Cape Disappointment State Park is located at the Southern end of the Longbeach Peninsula, making it a great destination while visiting Longbeach, WA. The State Park has many activities to enjoy including Fort Canby, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, North head Lighthouse, Cape Disappointment Lighthouse and many freshwater lakes, tidelands and more. During our visit, we explored Fort Canby and enjoyed the Interpretive Center. We weren't able to hike to any lighthouses or explore the many, many acres that make up the park due to injuries. However, we did enjoy the sites we experienced and were able to see the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse from the Interpretive Center.
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center
After thoroughly exploring Battery Harvey Allen, we headed up to the interpretive center. It is at the top of the hill overlooking the sea. The view was amazing. Cape Disappointment Lighthouse was a welcome sight.
The staff was so welcoming, they gave David a little workbook so he could learn all about things while checking out the Interpretive Center. There were all sorts of things to check out:
Original lens from the North Head Lighthouse
Excerpts from the journals of Lewis and Clark
Even though it was a museum, and sometimes our kiddos tend to lose interest in museums after a few minutes, they really enjoyed this one. They liked learning the history, it had plenty of displays to keep their imagination going (instead of being mostly signs to read) and we were happy to see that they found something interesting in each room. David kept asking questions, which is always good, and making up stories of what it must've been like "back in the day".
You will want to bring some water with you. When we went, it was really hot outside and we went through our water pretty quickly. There are also picnic tables if you feel like having a picnic lunch with a view! Also, be aware of the hill to get to the top; if you have bad knees or other injuries, you might want to use some hiking poles to make the walk a little easier.
Definitely an adventure worth taking.
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