Beacon Rock

Multnomah County · Exit 40 off I-84 in Bonneville Dam Parks west of hatchery park

Beacon Rock is a monolith, the core of a young volcano that erupted around 57,000 years ago. It is claimed to be the second largest freestanding monolith in the world. Lewis and Clark named it Beacon Rock in 1805. Native peoples and Lewis and Clark recognized that Beacon Rock marked the last of the rapids on the Columbia River and the beginning of tidal influence from the Pacific Ocean, 150 miles away. Henry J. Biddle, a prominent botanist, geologist, and engineer, purchased Beacon Rock in 1915 for $1 and built a trail to the top in 1916-1918, an engineering marvel at the time with handrails, bridges, and 51 switchbacks. Washington State established Beacon Rock as a park in 1935.

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

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Marker data: Oregon Historical Marker Program, Oregon Travel Information Council
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