In November, 1805, Captain William Clark and members of his party climbed to the top of a grassy knoll to get their first views of the Pacific Ocean and the mouth of the Columbia River. That night, they camped on a beach which is now about one mile inland due to silting after jetty construction. The knoll is no longer a grassy expanse and is covered with a growth of red alder. Below the knoll are two ponds: McKenzie Head Lagoon and O'Neil Lake.
The bronze monument at McKenzie Trailhead depicts their night's encampment at McKenzie Head. A quote from the journals of the trek dated November 18, 1805 --
"... went over a bald hill where we had a handsom view of the ocean. we went on a Short distance on the coast and Camped for the night.
The following day, the Expedition hiked about ten miles up the coast in the vicinity of today's Long Beach where Clark carved his name into a tree and then returned to a camp along the Wallacut River later that day before returning to Station Camp.
The gun emplacements and bunkers here at the top of the trail, Fort Canby Battery 247, were constructed in World War II as part of a triad of defenses, the others being at Fort Stevens and at Fort Columbia.
A Washington State Discover Pass is required to access this cache location.
|
- This geocache has an approved Permit to be placed at this location on property managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Visitors are responsible for acquainting themselves with policies and rules pertaining to State Parks areas.
- The following items may not be placed in the geocache: food, illegal substances, medications, personal hygiene products, pornographic materials, hazardous materials, or weapons of any type.
- By searching for the cache, visitors agree that they are responsible for their own actions, and acknowledge that neither the State of Washington nor the cache owner is responsible for any loss or injury that may occur in relation to such search.
- Report any incident, problem, or violation to State Parks staff.
|