Cape Disappointment State Park
Are you ready for the cliche opener to this blog post? Cape Disappointment did not disappoint (Ba Dum Tss)! Located on the extreme Southwest corner of Washington this state park boasts 2 lighthouses, a museum, a beautiful driftwood cove, and plenty of hiking trails.
Fun Fact: Cape Disappointment gets its name from a 1788 expedition to find the Columbia River. Surprise, they turned around right before finding it and renamed the headland Cape Disappointment.
Due to a fully planned day I opted to check out this state park bright and early in the morning. The park opens at 6:30am, but the gate to get to the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center (as well as Dead Man’s Cove and the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse) doesn’t open until 8am.
Since I got to the park right at 6:30, I started out by seeing The North Head Lighthouse. The lighthouse dates back to 1898, and was the second lighthouse on the cape. The waters where the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River meet were so treacherous they got the nickname “Graveyard of the Pacific.” Thus the North Head Lighthouse was added to help guide ships safely to their destination.
Today the lighthouse is still in use, though all the lighting is automated. You can tour the inside from May to September (11am-3pm).
After exploring the north side of the park, I headed south to the Cape Disappointment trail. You can either start the trail directly from the parking lot, or walk up to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. The museum follows the journey of Lewis and Clark as they embarked west and eventually made their way down the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. Continuing past the Interpretive Center you will meet up with the 1.2 mile trail.
As you go along the trail you’ll see old buildings that you can explore. From 1852-1947 this area of the cape served as a military fort called, Fort Canby. As you hike the trail you will find the old structures slowly being overcome by nature.
As you reach the paved part of the trail, you’ll see Dead Man’s Cove to your right. There are two steep trails that go down to the beach. One is just a dirt path and the other has stairs that aren’t in great shape, so use caution.
**NOTE: I’ve read somewhat recent posts about the beach being closed off with No Trespassing signs and even some accounts of guards giving out fines for going down on the beach. So make sure to check that the beach is open before making the trek down.**
That being said, this was my favorite part of Cape Disappointment. The whole beach is covered in drift wood and when the tide is low you can go and explore the island in the middle of the cove. Since I was there so early in the morning, I had the whole beach to myself and loved every minute of it.
After you hike back up from Dead Man’s Cove, continue along the path to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. The lighthouse is run by the U.S. Coast Guard, so you can’t go inside. You can walk around the outside and take in the views before heading back down the trail.
There is definitely more to explore in this state park than I had time to see, including jetties and beaches. You can find more trails and a map of the park here. If you want to extend your stay, there are also many overnight options. Tent camping, cabins, yurts and you can even rent out the old lighthouse keeper residences.
I definitely want to make the trip back to Cape Disappointment when I have more than 3 hours to devote to exploring this gem (and stay in one of those lighthouse keeper houses!!)! Have you been to Cape Disappointment? Let me know your favorite parts in the comments!