Beacon Rock - Vancouver, Washington - State Park that Sits in the Core of an Ancient Volcano

Beacon Rock State Park is 4,650 acre camping park that is open year round and located in the middle of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The park contains 9,500 feet of freshwater shoreline along the Columbia River. Beacon Rock is situated in the core of an ancient volcano. There is a mile long trail that winds upward to the volcanoes summit and provides panoramic views of the Gorge. The park itself is located approximately 35 miles to the east of Vancouver, Washington and can be found by following Highway 14 to the east. The park entrance is located at mile post 35.

The park has over twenty miles of trails and open roads that are used for many outdoor adventure activities including hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian use.

A boat launch and 916 feet of dock are situated within the park. Moorage fees are charged year-round for mooring at the docks, floats, and buoys from 1 p.m. to 8 a.m. A daily moorage fee is 50 cents per foot with a minimum rate of $10. The rate for moorage buoys is $10 per night and the annual moorage permit fee is $3.50 per foot with a minimum of $50. Moorage permits are available at any of the area parks offering moorage.

Beacon Rock offers camping and picnicking facilities. There are two kitchen shelters with electricity on site as well as 2 sheltered and 53 unsheltered picnic tables. The lower picnic area kitchen shelter is positioned at Hamilton Mountain Trailhead and is available on a first come first served basis. Water and electricity are available at this shelter. The upper picnic area kitchen is open to reservations and can hold groups of up to 100 people comfortably. Water and power are also available at this shelter. Reservations for the upper picnic area are highly recommended.

The park offers 29 tent spaces with one dump station, one public restroom facility, and two public showers. The main camp is much older and sits in a heavily forested area well suited for tents rather than RVs. There are a limited number of sites in the park that accommodate RVs over 20 feet in length and all campsites are available on a first come first served basis.

Check in time for the park campsite is 2:30 p.m. and check-out is 1 p.m. There are established quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. Campers may stay in the park for up to ten consecutive days in any one site and park during the summer months. The stay limit between October 1 through March 31 is 20 days. A maximum of eight people per campsite is allowed and the standard campsite fee runs $15. A utility campsite is $21 and a primitive campsite that is accessible by motorized and non-motorized vehicles and for water trail camping the fee is $10. There is an additional $3 fee for standard and $5 fee for utility that may be charged for select premium campsites within the park.