Cape Disappointment State Park (Long Beach)

There are actually two short wheelchair accessible trails in Cape Disappointment State Park outside of Long Beach in Southwestern Washington. The first is the spectacular walk out to the North Head Lighthouse. The picture at the right shows the amazing view that Lucas had of the beach and Columbia River estuary from the paved trail halfway out to the Lighthouse.

The second trail is called Bell’s overlook and can be accessed from the same parking lot. It’s an even shorter trail but does involve a bit of a climb… so you might get winded if you’ve got a self-propelled wheelchair or are the one pushing a wheelchair from behind (in our case, Lucas’s dad). But the views from the overlook — back the opposite direction towards Long Beach — are well worth it.

Key stats:

Distance: The loop trail to North Head Lighthouse is about .6 miles but we only did it one way. The trail to Bell’s Overlook is a quarter mile.

Wheelchair accessible parking? Yes

Wheelchair accessible bathrooms? Yes

Trail condition? The Lighthouse trail is paved in one direction and dirt/gravel coming the other way if you want to make a loop out of it. We didn’t try the back-side of the loop but it also appears to have more steep inclines. The Bell’s Overlook trail is paved with a nice boardwalk at the end as you get to the overlook.

Highlights?

Some of the best views we’ve found on an accessible trail. When you pop out of the trees on the way to the Lighthouse and look out over the Pacific Ocean your jaw will drop… and then you’ll also figure out that you’re seeing the exact place where the mighty Columbia River flows into the Pacific. On the day we were there the clouds were also quite gorgeous. Watch out for high winds though… it’s known to be one of the windiest spots in the state as some of the history at the Overlook will explain.

More information about North Head Lighthouse and Bell’s Overlook trails here or read about Cape Disappointment State Park here.

Bell’s Overlook

North Head Lighthouse