Cape Disappointment Lighthouse Trail is a 1.1 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Ilwaco, Washington that features beautiful wild flowers and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for walking, nature trips, and bird watching and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
The Discover Pass is required for vehicular entrance to this park. An Annual Pass costs $30 and a Day Pass is $10. The Cape Disappointment Lighthouse was constructed in 1856 to warn seamen of the treacherous river bar known by then as the graveyard of the Pacific. This is the oldest functioning lighthouse on the West Coast.
Parking and Restrooms
Cape Disappointment State Park 244 Robert Gray Dr. Ilwaco, WA 98624
February 21, 2021It was disappointing!
February 20, 2021Beautiful! Me and Jake walked to the Ocean
December 12, 2020November 2, 2020It was closed. Nice if they told you that at the pay station and not while you’re already on the trail
October 17, 2020Trails are closed to the lighthouse currently. Interpretive center is as well. Bit of a disappointment.
September 20, 2020August 30, 2020Another fun trail to explore at Cape Dissapointment!
August 3, 2020Closed by coast guard. Can’t reach lighthouse or dead man’s cove as of early August
July 31, 2020The trail to the lighthouse is closed with barricades by thecoazt guard, so you can onlyventureup towards the interpretive center and the trail down towards the beach. Plenty of people but still a nice little trail. We saw rabbits, deer, snakes and Pelican. We could only clock 5 miles and that was even walking out on the jetty some.
July 25, 2020Can you reach dead man cove before the closed signs?
July 16, 2020Trail to the lighthouse was closed
July 14, 2020No longer provides accessible route to lighthouse. The L&C Center was a nice sight though and had a beautiful view of the ocean and lighthouse.
July 6, 2020Closed, couldn’t go to the actual lighthouse but the Lewis and Clark trail provides a decent view of the lighthouse and cliffs. A Fort Canby was amazing. Still stuff to do around.
July 3, 2020July 1, 20201 star because it’s half way closed right now. There is no sign stating this at the trail head. There is a barricade about .5 miles in and you have to turn around due to coast guard government property
June 30, 2020The trail is really nice but when I went at 1pm, most of it was already closed by the Coast Guard. Wasn’t able to hike to the lighthouse. However if you take the path to the interpretive center, there is a really cool world war two bunker!
June 15, 2020The trail is beautiful but is closed long before the lighthouse. You can only view it from a distance at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive center.
March 8, 2020March 2, 2020Nice easy walking trail with slight incline to lighthouse. Beautiful lookout. Nice trail for beginners or for jumpstarting your hiking season.
February 21, 2020Somewhat wet today, but beautiful views with the sun out!
February 14, 2020Super fun walk for Valentines Day with my hunny and the pups. Great scenery and epic views made for some wonderful photographs.
January 25, 2020January 11, 2020Nice view. Somewhat muddy in some sections
November 24, 2019Lived up to its name. The best part of the trail dead mans cove is closed. It’s a short easy walk and not really worth a drive to it. Pretty views but the lighthouse is nothing special.
November 16, 2019Nice little hike with killer views! Beach is closed for what is probably forever. you can still see the cover pretty well.
October 14, 2019It’s a nice trail, but it’s a lot of ups and downs, it’s best to start from the history center there is an old fort and it still offers beautiful views. But the lighthouse was amazing! Just wear shoes with good traction because it’s muddy and with the inclines and declines it can get slippery. Honestly though it’s a must do!
September 4, 2019Nice walk to the lighthouse. Slight hill climb but paved. Great for kids but toddlers may want to be carried part way. Lighthouse at the end has great views and some seating. Trail is partly in the woods and partly paved. Enjoyable and worth exploring. For the $10/day pass though I would suggest doing more than just this one hike.
August 9, 2019Nice quick little trail. Decent view of Deadman’s Hollow, but that part of the trail is closed. We saw lots of wildlife (birds, chipmunks, a deer), so that was a plus.
July 23, 2019*Discovery Pass required* •Deadman’s Cove - closed• The trail is best started from the parking lot for the interpretive center. The old Fort can be walked through with some history boards posted throughout. This trail is dirt pathway and strolls down toward the water. It transitions to pavement at the back gate of the US Coast Guard area and Deadman’s Cove. Deadman’s Cove is posted “US Gov. property no trespassing” and closed off to public. The trail ends at the USCG lighthouse, which is a post position and staffed. GREAT view point on a clear day of Oregon (to the South East), Deadman’s Cove (just below and to the north), Waikiki Beach (North West), and the Jetty.
