Rooster Rock State Park is a

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

located east of Corbett, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

. One of the features of the park is Rooster Rock, a column of

basalt Basalt (; ) is an aphanite, aphanitic (fine-grained) extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of low-viscosity lava rich in magnesium and iron (mafic lava) exposed at or very near the planetary surface, surface of a terrestrial ...

forming a natural

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

, which stands near the south side of the

Columbia River Gorge The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Up to deep, the canyon stretches for over as the river winds westward through the Cascade Range, forming the boundary between the state ...

, in the lee of Crown Point. The park is administered by the

Oregon Parks and Recreation Department The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), officially known (in state law) as the State Parks and Recreation Department, is the government agency of the U.S. state of Oregon which operates its system of state parks. In addition, it has pr ...

. The

monolith A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive stone or rock, such as some mountains. Erosion usually exposes the geological formations, which are often made of very hard and solid igneous or metamorphic rock. Some monolit ...

was mentioned in the journal of the explorers

Lewis and Clark Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * " Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohe ...

as their camping place on November 2, 1805. The name is

phallic A phallus (: phalli or phalluses) is a penis (especially when erect), an object that resembles a penis, or a mimetic image of an erect penis. In art history, a figure with an erect penis is described as ''ithyphallic''. Any object that symbo ...

in origin, specifically, the column's original name was "Cock Rock". The

Chinook Chinook may refer to: Chinook peoples The name derives from a settlement of Indigenous people in Oregon and Washington State. * Chinookan peoples, several groups of Indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest ** Chinook Indian Nation, an organiza ...

word for the rock was ''iwash'', referring to

penis A penis (; : penises or penes) is a sex organ through which male and hermaphrodite animals expel semen during copulation (zoology), copulation, and through which male placental mammals and marsupials also Urination, urinate. The term ''pen ...

. The name was later modified, at the urging of Dalles businessperson Victor Trevitt, to Rooster Rock so as not to offend the public. The eastern portion of the park is designated as a clothing-optional beach, the first officially designated clothing-optional beach in the U.S. The only other clothing-optional beach in the state, after Glassbar Island's closing, is Collins Beach, on

Sauvie Island Sauvie Island is in the U.S. state of Oregon, originally named as Wapato Island or Wappatoo Island. It is the largest island along the Columbia River, at , and one of the largest river islands in the United States. It lies approximately north ...

in the Columbia River, north of Portland. The area around the parking lot has been a favorite astronomy spot for amateur astronomers in the area, with organizations such as OMSI hosting multiple star parties at the venue.

Gallery

File:Rooster_Rock_State_Park_Lewis_and_Clark_Sign.jpg, Rooster Rock sign File:Rooster_Rock_State_Park_Oregon_Plaque_2009.jpg, Rooster Rock plaque File:Rooster_Rock_State_Park_Oregon_Squirrels.jpg, Squirrels at Rooster Rock State Park File:Rooster Rock State Park and Columbia River Gorge (from top of Rooter Rock).png, Rooster Rock State Park from top of Rooster Rock File:Osprey nest at the top of Rooster Rock.png, Abandoned osprey nest at the top of Rooster Rock File:A climber starts to rappel down Rooster Rock.png, A climber starts to rappel down Rooster Rock

References

External links

* * * Beaches of Oregon Columbia River Gorge Landforms of Multnomah County, Oregon Nude beaches Parks in Multnomah County, Oregon Rock formations of Oregon State parks of Oregon {{MultnomahCountyOR-geo-stub

Gallery

See also

References

External links