Hiking Beacon Rock State Park

Pacific Northwest September Travelog #14
Stevenson, WA - Mon, 5 Sep 2022, 12pm

My plan for Monday was a simple two-fer before having to head to the airport and home. After hiking Panther Creek Falls (previous blog) we'd stop by Beacon Rock State Park on the way back west, where there are a few nice waterfalls. When we got to the park, though, we found there are more than a couple of waterfalls to see.



We set out on the trail to Hamilton Mountain. The falls are closer than the summit of the mountain, so we won't be going all the way up there today. We don't have time. But even hiking to the falls we've climbed pretty far above the Columbia River.



This photo (above) is a distance view of the Bonneville Dam on the Columbia River. Mountains on the Oregon side of the river are in the background. The color tone is weird because I took this photo at some distance— the dam is literally miles away— on a warm day. Warm air distorts colors.

After walking a ways on the exposed flank of the mountain we darted into a ravine where there are a few falls.



The first falls we saw was Hardy Falls. ...Yeah, I guess it's hardy for flowing at all in September. It doesn't have glacial melt from 13,000' to feed it like Panther Creek Falls. I'll bet this one is way more substantial in April.

So far so good, but there's plenty more to come! Update: Keep reading for Rodney Falls and The Pool of the Winds!

Rodney Falls and the Pool of the Winds

Pacific Northwest September Travelog #15
Beacon Rock State Park - Mon, 5 Sep 2022, 1pm

Thankfully Hardy Falls (previous blog) wasn't the only thing at Beacon Rock State Park we were hiking to see. It was frankly underwhelming, especially as the trail isn't routed near enough to it. The trail goes too far above it to really see it. But then there's Rodney Falls, which the trail goes right to.



Again, these falls are probably amazing in the spring, but we still enjoyed spending time at the bottom here in September.



The bottom tier of the falls is not huge. But it feels intimate down here with the sound of the water pouring over the rocks drowning out everything else. It's also cool here, deep in the shade of the ravine, a nice respite from the heat up on the side of the ridge.

The bottom of the falls isn't the only place we lingered. In fact it wasn't even the hardest spot to pull ourselves away from. That was a narrow spot up at the top of the falls, known as The Pool of the Winds.



The top tier of the falls pours into a narrow, deep bowl. It's almost a cave except it's open at the top. It's cool and damp here, a 180° change from the trail on the side of the ridge. And peering into the dimly lit almost-cave feels like looking into a spot so holy you don't set foot upon it.

In beauty I walk.