Cape (anything but) Disappointment and Deadman’s Cove
Camping season is finally here and we couldn’t be more excited!! A few months ago we booked several trips. We enjoy going to state parks which means you need to book your spot several months in advance (if you plan to camp on the weekend). To kick off the season we chose to check out Cape Disappointment State Park! It is the Southern tip of the Washington coast before hitting Oregon – where the Pacific ocean meets the Columbia river. The kids have been so excited to go camping. They each got their own lanterns this year and had been “practicing” camping in their play tent the entire week before we left! This was our first trip with the kids and puppy! Overall the trip went very well! Everyone slept (which was our main concern) and the only thing we forgot was the valve to the air mattress! Sleeping on the ground sure didn’t put a damper on our trip though!
The weather could have been a little warmer but there is not a lot you can do about that! Thankfully I packed enough layers for everyone and we were able to keep the campfire going! Our camping spot was a few hundred feet off the beach so there was a nice ocean breeze blowing through the campsite all weekend. It was so peaceful listening to the waves though. Not sure there is a better sound to fall asleep to! Odin and Aspen really enjoyed helping Sam set up the tent, and help build and cook over the fire! Our site had no shortage of trees and rocks to climb!
We enjoyed seeing wild life come through the campground too! Look closely at the second picture and see if you can spot our little visitor in the tree…
We were warned right away about the Raccoons! The ranger told us to leave nothing out, especially food and coolers. They have figured out how to get into everything. We saw them roaming the campground the entire weekend- I don’t think I have seen so many raccoons in my life! They sure were loud at night!!
We settled into camp and had a quiet first night and morning- well minus the raccoons. If you have never made s’mores with Reese’s you are doing life wrong! Haha. But really there is no going back once you try it. Ever tried making campfire coffee?? It was our first time and I will say it turned out pretty amazing!
Such an interesting part of Washington to visit! We highly recommend it if you are ever in the area! There is lots of history here dating back to the days of Lewis and Clark. While reading through the campground signs we read this one that was very interesting… (read the sign if you can).
The campground beach was a few minutes walk from our site! That first night gave us a beautiful sky. We went back later to a lot more wind and clouds. Still absolutely beautiful though! The rocky cliffs and ocean views are just breathtaking. We left here already planning a return trip. We spent just a weekend here but can easily see how you could stay for longer.
This picture helps show how dramatic these cliffs are.
On the hike to the lighthouse we took a detour down to Deadman’s cove! An absolute must if you visit the area! This has been on my list since before moving to WA!! Thankfully I had read someone else’s blog post about watching out for the path with steps instead of taking the first path you come to on the trail! We would have certainly taken a much riskier way down had I not read that! To recap, if you go…TAKE THE STAIRS! We ended up going to Deadman’s cove twice, it was that awesome! Both days we had stretches where we had the entire beach to ourselves! The perks of being early risers- we often get to experience things without a lot of other people. This was definitely the highlight of our trip to Cape Disappointment.
We continued the hike after exploring Deadman’s cove and made it to the lighthouse! The hike was pretty easy and definitely beautiful with all the wild flowers, especially the rhododendrons! Very kid friendly which was a huge plus for us!
The waters around Cape Disappointment are some of the most dangerous, rough waters on the western coast! The weather is moody and often foggy/rainy but it sure is beautiful! Such a dramatic place to visit.
So thankful for an easy camping weekend for our first trip with two kiddos and a puppy at Cape Disappointment!
On to the next adventure…