This Washington Coastal Lighthouse Walk Leads Through Living History
Salt wind knots itself in your hair, sea spray brushes your face, and the roar of the Pacific collides with the churn of the Columbia River bar. Cape Disappointment State Park greets you with both grandeur and grit.
Trails slip under moss-draped trees, then open suddenly to cliffs where waves slam the rocks below. Along the way, you pass crumbling bunkers that once guarded the coast, lighthouses weathered by fog, and signs that recall explorers who named this place while chasing passage.
The walk feels less like a loop and more like moving through time, military history, shipwreck lore, and raw coastal power all layered together. Here are fourteen stops where the park reveals itself in unforgettable ways.
1. North Head Trail
The path begins smoothly, a gentle curve across a bluff where grass shivers in the wind. The sound of waves filters in like background percussion.
This paved quarter-mile takes you straight to North Head Lighthouse, short but scenic. Signs along the way point out history and plant life, so it feels educational as well as beautiful.
Tip: don’t rush the walk just because it’s short. Pausing to feel the wind and watch gulls wheel overhead makes it more than a connector.
2. Cape Disappointment Light
From here, the cliffside trail veers closer to the edge, hugging rock with spray rising from waves below. The air smells of brine and kelp.
Built in 1856, Cape Disappointment Light has the distinction of being the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast. The one-mile hike offers steady climbs with unforgettable views.
Tip: wear layers and expect mist. Even on clear days the Pacific insists on leaving its signature across your jacket and hair.
3. Volunteer-Led Tours
The door creaks as it swings open, and a volunteer greets you like an old friend. Their stories tumble out, shipwrecks, keepers, storms survived.
Tours run spring through fall, offering visitors a chance to step inside and see the spiral staircase, the lantern room, and artifacts tied to the tower’s past.
I climbed with a small group one June afternoon, heart racing a little as I touched the iron railing. Being inside that narrow coil of history was a thrill.
4. Lewis And Clark Center
Glass windows stretch across the bluff, framing endless sea and river mouth. Inside, hushed halls lead you past journals, sketches, and maps.
The exhibits anchor the Corps of Discovery to this very coast. You learn how the expedition ended here, facing fog, tides, and the reality of the Pacific.
Tip: step onto the balcony afterward. Feeling the salt spray while looking over the same horizon Lewis and Clark described adds weight to every word you’ve read.
5. Waikiki Beach Cove
The sound shifts dramatically here—waves soften, folding into a small crescent-shaped cove. Driftwood piles along the sand, some pieces bleached white by years of tide.
Waikiki Beach is tucked under the bluffs of Cape Disappointment, a quieter pocket compared to the headlands above. Families gather here, sheltered from stronger winds.
Descend the stairway if tides are calm. The view back toward the cliffs is startling, a perspective that makes the lighthouse perch seem even higher.
6. McKenzie Head Artillery
Concrete bunkers appear suddenly between trees, moss covering walls, graffiti whispering of later visitors. The place feels both eerie and fascinating.
These batteries were built during World War II, once part of a defense network watching the Columbia River entrance. Now they stand silent, relics to explore.
I wandered through one chamber, cool air pressing in. My footsteps echoed too loudly, and for a moment I felt caught between history’s weight and the ocean’s roar outside.
7. Park Operating Hours
Dawn spreads color across the bluffs, the grass bending before most visitors arrive. It feels like the headlands are stretching awake, slow and quiet.
Cape Disappointment State Park is officially open daily from 8:00 a.m. until dusk year-round, hours set to align with safe use of trails and facilities.
Come in that first hour after opening. The trails are hushed, seabirds louder than people, and you’ll have the headland views nearly to yourself.
8. River Meets Pacific
The Columbia spills outward, braiding into deep water as it collides with the Pacific. The contrast is visible even from high on the bluff.
This river mouth has earned the name “Graveyard of the Pacific,” with countless wrecks attributed to its shifting sandbars and volatile currents. It’s part beauty, part cautionary tale.
I suggest bringing binoculars. Watching freighters inch across the bar against the sweep of surf gives you a visceral sense of scale and danger.
9. Breezy Headlands
A sudden gust pushed my jacket tight, and salt hit my lips. Spray sparkled against sunbeams before vanishing into haze.
These exposed headlands funnel weather straight from the ocean. Breezes turn sharp, fog sweeps in without warning, and mist settles into hair and fabric.
The unpredictability added something electric. I loved how one moment I could see the lighthouse clear as glass, the next it floated like a ghost in drifting cloud.
10. Simple Parking Access
Two paved lots anchor the entrances, one serving North Head, the other perched near the Cape Disappointment trail and Interpretive Center. The setup is plain but practical.
A valid Discover Pass is required to park here, and on summer weekends the lots can fill quickly with day-trippers and lighthouse seekers. Both locations include clear signage and nearby restrooms.
Arrive early in the day. Having your car tucked in before the crowds lets you linger at overlooks without worrying about the rush.
11. Family-Friendly Paths
Children dart between ferns while parents linger at interpretive signs. The vibe stays light: no extreme climbs, no precarious scrambles, just steady trail.
Both North Head and Cape Disappointment lighthouses are reachable on family-suitable paths. They’re short, well-marked, and deliver sweeping vistas that feel much larger than the effort required.
Pack snacks. Benches and overlooks make perfect pause points, and nothing seals a memory like eating crackers or fruit with the Pacific stretching beyond.
12. Winter Wave Watching
Wind howls across the cliffs, carrying spray high enough to salt your lips. The ocean below thrashes, throwing white plumes into the sky.
Winter transforms this headland into a theater of storms. Locals and travelers gather to watch massive surf pound the basalt cliffs, a show of force unrivaled on calmer days.
I stood here in January, braced against a railing as breakers hammered the rocks. It was both terrifying and exhilarating, the kind of moment you don’t soon forget.
13. Discovery Trail Connection
Trail signs peek out between spruces, pointing toward longer paths that stretch north along the Long Beach Peninsula. The forest feels like it’s inviting you to keep walking.
The Discovery Trail links Cape Disappointment to Long Beach, a 28-mile network honoring the Lewis and Clark expedition while offering ocean, dune, and forest scenery.
Even a short detour here expands your sense of place. Try a half-mile side trip, it shifts the perspective from lighthouse drama to quiet coastal plain.