Fort Columbia State Park - over the Rocky Point

William Clark and 11 men left on November 18 for a three-day exploration of Cape Disappointment and the Long Beach Peninsula. Shortly after leaving Station Camp, the men climbed "a point of rocks about 40 feet high." "From the top of which," continued Clark, "the hillside is open and ascends with a steep assent to the tops of the mountains." Sandy beach strewn with driftwood and bordered by lush hillsides leading into the Pacific Ocean at C

The point of land is today's Chinook Point. As they crossed the point, the men were walking across present-day Fort Columbia State Park. Visitors to the park are in for a treat. You will step into a 100-year-old coastal defense site, complete with original buildings, a visitor center, and very big guns.