The Long Beach Peninsula Visitors Bureau recently partnered with the Port of Seattle to bring you 360-degree virtual tours complete with spacial audio. Now, you can escape to the beach anytime, anywhere. Our first video featured scenes from the longest, most pristine beach on the west coast. Learn more about how to enjoy these videos and watch the first installment here. Our second 360 video focuses on one of Washington’s favorite destinations: Cape Disappointment State Park! With two lighthouses, overgrown military buildings, old growth forests, and jaw-dropping landscape, this park is perfect for feeding your wanderlust.
When you visit, be sure to pick up a Discover Pass or come on one of Washington’s free state park days (hint: we have one coming up on Jan. 15!). Click here to get complete driving directions on Google Maps or visit the park’s webpage here.
Maya Lin Confluence Project
The video begins with the Maya Lin Confluence Project. The platform shown in the video features entries from the Lewis & Clark journals carved into the surface. Because the navigational channel flows so close the shoreline here, this is a fun spot to watch boats come and go from the port.
This is only one installation in the Confluence Project that features art by Maya Lin. Find out more about the installations you can find throughout Cape Disappointment State Park here.
How to get there: As you enter the park, take a left at the four-way stop towards the boat launch. After you park, follow the sidewalk down to a viewing platform to enjoy sweeping views of the Port of Ilwaco, Baker Bay, and misty foothills in the background.
Waikiki Beach
A favorite photo spot appears next in the video. Waikiki Beach is known for its powerful beauty. The Cape Disappointment Lighthouse sits atop the cliffs as waves crash down below. Storm watching, surfing, and building forts with the driftwood are just a few favorite activities on this beach. In the summer, the state park hosts the Waikiki Beach Concert Series. Check our events calendar for dates.
How to get there: When you get to the four-way stop, take a right. You’ll pass by the ranger station where you can pick up a Discover Pass if you need one. Take a left at the next stop sign. You can park at the first parking lot on the right to walk to the beach or head to the next parking lot on the left to safely go storm watching.
North Jetty
Venture out onto the North Jetty next. Fishers often set up for salmon and crab fishing along the jetty, but this is also an excellent spot to take in the scenery. Turn around and spot the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, the mouth to Dead Man’s Cove, and the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. And, of course, you can view the mouth of the mighty Columbia River.
The Army Corps of Engineers will be making repairs to the jetty. This area will be closed Feb. 12 to Oct. 30, 2018 and Mar. 17 to Nov. 1, 2019. Come see it while you can! You can always view the jetty from the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center as shown in the next scene.
How to get there: Take a right at the four-way stop and head past the ranger station. Take a left at the stop sign and continue down the road to access the jetty. You’ll find several parking areas to the left as well as paths winding through the trees and grass next to the jetty.
Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center
Sitting on top of the cliffs is the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, the final scene in the 360 video. This place will take your breath away, and you absolutely can’t miss it when you visit Cape Disappointment State Park. Even if you don’t go inside, walk around the perimeter to take in views of the Columbia-Pacific confluence, the North Jetty, the lighthouse, and ships being pushed out to sea by tugboats. Just for fun, bring a quarter to use one of those old-fashioned viewers.
Admission to the Interpretive Center is just $5 for adults over the age of 18, $2.50 for kids between the ages of 7-17, and free for children under 6 years of age. Check the hours on their website.
How to get there: At the four-way stop, go straight. Take a right for wheelchair accessible parking or continue on to the main parking lot. Head up the trail on the right to get to the interpretive center. On the left, you’ll find the trail to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse.