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Sauvie Island lighthouse is Oregon’s smallest; it’s an easy year-round hike

OregonLive.com 11/27/2022 Jamie Hale, oregonlive.com

A fallen tree affords a view of Mount St. Helens from the Warrior Point Trail on the northern tip of Sauvie Island.

Drive out to Sauvie Island, take Reeder Road all the way to the end, and hike the Warrior Point Trail three miles until it emerges from the forest onto the beach. There you’ll see it: Warrior Rock Lighthouse, the smallest lighthouse in Oregon.

The journey to reach the tiny Columbia River lighthouse, found near the northern tip of Sauvie Island, is beautiful yet understated, and a perfect year-round adventure close to Portland.

The lighthouse was built at the end of the 19th century, commissioned by the U.S. government to help ships avoid a large bedrock reef jutting out from the island, according to various articles and histories published over the years.

A dog walker hikes the Warrior Point Trail on the northern end of Sauvie Island.

A small, wood-frame building was originally erected atop a sandstone base, featuring an oil-lamp light and hand-cranked fog bell. Nearby living quarters were later connected by an aerial tram for easy access when the island flooded.

The fog bell had quite the history itself, first cast in Philadelphia in 1855 and originally installed in the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse at the mouth of the Columbia River, according to historical accounts. It also briefly spent time in a Seattle lighthouse before finding a home at Warrior Rock.

But much like the fabled Ship of Theseus, the Warrior Rock Lighthouse has been almost completely replaced, piece by piece, in the century since it was first erected.

In 1930, the wooden lighthouse was replaced by a 28-foot octagonal concrete tower, and several years later the oil lamp was replaced with an electric light. In 1969, a barge went astray and struck the little lighthouse, destroying the foundation, and disabling the light and bell. As the fog bell was being removed, it fell into the river and cracked, ending its 114-year run.

As lighthouses modernized in the 20th century, officials automated the Warrior Rock Light, ending the need for a keeper or a residence. But while many other river lighthouses were demolished in Oregon, the little lighthouse on Sauvie Island remained, standing not just as a continued warning to ships, but also as a fascinating relic from a bygone era.

The Warrior Point Trail runs through a quiet forest on the north end of Sauvie Island.

Today, the interior of the lighthouse is closed to the public, though anyone who makes the journey to Warrior Point can walk right up to its base. It’s one of the more interesting hiking destinations in the area, adding a small slice of architectural wonder to the breathtaking natural beauty of the island.

WARRIOR ROCK HIKE

Distance: 6 miles, out and back.

Difficulty: relatively easy.

Amenities: portable restroom at trailhead.

This hike is rated “relatively easy” for some muddy terrain in the rainy season, and rocky areas around the lighthouse.

A parking permit is required at the trailhead. Permits cost $10 for the day or $30 for the year, and are available online or at stores on the island.

The hike to Warrior Rock begins at the Warrior Point Trailhead, found at the very end of Reeder Road near the northern tip of Sauvie Island. From the Sauvie Island Bridge, take Northwest Gillihan Road for 6.1 miles and turn right onto Northwest Reeder Road. You’ll reach the trailhead after 8.5 miles.

Mount St. Helens is seen over the Columbia River from the Warrior Point trail on the northern tip of Sauvie Island.

From the trailhead, the hike is fairly straightforward, following the same trail along the river for three miles. It forks a few times, with some of those forks reconnecting to the main trail and a couple others branching off in the wrong direction. A good rule of thumb here is to stay right toward the river.

After three miles, the trail emerges onto the beach. You’ll see the Warrior Rock Lighthouse just across a tiny inlet to the right. To the left, the beach stretches on all the way to Warrior Point. If the water is low enough, and brush is clear enough, you should be able to hike all the way or close to the end, just across from St. Helens.

A crisp fall day at the Warrior Rock Lighthouse, the smallest lighthouse in Oregon, found on the Columbia River near the northern tip of Sauvie Island.

Enjoy the beach and the lighthouse, then go back the way you came to return.

— Jamie Hale

503-294-4077; jhale@oregonian.com; @HaleJamesB

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