Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Long Beach Peninsula, Discovery Trail and North Head Lighthouse
After three months of mostly staying at home we finally took a mini vacation and headed to the Long Beach Peninsula on Washington’s coast. We checked into our lodging via email, picked up our keys and stayed clear of others. There were no room services of any kind which was fine with us.
Some restaurants were open for inside dining though most were not. None of it mattered as we were there for the outdoors – to walk on the beach, visit the forts and lighthouses and to bicycle. Yes, we brought our electric bikes prepared to ride the Discovery Trail, and that’s where we’ll start.
The Discovery Trail runs 8.5 miles from Long Beach through the dunes to Beards Hollow in the south. The trail is nice and easy with occasional twists and turns and beach access.
We sailed along the trail, peddling yes, but boosted by battery power, the only way to bicycle!
There were sculptures along the way commemorating those famous travelers from more than 200 years ago, Lewis and Clark. This was of William Clark with a 10 foot sturgeon he mentioned in his journals.
And this one – Clark’s Tree – of the carving he made in a pine tree. The inscription reads, “William Clark. Nov. 19, 1805. By land from the U. States.” It marks the northernmost point of Lewis and Clark’s journey on the Pacific Coast.
As we continued south the vegetation increased and we headed into the trees.
Till we reached the end of the trail at Beards Hollow in Cape Disappointment State Park. During Lewis and Clark’s time the area was still ocean. The wetland formed after the Columbia River jetties were built over a hundred years ago.
This was our turnaround point but before we head back, let me show you Beards Hollow from the overlook above, which we visited the night before.
And nearby North Head Lighthouse, built in 1898.
We made it back to Long Beach just in time to watch the sun dip below the horizon. You can see the North Head Lighthouse on the bluff in the distance.
That’s all for now. I’ll save the rest for later.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
Love this! What a great getaway – who needs anyone else when nature offers that up?
Right? 🙂 It worked out pretty well all things considered, and the bicycle trail was the best! 🙂
Wow sounds amazing and that sunset looks beautiful 👍
Thank you. It was a wonderful getaway. 🙂
Great 👍
Have a lovely day
That looks like a great trip, Susanne. I love lighthouses!
I’m surprised you didn’t take your tiny caravan (trailer) though. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
We had a great time. 🙂 Lots to do and there are 2 lighthouses nearby, the other one older.
Most of the parks in Washington were not open for camping when we went and the weather was cool. But we’re hoping to take the camper out soon!
Absolutely beautiful!
Thanks so much! 😊
Oh, thanks for the lovely trip along a trail I will never be able to go on.
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
We never got across the river to explore Long Beach, though I often thought of going there after they built the bridge out of Astoria. Lovely photos, especially of the foxgloves, one of my favorite flowers.
There’s so much to see and do on the Long Beach Peninsula and it’s nice to have Oregon close by. We had dinner in Astoria, our first and only inside restaurant dining experience in months.
Did it seem pretty safe?
Yes. We ate at Mo’s on the river and the restaurant is quite large and open. Everything was well spaced out and there were only a few people inside. If I remember correctly the servers wore masks. The other places we ate were takeout.