DISCOVERY TRAIL
F
ollowing the general path taken by Capt.
William Clark and his men during their initial
1805 visit to the beach, our amazing
Discovery Trail links the towns of Long
Beach, Seaview and Ilwaco.
The trail connects all the way from the
northern city limits of Long Beach to Beards
Hollow in Cape Disappointment State Park. From
Beards Hollow, a short unpaved portion of the trail
goes uphill to a spectacular overlook above the ocean.
Again paved, it winds its way through the forest to
Ilwaco. You’ll experience your inner Dan’l Boone.
This is the best ocean-bordering biking and hiking
path on the West Coast.
A recent round trip of almost eight miles took about
an hour and 15 minutes with a generous stop at Lewis
and Clark’s tree in north Long Beach. A sculpture of a
whale skeleton similar to the one Lewis and Clark
found more than 200 years ago, a monolith with an
explorer standing nearby, and dozens of informative
signs add interest to the trail. A small wooden bridge,
numerous twists and turns and the rolling dunes make
for an interesting and comfortable ride.
WALK THE PATH
OF ADVENTURE
One suggestion is to head into the wind to start
your trip and let the breeze push you along on the
return trip. If eight miles and riding for over an hour
is not in your plans, you may begin at either the
Seaview or Long Beach approaches and cut your ride
in half or in a third.
The
unpaved
portion of the trail,
from Beards Hollow
to Ilwaco, includes
some steep hills but
is otherwise fine for
fit
walkers
or
mountain bikers. A
wooden causeway
leads over a pristine
marsh just as the
trail leaves the
hollow.
No motor vehicles are allowed on Discovery
Trail. A mid-week ride on an amazing pathway, with
sun and surf to the west and having the experience
almost exclusively to yourself, just can’t be topped.
THIS IS THE BEST
OCEAN-BORDERING
BIKING AND HIKING
PATH ON THE
WEST COAST
Efforts are beginning to extend Discovery Trail from its current northern terminus at Clark's Tree east through
Long Beach. Eventually, the trail may go even farther, linking to Willapa National Wildlife Refuge. The trail marks
the approximate path of Capt. William Clark at others in November 1805. — NATALIE ST. JOHN PHOTO
Enjoy the Fourth of July holiday, and join the
Beach-Friendly Fourth Partners in preserving the ocean
beach Seashore Conservation Area we all share.
Some reminders for your visit:
•Use established campgrounds or lodging
facilities for overnight stays - no camping is
allowed on the beach.
•Respect neighborhoods and private property.
•Respect burn bans - if no ban is in place,
beach fires must be 100 feet from dunes and
vegetation and no larger than 4 feet by 4 feet.
•Use restrooms, not dunes.
•Drive safely on the beach - be aware of tides.
•Pick up all garbage - pack it in, pack it out.
•Use only legal fireworks, and observe legal
fireworks hours - 9am to midnight July 4th.
Beach-Friendly Fourth partners:
VISUAL PLEASURE FOR GENERATIONS
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G ra s s R
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MONTHLY
O N T H L Y SPECIALS
S PEC I A L S
ORIGINAL
O
R I G I N A L WATERCOLORS
W A T E R C O L O R S & ACRYLICS
A C R Y L I C S • FINE
F I N E ART
A R T PRINTS
P R I N T S • PRODUCTS
P R O D U C T S • FRAMING
F R A M I N G
N
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ge
WIEGARDT STUDIO GALLERY
2 2607
6 0 7 B
BAY
A Y AVENUE,
A V E N U E , O
OCEAN
C E A N P PARK,
A R K , W
WA
A • 3 360.665.5976
60 . 6 65 . 5 9 7 6 • ERICWIEGARDT.COM
E RI
R CW I E G A R D T . C O M
Legal hours for holiday fireworks:
June 28: Noon to 11pm
June 29 to July 3: 9am to 11pm
July 4: 9am to midnight
July 5: 9am to 11pm
DISCOVERY COAST 2017-18 • www.chinookobserver.com • 25