Beacon Rock is a rock formation in Skamania County, Washington. It lies in or next to Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail, so park hours, fees and rules apply. It sits roughly 9.7 km (6.0 mi) W of Cascade Locks.
From the National Park Service
Outside Skamania, Washington is the 848 foot-tall Beacon Rock that overlooks a breathtaking section of the mighty Columbia River. Beacon Rock State Park is a 4,464-acre, year-round camping park sitting in the midst of the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area.
The core of an ancient volcano, Beacon Rock is essentially a basalt plug; the Missoula Flood waters eroded away the softer outer material.
The Lewis and Clark Expedition visited this location on October 31, 1805. Clark described, "a remarkable high detached rock Stands in a bottom on the Stard Side near the lower point of this Island on the Stard. Side about 800 feet high and 400 paces around, we call the Beaten rock." Significantly, Clark also noted the first evidence of tidewater: “I could not See any rapids below in the extent of my view which was for a long distance down the river, which from the last rapids widened and had everry appearance of being effected by the tide.” The expedition revisited Beacon Rock returning upriver on April 6, 1806. Lewis wrote, “from the appearance of a rock […] I could judge better of the rise of the water than I could at any point below. I think the flood of this spring has been about 12 feet higher than it was [the previous fall]; the river is here about 1½ miles wide; it’s general width from the beacon rock which may be esteemed the head of tide water, to the marshey islands is from one to 2 miles tho’ in many places it is still wider. it is only in the fall of the year when the river is low that the tides are persceptable as high as the beacon rock. this remarkable rock which stands on the North shore of the river is unconnected with the hills and rises to the hight of seven hundred feet; […] it rises to a very sharp point and is visible for 20 miles below on the river.” As the area was settled in the 19th century, the basalt feature was given a variety of names, including Castle Rock. By 1915, river developments threatened to destroy the rock. Henry J. Biddle, a prominent Washingtonian and descendant of Nicholas Biddle, the original editor of Lewis and Clark's journals, purchased it and constructed a trail to the top. He eventually donated it to the state, and in 1935 the landmark was designated a state park under the original name given by Clark. Visitor info: To get to the top of Beacon Rock, hike the mile-long switchback trail. The more adventurous
Text: National Park Service (public domain) — nps.gov.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Beacon Rock the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 54° (NE) at the June solstice and 124° (SE) in late December. Sunset moves from 306° (NW) in June to 237° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 68° in summer but only 21° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:12 AM | 89° E | 7:21 PM | 271° W | 44° | 12h 09m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:19 AM | 54° NE | 9:02 PM | 306° NW | 68° | 15h 42m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:56 AM | 89° E | 7:07 PM | 271° W | 45° | 12h 12m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:47 AM | 124° SE | 4:27 PM | 237° WSW | 21° | 8h 41m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Rock towers and buttes glow red and orange in the first and last half-hour of sun; midday light flattens their shape.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7:12 AM | 7:46 AM | 8:33 AM | 4:03 PM | 4:51 PM | 5:24 PM | 9h 05m |
| February | 6:40 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:53 AM | 4:53 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:06 PM | 10h 24m |
| March | 6:52 AM | 7:21 AM | 8:01 AM | 6:35 PM | 7:14 PM | 7:44 PM | 11h 53m |
| April | 5:52 AM | 6:23 AM | 7:03 AM | 7:14 PM | 7:54 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 32m |
| May | 5:03 AM | 5:38 AM | 6:21 AM | 7:50 PM | 8:33 PM | 9:08 PM | 14h 55m |
| June | 4:41 AM | 5:19 AM | 6:05 AM | 8:14 PM | 9:00 PM | 9:38 PM | 15h 41m |
| July | 4:57 AM | 5:34 AM | 6:19 AM | 8:11 PM | 8:55 PM | 9:32 PM | 15h 21m |
| August | 5:37 AM | 6:09 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:37 PM | 8:18 PM | 8:50 PM | 14h 08m |
