Cape Disappointment State Park (2 miles southwest of Ilwaco) is home to wild beaches, sea-smashed cliffs, the remains of Fort Canby and 8 miles of forested hiking trails that take in its two towering lighthouses. Lewis and Clark camped near here in November 1805 while searching for a winter camp. Their whole cross-continental journey is faithfully recounted at the fantastic Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center.
Cape Disappointment State Park
Top choice in Washington Coast
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
28.1 MILES
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Lewis & Clark National Historical Park
13.66 MILES
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4.39 MILES
Half souvenir shop and half sideshow, the 'museum' features Weekly World News stars like Jake the Alligator Boy (a wonder of taxidermy that appears to be…
21.09 MILES
Families with kids will enjoy this aquarium on the promenade. Don't expect anything like Newport's cutting-edge version, but rather a few fish tanks, a…
Nearby Washington Coast attractions
0.48 MILES
There's little left of Fort Canby (1852) nowadays, but it's still interesting to poke around the remains. The fort was heavily armed during the Civil War…
2. Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center
0.73 MILES
A state-of-the-art museum tracing the journey of Lewis and Clark, the center has a fittingly dramatic location on a high bluff overlooking the point where…
3. Cape Disappointment Lighthouse
0.88 MILES
From the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center, a hiking trail leads half a mile to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. Built in 1856, it's the oldest such…
1.13 MILES
The more scenic of Cape Disappointment's two lighthouses, this 1898 beauty is found at the end of a short trail with views out to sea.
5. Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum
1.83 MILES
Investigating ancient Chinook culture, along with the journeys and trade of successive Spanish, Russian, British and American explorers, is this fine…
6. World Kite Museum & Hall of Fame
4.14 MILES
If you think a museum devoted to the history and artistry of kites might be a bore, think again. Kites have been used for scientific research, aerial…
4.39 MILES
Half souvenir shop and half sideshow, the 'museum' features Weekly World News stars like Jake the Alligator Boy (a wonder of taxidermy that appears to be…
7.22 MILES
Ten miles west of Astoria, this park holds the historic military installation that once guarded the mouth of the Columbia River. Near the Military Museum…