On November 2, 1805, Captain Clark wrote about remarkable 848ft-tall monolith he called Beaten Rock, changing the name on his return to Beacon Rock.
A century passed, and Henry Biddle bought the Rock for $1. Biddle built a marvelous trail to the top between 1916 and 1918.

Though I didn’t remember the Rock from the days we spent on Oregon side of the Columbia River a few years ago but when I saw its photos I know exactly where it stands.


On that day we drove from California to Washington. And we were tired. Before the road, I knew that this day would be hard for both us: long mostly unknown road through hot California and not less hot Oregon on the newly rented car. I thought that the stop at Beacon Rock State Park would change the mood to more positive.
It was around 6 PM when we turned on Evergreen Highway. Two years we weren’t here and as soon as I saw the view from the Cape Horn Viewpoint, I recalled all memories about this gorgeous region.

The core of an ancient volcano, Beacon Rock has a 0.75-mile trail with around 50 switchbacks.
The longest part of the trail overlooks west of the Rock.

And then turns your eyes to the east.

The best view opens from the trail, there is not much to see from the top. The top is a good place to have the rest, sandwich and prepare yourself for these half a hundred switchbacks.

At the base of Rock was decided to finish the hike near the river and check the view from it. So we took Ridell Lake Trail and walked all way to the campground and the river.

Oregon Side of the Columbia River (Sept 2015)