Last updated: May 27, 2021
Place
Confluence at Cape Disappointment State Park
"File:US-WA-CapeDissapointment-ConfluenceProjectBoardwalk-panorama.jpg" by Brylie Oxley is licensed
Quick Facts
Location:
Vancouver, WA
MANAGED BY:
Amenities
7 listed
Amphitheater, Fish-Cleaning Station, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Parking - Auto, Scenic View/Photo Spot, Trailhead, Trash/Litter Receptacles
Lewis and Clark NHT Visitor Centers and Museums
Visitor Centers (shown in orange), High Potential Historic Sites (shown in black), and Pivotal Places (shown in green) along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail
“We start where Lewis and Clark’s journey ended at the mouth of the Columbia, where the river meets the sea, holding up a mirror to reflect back upon Lewis and Clark’s journey.”
-Maya Lin
Waikiki Beach and Baker Bay
At this site, Lewis and Clark found what they were looking for: the point where the Columbia River meets the majestic Pacific Ocean. Their journey’s endpoint is where Confluence’s work began, with an installation that draws together the site’s bay side and ocean side, interweaving the stories of the Corps of Discovery expedition and the Chinook people in a single, steadily unfolding experience.
Visit the site today to find a restored native landscape that integrates artist Maya Lin’s artwork with the site’s shifting cultural and ecological history. As you walk along oceanfront dunes, read excerpts from Lewis and Clark’s journals and see the Pacific Ocean as they saw it. Run your hands along the smooth surface of a fish-cleaning table formed from a single block of native basalt and inscribed with a Chinook creation story. Follow a path of crushed oyster shells inland from the coastal forest, and read the text of a Chinook song of praise along the way. Encounter a group of five cedar driftwood columns surrounding a cedar tree trunk that existed before Lewis and Clark arrived.
Confluence’s Cape Disappointment site is complete and was dedicated on May 7, 2006. Two self-guided tours are available.
Waikiki Beach Self-Guided Tour:
1. Cedar Circle
In a secluded grove, cedar driftwood columns surround a cedar tree trunk that predates Lewis and Clark’s arrival.
2. Amphitheater and Walkway
From the existing amphitheater, a path of crushed oyster shells leads you from the coastal forest environment through dune grasses to a secluded grove. As you walk, read the lyrics of a Chinook praise song that was recited at this site on November 18, 2005, the 200th anniversary of Lewis and Clark’s arrival.
3. Boardwalk
Along one of several trails at the site, learn about Lewis and Clark’s 4,133-mile journey from St. Louis to the Pacific in their own words. Read text from their journals inscribed in a boardwalk that leads from an existing amphitheater to Waikiki Beach.
Baker Bay Self-Guided Tour
1. Fish Cleaning Table
Cut from a single polished block of native basalt, this artistic fish-cleaning table is inscribed with a Chinook origin legend that tells the story of the interdependence of the Chinook people and the Columbia River’s salmon.
2. Overlook
A simple, curved viewing platform offers an unobstructed view of Baker Bay and its surroundings. Text from the Lewis and Clark journals etched into the surface of the platform evokes the scene and moment they finally arrived at their destination.
Confluence connects you to the history, living cultures, and ecology of the Columbia River system through Indigenous voices. We are a community-supported nonprofit that works through six art landscapes, educational programs, and public gatherings in collaboration with northwest tribes, communities, and the celebrated artist Maya Lin. For more information, call (306) 693-0123.