Beacon Rock State Park
Subnational Park · Skamania, Washington
An 848-foot basalt volcanic plug on the north shore of the Columbia, the core of an old volcano left standing after the Missoula Floods stripped everything softer away. Henry Biddle bought it in 1915 for a dollar to stop it being blasted into jetty rock, then spent three years building a trail up it - fifty-one switchbacks of handrail, bridge and catwalk bolted to the cliff, which is still how you climb it. Lewis and Clark camped below on 31 October 1805 and recorded the first tidal influence here, which told them the ocean was close.
34841 State Route 14, Skamania, Washington, 98648, United States
Open year round, 8 AM to dusk. The Beacon Rock summit trail can close in ice, and closes in high wind - the handrails and catwalks are exposed. A Discover Pass is required to park, and the trailhead car park on State Route 14 is small and fills at weekends.
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