Beacon Rock: Centennial

Beacon Rock as seen from SR-14.
The rock is the core of an ancient
shield volcano. -S. Kramer, Photo

Beacon Rock has been featured in the Kramer Paper at least twice. So why write about it again? Beacon Rock is a distinctive landmark in the gorge, and the trail leading to its summit is unique, and clever all at once. Each time I climb it I feel a need to write about it, to share the experience with those who haven't. Second, while I was unaware when I set out on this journey, 2018 marks the Beacon Rock Trail's centennial!

Climbing Beacon Rock is usually a social activity: few people you meet on the trail are traveling alone. However with all of my friends at work and my family pre-occupied, I purchased a deli sandwich, packed a soda and trail-mix, and set out alone for Beacon Rock. The drive there was almost as noteworthy as the destination. Being an Oregonian, the usual route to the Gorge is a jaunt on I-84 on the Oregon Side. In order to reach the rock, I crossed on I-205, and headed East on SR-14 instead. The freeway ends outside of Vancouver where it becomes a country highway, and leaves the waterline heading into the hills, past groves of maple and fir, with wildflowers dotting the shoulders. Occasionally the trees open up and you get a good look at the Oregon side, scarred from the recent Eagle Creek Fire.

The trail up rocky butte. The route
is built from a combination of trail
sections blasted into the rock face,
 and bridges of wood and steel, 
allowing the trail to cross over itself

-S. Kramer, Photo

Beacon Rock is the centerpiece of its own State Park, and for an 800 foot monolith, finding it is surprisingly challenging. The first road you come to bears the parks name, and leads to nothing but a boat launch and a lonely campsite. The rock itself is a mile down the road, and well-marked as well, albeit with less hype. Upon arrival, it takes a bit of walking around to find the trailhead. You will also discover that the day use fee is ten dollars, not five. Of course, that is something easy to learn from research.

The rock walls are nearly sheer cliffs, and yet it is possible to take a paved trail to the top, without having to so much as scramble over a boulder--until the very top anyway. According to signposts at the park, the trail was built by Henry Biddle who purchased the rock, saving it from demolition for use in constructing a jetty. Another sign, this one titled 'A Rock is Born' quotes him as saying "My purpose in acquiring the property was simply that I might build a trail to the summit." And build a trail he did. It took three years and was completed in 1918-- one hundred years ago-- and still stands today. What possessed Mr. Biddle to build a trail to the top of a monolith isn't entirely clear to me. I assume it was the sheer challenge of a feat so difficult. Whatever his motive, I'm glad he did.

Looking down on the trail from near the top.
The trail was well travelled this day, but not
crowded. -S. Kramer, Photo

The trail up to Beacon Rock is unlike any other trail I have walked, though it wasn't my first time. The walls of Beacon Rock are sheer, and climbing it would be easy for a rock climber, but nearly impossible for, say, a family of four. Except they are often encountered on the trail.  The problem was solved by an intricate set of switchbacks bolted to the side of the rock, utilizing flat places on the rock's shoulders when possible. The switchbacks are made of steel and concrete and cross over each other, as they hug the basalt cliffs. Looking up or down the rock from these switchbacks, the trail looks like a set of scaffolding more than a trail. Since it clings to the side of the rock, it's easy to appreciate just how hard plants and animals work to survive with so little soil. Oak trees are nothing more than a couple of branches poking out from crevices, while wildflowers form makeshift gardens where possible. From the trail, there isa . constant view west, downstream along the river.

From the top of Beacon Rock, a traveller
gets a wonderful view across the Columbia
River. That's Pierce Island in the foreground.
damage from the Eagle Creek fire can be seen
in the hills on the Oregon Side of the Gorge.

-S. Kramer, photo

Near the top, the monolith levels out, and the trail leaves the scaffolding, and reverts to a normal trail through the thin forests that line the top of the rock, and up a staircase to a basalt lump, worn smooth by millions of visitors: the summit. Here, people break out snacks or meals, and enjoy the view of the gorge. Stellar's jays beg food from visitors while falcons ride the thermals above the rock, barely visible. From here, you can also see just how expansive the Eagle Fire's damage was, a fact concealed by cliffs and trees on the Oregon Side. The view from the top is similar to the view you might get from any mountaintop in the gorge, and the feeling of accomplishment is not unlike any other mountain as well. So what makes Beacon Rock so special isn't either of these things. It's like the old saying goes: it's the journey, not the destination. There are very few hikes that allow you to take a casual stroll up the side of the cliff. It's the engineering that went into the trail, the scaffolding-like construction, the privilege of seeing up close how determined the plants and animals have to be to survive on a cliff face: this is what makes Beacon Rock unique.-KP