is the spot in East Vancouver for Mexican fruit desserts: mangonadas, pepinos locos, tostilocos, tostielotes, bionicos, and fresh fruit bowls built with chamoy, chile, and lime. The mangonada runs $9 and the Fruta Loca is $9.50. These are the flavors that were built for summer heat and they absolutely deliver.
The owner runs everything herself, which is a big reason the quality stays consistent. The space is small and weekends get busy. Lines move, just slowly. Go on a weekday afternoon if you want a more relaxed visit.
Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt
📍 1214 SW Scotton Way #107, Battle Ground, WA 98604
Menchie’s is a self-serve frozen yogurt chain with rotating seasonal flavors and a full toppings bar. In summer, they consistently run fresh fruit-forward builds, including seasonal rotating soft serve flavors, mango, watermelon, and peach options that change throughout the season. What makes it worth mentioning is the geographic spread: if you’re in Battle Ground or out near the east side of the county, Menchie’s tends to be one of the more reliable dessert options available.
The locations in Battle Ground and Camas make this a practical stop for residents in parts of the county where specialty dessert shops are thinner on the ground. Worth checking their app for current rotating flavors before you go.
Angel’s Donuts & Ice Cream
📍 212 NE 164th Ave, Vancouver, WA 98684
Angel’s is a staple of ice cream alongside their donuts, with an unusually deep flavor selection including Umpqua ice cream in 50-plus flavors and the signature move: donut sundaes. You read that correctly. Fresh donuts are the base for a sundae build. It’s exactly as good as it sounds and exactly as much as you’d expect.
The service is casual, the vibe is no-frills, and the portions are generous. If you have kids, this is the one they’re going to ask to go back to. Budget-friendly across the menu. Check the nearest location for current hours, since they vary.
Every summer, I end up saying I’m going to try a bunch of new places, then somehow keep going back to the same one. So this list is as much a reminder for me as it is for you.
If you’ve been looking for an excuse to get out of the house, this is it. Order the dessert you’ve been thinking about all week. Summer’s too short to keep putting it off.
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