Witness One Of America's Tallest Monoliths On A Breathtaking Pacific Northwest Hike

Standing a staggering 848 feet tall, an austere rock rises up out of the bank of the Columbia River in Washington State. This fascinating geological feature is a volcanic neck; lava that cooled in the heart of an ancient volcano more than 50,000 years ago. Although the volcano itself is long gone, this tower of basalt remains, still standing tall on its own. Prior to colonization, this monolith was called Che-Che-op-tin, but the exploration team Lewis and Clark renamed it Beacon Rock. At the turn of the 20th century, the first recorded successful climber, Frank J. Smith (accompanied by two unnamed men), reached the summit. Today, however, you don't have to scale the sheer walls of Beacon Rock with climbing spikes to see the incredible Pacific Northwest views — you can just take the Beacon Rock Hike.

There are plenty of awe-inspiring Washington state parks, but if you love to hike, Beacon Rock State Park is not one to miss. There are plenty of trails to explore in the park, but the most amazing is the Beacon Rock Trail. This incredible hike only takes about an hour to complete, but has a shocking 600 feet of elevation gain.

Hiking enthusiasts will recognize Beacon Rock as a landmark from the titanic thru-hike Pacific Crest Trail, but hikers won't have to worry about how to keep in touch with loved ones on this trail. This quick out and back hike is less than 2 miles round trip, and despite its quick elevation gain, most consider it an easy to moderately difficult hike. It might seem surprising that a journey up a sheer rock face isn't the kind of trail that's only appropriate for experienced hikers or professional rock climbers, but this route actually starts out as a mild gravel path and then changes into a boardwalk bolted to the side of the cliff.

You'll have to do a lot of backing and forthing on its switchbacks, but the trail is even and isn't extremely steep. It even has handrails for an easy ascent. Although this trail goes through the woods at times, you'll have plenty of opportunities to look over the river and the trees below. Even in rainy Washington, you'll be able to see pretty far — and the rain, clouds, and fog make for a beautiful view, too.

The titular Beacon Rock might be the most important landmark at Beacon Rock State Park, but it's only a small park of the over 4,400-acre park in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. It has beautiful coastline and forests to explore along miles and miles of trails, and you can even camp overnight in the park. You can visit Beacon Rock State Park for yourself for just $10 a day (or, if you might make at least three visits in the next year, $30 for an annual pass).

Beacon Rock Trail is certainly the easiest way to take in the views from the top of Beacon Rock, but if you are interested in rock climbing up Beacon Rock, the northwest face is open all year for climbing, while other areas open up in the warm weather. If you're more interested in seeing Beacon Rock as a part of the landscape than trying to climb it, you can start out at the picnic area by the base of the monolith and then take the trail over to Riddell Lake, which has an excellent view of Beacon Rock that you don't have to climb for.