Beacon Rock State Park
Beacon Rock State Park in Washington
Beacon Rock State
Park is a publicly owned recreation area and natural history site on Route 14
in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area about 35 miles (56 km) east of
Vancouver, Washington, United States. The state park covers 5,100 acres (2,100
ha), which includes 9,500 feet (2,900 m) of Columbia River shoreline and 4,482
acres (1,814 ha) of forested uplands. The park takes its name from Beacon Rock,
an 848-foot (258 m) basalt volcanic plug next to the Columbia River.
Beacon Rock Hike Description
Beacon Rock is one
of the most prominent and distinctive geological features in the Columbia River
Gorge, an 848-foot landmark that was once the core of a volcano; what remains
is what was not washed away by the massive force of ice-age flooding. It is one
of the tallest monoliths (singular piece of rock) in North America, along with
California's El Capitan, Georgia's Stone Mountain, and Wyoming's Devils Tower.
·
Start
point: Beacon Rock
·
End
point: Summit of Beacon Rock
·
Hike
Type: Out and Back
·
Distance:
1.8 miles round trip
·
Elevation
gain: 680 feet
·
Difficulty:
Moderate
·
Beacon
Rock is 848 feet tall and composed of basalt
After a short
stroll through the woods, the trail hits the rock with a vengeance. It's not
too steep, and most of the surface has been paved over the decades at one time
or another. You'll walk on rock, small patches of cement paving, concrete
platform bridges and wooden bridges.
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