10 minutes from the Sou’wester
Cape Disappointment State Park
Two lighthouses, a river mouth that has wrecked hundreds of ships, and the best walking on this stretch of coast.
Cape Disappointment sits where the Columbia River meets the Pacific, ten minutes south of us. It is roughly 2,000 acres of headland, old-growth forest, artillery batteries and beach, and it is our favourite half-day anywhere on this peninsula.
You will need a Discover Pass to park anywhere in the park. You can buy one at the entrance or in advance from Washington State Parks.
The two lighthouses
Cape Disappointment Lighthouse
First lit in 1856 and the oldest lighthouse still operating on the West Coast. It stands above the river bar, which is exactly why it is there.
The walk up from the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center is short but steep, and the view at the top takes in the bar, the jetty and the Oregon shore.
North Head Lighthouse
Built in 1898 on the ocean side of the headland, because ships approaching from the north could not see the older light.
One of the windiest places on the West Coast. Gusts above 120 mph have been recorded here. The view north runs the full length of the peninsula on a clear day.
What else is in the park
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
On the cliff above the river with the best view in the park. Worth it even if you are not usually a museum person, because it explains the bar better than anything else here.
Waikiki Beach & Dead Man’s Cove
Two small protected beaches tucked inside the cape, sheltered and rocky, nothing like the open sand at Long Beach.
Benson Beach & the North Jetty
Two miles of open beach inside the park, with the jetty at the south end where the river pushes out into the ocean.
Walking there
- Cape Disappointment Trail. The main route up to the older lighthouse, short and steep.
- North Head Trail. Longer, through forest, out to the second lighthouse.
- McKenzie Head. A short climb to an old gun battery with a view over Benson Beach.
- The Discovery Trail. The paved path to Long Beach starts nearby in Ilwaco. See our guide to hikes on the peninsula.
Why “disappointment”
The English captain John Meares sailed past in 1788 looking for the mouth of the Columbia, decided the river was not there, and named the headland for how he felt about it. He was wrong. The river was there, hidden behind the bar that has since wrecked hundreds of ships and earned this stretch of water the name the Graveyard of the Pacific.
When to go
Any time. Summer is busiest and the parking lots at the interpretive centre fill by midday on weekends. Winter is when we like it most: storms come straight in off the bar, the trails are empty, and the sauna back at the lodge makes more sense than it does in July.
Staying nearby
We are in Seaview, ten minutes from Cape Disappointment and five from the beach. You can stay in a restored vintage travel trailer, a 1950s cabin, a suite in the historic 1892 lodge, or bring a tent or RV to one of our camping and RV spaces.
More in our guide to things to do on the Long Beach Peninsula.