Beacon Rock State Park

Beacon Rock State Park is a 20 square kilometer state park in the U.S. state of Washington. The park lies on the north bank of the Columbia in the Columbia River Gorge. The eponymous Beacon Rock is a 258 -meter-high volcano radical whose softer layers were washed away by the glacial waters of the Columbia, so that only the rock stood on the shore.

History

The Indians call the rocks as Che -che- op - tin, as the navel of the world. Beacon Rock the rock was first named by the participants of the Lewis and Clark expedition on 31 October 1805. Here they saw the first time the influence of the tides of the Pacific in the Columbia River. 1811 named Alexander Ross, a fur trader in the service of the Pacific Fur Company of John Jacob Astor, the rocks Inoshoack Castle. He retained this name until the United States Board of Geographic Names renamed the rocks again in Beacon Rock. Henry J. Biddle purchased the rock in the intention to open it up. 1915, a road to the summit was completed and in 1935 bequeathed his heirs the rocks Washington State. The Civilian Conservation Corps built the environment as a State Park.

Tourist use

The state park has a large campground. The Beacon Rock itself is a popular climbing destination, on whose summit can be reached via a 1.5 km long hiking trail. The view from the summit offers stunning panoramas over the gorge of the Columbia. In addition, the park covers nearly three kilometers of shoreline along the Columbia River with boat dock and fishing spots. The hinterland comprises forested hills, the highest of which is 745 meters high Erbhebung Hamilton Mountain and is lead by about 30 kilometers of paths for hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders.