My first time at Cape Disappointment, and my first camping trip of the year, were just perfect (except for mosquitoes, but we won’t talk about those little blood-suckers much here). There is a little bit of everything here, beautiful forests, beaches, the Pacific Ocean, lighthouses, a wonderful visitor center, and old bunkers. On the far side is Oregon, in between the end of the Columbia River where it empties into the Pacific.
The mouth of the Columbia River, in particular the Columbia Bar, is a particularly treacherous section of boat/ship travel that has claimed over 2000 wrecks over the centuries, sometimes called “Graveyard of the Pacific.” It is considered one of the most dangerous sandbar crossings in the world.
The Campground was very quiet, and my site was close to the beach, but thankfully not too close because the wind out on the beach in the afternoons and evenings was fierce! But long morning walks barefoot in the sand were a joy after a dark and dreary winter.
The short Mckenzie Head Trail leads up to a hill with views, and several old military bunkers that nature is slowly taking back.
The Forest Loop Trail (1.5 miles) is a wonderful forest trail with a lot of little plant gems – it was a slow 1.5 miles because I kept stopping to look at all the spring blooming plants, until mosquitoes chased me along my way again.
The Cape Disappointment trail including the Lewis & Clark Visitor Center, Deadman’s Cove, and the Cape D. Lighthouse is another lovely forest + coast trail well worth exploring. The Visitor Center is built on top of old military bunkers, and it’s fun to explore through some of the tunnels and rooms, imagining what it would have been like to be there when they were active.
My final hike was the North Head Trail, from near McKenzie Hill out to the North Head Lighthouse. Again, beautiful forest and ocean views in one trail. Some of the spruces here are massive, with a large diversity of forest plants and critters including some impressive slugs.
What a good way to welcome in the 2024 hiking season.