Hike to Oregon’s Smallest Lighthouse at the Tip of Sauvie Island – This is Oregon

Drive to Sauvie Island, take Reeder Street to the tip and hike the Warrior Level Path for 3 miles till it emerges from the forest onto the seashore. There you will see it: Warrior Rock Lighthouse, Oregon’s smallest lighthouse.

The journey to achieve the tiny Columbia River Lighthouse, situated close to the northern tip of Sauvie Island, is gorgeous but low-key, and an ideal year-round journey close to Portland.

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The lighthouse was constructed within the late nineteenth century, commissioned by the US authorities to assist ships keep away from a big rocky reef jutting out from the island, in accordance with numerous articles and stories revealed over time.

A small, timber-framed constructing was initially erected on a sandstone base, full with an oil lamp and a hand-cranked fog bell. Close by dwelling quarters had been later linked by an aerial tramway for simple entry when the island was flooded.

The fog bell had fairly a historical past itself, first solid in Philadelphia in 1855 and initially put in within the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse on the mouth of the Columbia River, in accordance with historic accounts. He additionally briefly hung out at a Seattle lighthouse earlier than discovering a house in Warrior Rock.

However a bit just like the legendary Ship of Theseusthe Warrior Rock Lighthouse has been nearly utterly changed, piece by piece, within the century because it was first erected.

In 1930, the wood lighthouse was changed with a 28-foot octagonal concrete tower, and some years later the oil lamp was changed with an electrical gentle. In 1969, a barge strayed and struck the small lighthouse, destroying the foundations and disabling the sunshine and bell. Because the fog bell was eliminated, it fell into the river and cracked, ending its 114-year run.

As lighthouses had been modernized within the twentieth century, authorities automated the Warrior Rock Mild, ending the necessity for a keeper or residence. However whereas many different river lighthouses have been demolished in Oregon, the small lighthouse on Sauvie Island has remained, not solely as a unbroken warning to ships, but additionally as an enchanting relic of a bygone period.

Right this moment, the inside of the lighthouse is closed to the general public, though anybody visiting Warrior Level can stroll to its base. It is some of the attention-grabbing mountain climbing locations within the area, including a small slice of architectural marvel to the breathtaking pure fantastic thing about the island.

Distance: 6 miles out and again.

Issue: comparatively simple.

Approvals: transportable bathrooms on the trailhead.

This hike is rated “comparatively simple” for some muddy terrain throughout the wet season and rocky areas across the lighthouse.

A parking allow is required on the trailhead. Permits value $10 for the day or $30 for the 12 months and can be found on line or at shops on the island.

The hike to Warrior Rock begins on the Warrior Level trailhead, situated on the very finish of Reeder Street close to the northern tip of Sauvie Island. From the Sauvie Island Bridge, take Northwest Gillihan Street 6 miles and switch proper onto Northwest Reeder Street. You’ll attain the trailhead after 8.5 miles.

From the trailhead, the hike is fairly easy, following the identical path alongside the river for 3 miles. It forks a number of instances, with a few of these forks reconnecting to the primary path and some others branching off within the mistaken path. A superb rule of thumb right here is to remain proper in direction of the river.

After three miles, the path results in the seashore. You will note the Warrior Rock Lighthouse simply throughout a small cove on the appropriate. On the left, the seashore extends to Warrior Level. If the water is low sufficient and the comb is evident sufficient, you must have the ability to stroll all the best way to or close to the tip, simply throughout from St. Helens.

Benefit from the seashore and the lighthouse, then retrace your steps.

—Jamie Hale

503-294-4077; [email protected]; @HaleJamesB

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