Beacon Rock

Distance: 1.8 miles round trip
Rumor has it, Beacon Rock is one of the tallest monoliths (solo piece of rock) in the United States. Surprisingly this monolith was not carried by ice age glacier movement, but instead, Beacon Rock is a projectile from the core of an explosive volcano. Mt Hood, maybe? Know one knows for sure. But in the early 1900's a man bought the enormous rock and constructed a series of cutback bridges leading 848 feet to the top! Making Beacon Rock one of the oldest trails in the gorge.

Beacon Rock is very easy to find. From Vancouver, head east on HWY 14 for approximately 40 miles. You can find parking just past the information center (small stone building) on the right hand side of the road. Don't forget your discover pass.

View of Beacon Rock from Hamilton Mt. Trail

Beacon Rock is a very straight forward - easy hike. Just follow the railing guided trail to the top. There will be plenty of picture opportunities along the way. There will also be plenty of people. Beacon Rock might win the award for most crowded trail in the NW.

After scaling the southwest side of the rock, the trail becomes dirt and wraps around the east side. The summit is just around the bend.

View from the summit
Once you've warmed up with Beacon Rock, drive across the street and challenge yourself to the 7.5 mile Hamilton Mountain.