Cape Disappointment State Park
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
4 reviews for Cape Disappointment State Park
There are so many things to do at Cape Disappointment!
This park has a ton of history. Lewis and Clark ended the westward part of their journey here. Fort Canby was located here and played an important role in coastal defense during both World Wars. Lighthouses continue to play an important role in guiding ships in the graveyard of the Pacific.
This park has a wide variety of camping options. You can reserve campsites up to 9 months in advance through the state parks website (and it fills up all summer). There are also first come first served campsites by a lake, but they get snapped up pretty quickly on summer weekends. The campsites all have pretty poor privacy, it's not the experience you'll get if you hike through the woods and find someplace remote, but they are easily accessible and convenient. Lots of RV hookups sites too.
There are also yurts and cabins you can rent. These are great in the off-season, when it's a little too wet/windy/stormy for all but the most hardcore campers. I haven't been in a cabin, but my husband and I stayed in a yurt a few winters ago. It was but better than tent camping, but the heaters don't get hot enough to make the yurt toasty warm, so make sure to bring warm sleeping bags in the winter.
There are also houses you can rent up by the North Head Lighthouse. I haven't been in them, but the pictures look gorgeous.
When you are at the park, there are a wide variety of things to do. The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is very interesting. It is $5 per adult, less for kids, to get in, and most people could spend several hours in there. There are lots of neat interpretive stuff on Lewis & Clark, and a video too. Upstairs there is a small exhibit about Coast Guard Rescue and the lighthouses, but if you're in to that stuff, you should really go to the Maritime Museum in Astoria, they have much more extensive displays.
There are two lighthouses at the park, and both are quite picturesque. There are volunteers that give tours of the North Head Lighthouse, even in the winter. I think it's a few dollars as well, but worth it for the great views and interesting history.
There are a number of well-maintained trails throughout the park that take you through the park. A short trail leads uphill to Mckenzie Head which is pretty neat. Probably the safest place in the park to be if a tsunami hits!
There are several beaches at the park. I like Waikiki Beach the best for eating lunch or hanging out.
There are remains of Fort Canby scattered throughout the park, it's pretty neat to explore some of them, though they are not well preserved (for a better preserved fort, head down the road to Fort Columbia).
In the summer there are tons of events going on. The staff give interpretive talks several times a day, and sometimes there are concerts or other events.
Overall, I would say this is an excellent park with a wide variety of interesting activities.
Don't miss it if you are in the area- fantastic old lighthouses and amazing views.
A must do when visiting areas along the coast of Washington and Oregon. This is the site where Lewis and Clark first spotted the Pacific Ocean. Cape Disappointment State Park is an impressive state park. The mouth of the Columbia River runs into the Pacific at this point.
There is a short but steep hike from the parking lot to the "Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center". Along the path is an interpretative walk of local fauna. The site is up on a 200 feet cliff. What awesome views! From here it's just a short walk over to North Head Light House, the oldest operating light house on the west coast. I think we spent a couple of hours inside. Plus it was really cold outside (November). One benefit about coming during off season is that we had the entire place to ourselves!!
As a campground, it lives up to its name. Your standard open field car camping. Considering the park: the south trail to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse is also a disappointment. The hike to North Head is much nicer, and less travelled. Worth a visit for the North Head vista alone, but the park does not merit its reputation.