| September | 6:17 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:26 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:21 PM | 7:51 PM | 12h 34m |
| October | 6:55 AM | 7:25 AM | 8:06 AM | 5:43 PM | 6:24 PM | 6:54 PM | 10h 59m |
| November | 6:36 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:54 AM | 3:53 PM | 4:39 PM | 5:11 PM | 9h 30m |
| December | 7:09 AM | 7:43 AM | 8:32 AM | 3:36 PM | 4:25 PM | 5:00 PM | 8h 43m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Beacon Rock, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from April through August. June gives the longest window (about 2.8 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 15° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | -4° | — |
| February | Below 10° in darkness | — | 7° | — |
| March | 5:14 AM – 5:34 AM | 0.3 | 12° | SSE → SSE |
| April | 3:14 AM – 4:24 AM | 1.2 | 14° | SSE → SSE |
| May | 1:15 AM – 3:15 AM | 2.0 | 15° | SSE → S |
| June | 11:40 PM – 2:30 AM | 2.8 | 15° | SSE → SSW |
| July | 11:21 PM – 1:21 AM | 2.0 | 15° | S → SSW |
| August | 10:15 PM – 11:15 PM | 1.0 | 14° | SSW → SSW |
| September | 9:03 PM – 9:13 PM | 0.2 | 11° | SSW → SSW |
| October | Below 10° in darkness | — | 6° | — |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | -3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -20° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.09 mag/arcsec². Aurora needs roughly Kp 5.5+ to show low on the northern horizon here.
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show July as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (80%). August is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 62 | 66 | 74 | 84 | 93 | 100 | 105 | 104 | 101 | 87 | 67 | 61 |
| Low °F | 8 | 15 | 22 | 27 | 33 | 39 | 45 | 44 | 36 | 24 | 15 | 10 |
| Precip. (in) | 8.4 | 6.1 | 6.8 | 4.8 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 8.6 | 9.7 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this rock formation
- Stay on trails; desert soils and lichens take decades to recover from footprints.
- Find a spot where the formation sits against open sky to emphasize its silhouette.
- At night, a formation under the Milky Way or star trails makes a strong anchor.
- Use the sunrise and sunset azimuths below to know which face will be lit.
- Bring a spare battery — cold weather and long exposures drain them fast.
Season: Spring and autumn are best in desert regions; winter snow on red rock is rare but spectacular.
Suggested gear: Wide and telephoto lenses, Tripod, Headlamp. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
National Park Service rules. Under federal law (54 U.S.C. 100905), still photography in National Park Service areas needs a permit only when it (1) takes place where members of the public are not allowed, (2) uses models, sets or props that are not part of the location's natural or cultural resources or administrative facilities, or (3) would cause the park to incur additional administrative costs to monitor the activity. Ordinary visitor and most landscape photography needs no permit. Commercial filming rules are separate and have changed in recent years — confirm current requirements with the park before a paid shoot.
Drones: Launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft (drones) is prohibited in National Park Service units under a 2014 Superintendent's closure (36 CFR 1.5), except where a park has issued specific written approval. Flying from outside the boundary over park land can also violate park rules and disturb wildlife.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Beacon Rock, closest first.
State Park
WaterfallWaterfall
National Wildlife Refuge
Hot Spring
State Park
Mountain PeakWaterfall
WaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Eagle Creek Overlook Grp Site6.7 km (4.1 mi) · reservable
- Eagle Creek Campground7.1 km (4.4 mi) · reservable
- Wyeth Campground19.2 km (11.9 mi) · reservable
- Wahtum Lake Campground19.3 km (12.0 mi)
- Panther Creek Campground21 km (13 mi) · reservable
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Beacon Rock?
What time is golden hour at Beacon Rock?
Where does the sun rise and set at Beacon Rock?
Can you see the Milky Way from Beacon Rock?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Beacon Rock?
How far is Beacon Rock from Cascade Locks?
Sources
Location data: National Park Service. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.