This ancient rock near Portland shoots 848 feet straight out of the Columbia River — and you can climb it

It’s older than you’d think

Beacon Rock State Park sits about 35 miles east of Vancouver, Washington, close enough to Portland for a day trip but wild enough to feel like a different world.

The centerpiece is a rock that rises 848 feet straight from the north shore of the Columbia River, and it’s been there since long before Lewis and Clark paddled past and wrote it down.

The park around it covers more than 4,400 acres with 26 miles of trails. That’s a lot more than one rock.

A volcano’s leftover core, shaped by ice age floods

Beacon Rock started as a cinder cone volcano that erupted about 57,000 years ago.

It’s part of the Boring Volcanic Field, a cluster of more than 80 volcanic features spread across the Portland-Vancouver area, named after the town of Boring, Oregon.

When Ice Age floods from Glacial Lake Missoula tore through the Columbia River Gorge, they stripped away the softer outer material and left only the hard volcanic core standing.

That core shares the same geologic story as Devils Tower in Wyoming and Shiprock in New Mexico.

Lewis and Clark stopped here and took notes

William Clark recorded the rock on Oct. 31, 1805, calling it “a remarkable high detached rock” about 800 feet high.

The expedition also noted something specific about this spot: it marked the farthest point where you could still detect tidal influence from the Pacific Ocean on the Columbia River.

Native Americans had known the rock long before that, calling it Che-che-op-tin, meaning “the navel of the world.”

Settlers later renamed it Castle Rock, but in 1916, the U.S. Board on Geographic Names officially brought Beacon Rock back.

One man built the trail to stop the blasting

In 1915, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was eyeing Beacon Rock as a source of rock fill for jetty construction at the mouth of the Columbia.

Henry J. Biddle, a descendant of Nicholas Biddle, the first editor of the Lewis and Clark journals, bought the rock and built a trail to the summit at his own expense.

The finished trail ran 4,500 feet long with 52 switchbacks, 22 bridges, and more than 100 concrete slabs. Biddle died in 1928.

His heirs donated the rock to Washington state, which initially refused it. Oregon offered to take it instead.

Washington changed its mind fast, and the park opened in 1935.

Switchbacks bolted into the rock face take you to the top

The trail to the summit climbs about 680 feet in less than a mile.

Handrails and boardwalks bolt directly into the rock face, and the grade stays at or below 15 percent the whole way up. It’s steady, not brutal.

At the top, the Columbia River Gorge opens up in both directions, forested ridges dropping to the river below.

The trail stays open year-round, so there’s no bad season for it, though a clear winter day can give you the whole view to yourself.

Hardy Creek drops three waterfalls on the way up Hamilton Mountain

The Hamilton Mountain Trail starts near the upper campground and climbs to 2,445 feet over about 7.5 miles with 2,000 feet of elevation gain.

Before the real climbing starts, the trail passes three waterfalls on Hardy Creek. Hardy Falls drops 90 feet in a clean horsetail.

Then comes Rodney Falls, and just past it, the Pool of the Winds, where Hardy Creek plunges into a rock-enclosed bowl and the compressed air blasts out through a narrow crack as mist.

If the waterfalls are all you want, turn around at Rodney Falls for a 2-mile round trip.

Three volcanic peaks come into view from the summit

From the top of Hamilton Mountain, you can see Mount Hood and Mount Adams, with the Columbia River cutting through the valley far below.

Just north of the summit, the Hamilton Mountain Saddle opens up views of Table Mountain and Bonneville Dam. The upper slopes stay open because gorge winds and a southern exposure keep heavy tree cover from closing in.

The descent loops back through forested trails past old-growth Douglas fir, so the return trip looks nothing like the climb up.

The south face draws climbers from across the Pacific Northwest

Beacon Rock is a serious climbing destination. The south face gives you about 400 vertical feet of technical multi-pitch routes on steep volcanic rock, with more than 50 routes graded 5.10 or harder.

But the south and southeast faces close from Feb. 1 through mid-July every year to protect peregrine falcons nesting on the rock. The northwest face stays open year-round.

The east face is permanently off-limits to protect rare plant species and cultural resources, so check which sections are open before you head out.

Mountain bikers and horseback riders have their own trails here

About 13 miles of trail in the park are open to mountain bikes, including the West Hardy Trail, the Bridge Trail Loop, and the Saddle.

The Equestrian Trailhead connects to multiuse trails, and two primitive campsites in the park set aside space for visitors who come with horses.

The trails run through dense Douglas fir forest with views of the gorge and surrounding ridges.

The Hardy Ridge area is the quieter end of the park, away from the crowds that gather around Beacon Rock and Hamilton Mountain.

A paved loop circles meadows that cattle once grazed

The Doetsch Day Use Area has a 1.2-mile paved loop called the Che-che-op-tin Trail, and it’s fully ADA accessible. The path circles meadows that the Doetsch family ranched as cattle pasture from 1920 to 1987.

Interpretive panels along the way cover the Ice Age floods and Lewis and Clark’s route through the gorge.

Accessible picnic tables and restrooms are here, and Beacon Rock and the Columbia River are both visible from the trail.

The River to Rock Trail, finished in 2014, connects this area to the Beacon Rock trailhead in about 1.5 miles.

Peregrine falcons nest on the rock face above your head

The peregrine falcons nesting on the south face of Beacon Rock are the reason for those seasonal climbing closures.

Walk the forested sections of the park and you might spot pileated woodpeckers, red-breasted sapsuckers, or northern pygmy owls.

Western tanagers, black-headed grosbeaks, and warblers come through during migration and stay into summer.

The park has 9,500 feet of Columbia River shoreline, and the mix of river edge, old-growth forest, and open meadow gives wildlife a lot of different territory to move through.

Two campgrounds and a boat launch sit right on the river

The Upper Campground dates to 1935, built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in a forested setting above the river. If you’re coming with an RV, the Woodard Creek Campground has full-hookup sites for rigs up to 40 feet.

Larger groups can book a group camp with kitchen shelters. The park has a boat launch and moorage dock directly on the Columbia.

Day-use parking requires a Washington State Discover Pass, so pick one up before you go.

Visit Beacon Rock State Park in Washington

Beacon Rock State Park sits at milepost 35 on State Route 14 in Skamania County, Washington. From Portland, cross the Bridge of the Gods at Cascade Locks and follow SR-14 west, about an hour’s drive.

The park stays open year-round for both day use and camping. Day-use parking requires a Washington State Discover Pass.

Check the official website for current camping reservations, seasonal climbing closures, and trail conditions before you head out.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• You can see two volcanoes from this Washington town that Hood River tourists drive right past
• Washington’s most visited state park has 4,000 acres and most people only see 10 of them
• This lake that looks like melted turquoise is just a two-hour drive from Seattle