Castle Rock is a city in Cowlitz County, Washington, United States. Located between the Willapa Hills and the western base of Mount St. Helens, Castle Rock is at the heart of Washington timber country in the Pacific temperate rain forest. Castle Rock is part of the Longview, Washington Metropolitan Statistical Area; the population was 2,446 as of the 2020 census.
History
Castle Rock is named for a volcanic rock outcropping over the Cowlitz River, "The Rock", rising 190 feet high on the south side of the city. The rock formation, resembling a castle, became a geographic landmark for Cowlitz Indians and Hudson's Bay Company traders as early as 1832. Today, it is the location of The Rock Community Park, with hiking trails, picnic tables, and a historical marker.
Castle Rock is centered primarily on the donation land claim of Eliza and William Huntington, who settled at the location in 1852. The city was platted December 12, 1888 and incorporated on June 20, 1890. Castle Rock prospered as a Cowlitz River steamboat port and trading center for valley farms. The local sawmill was the first to produce cedar shingles, using the Western red cedar, which grows in abundance in the region.
By 1940, the population had reached 1,182 and was supported by dairy farming, truck farming, and lumber manufacturing. Sword ferns, common in the region, were picked each year by several hundred people to be processed into medicine. In the spring, large quantities of Cascara Sagrada bark were gathered, dried, and shipped.
Geography
Castle Rock is located 117 miles south of Seattle and 58 miles north of Portland, Oregon. Castle Rock is situated between the Cowlitz River and Interstate 5, one mile south of the confluence of the Cowlitz and the Toutle River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. It is the northernmost city in Cowlitz County.
Transportation
Spirit Lake Memorial Highway (State Route 504) connects the city to the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, the Spirit Lake recreation area, Seaquest State Park and Silver Lake. The State Route 504 Spur extends to Gifford Pinchot National Forest.
West Side Highway, running north along the Cowlitz River, connects Castle Rock to Cloud Mountain and the communities of Olequa and Vader, Washington. Continuing south, West Side Highway / State Route 411 connects Castle Rock to Longview, Washington, and Ocean Beach Highway (State Route 4), putting Castle Rock 75 miles from Willapa National Wildlife Refuge and the Pacific Ocean.
The Castle Rock Park & Ride is located on Huntington Avenue next to Interstate 5 Exit 49. Bus service is provided by Lower Columbia CAP Rural Public Transit to Longview and Castle Rock, via Interstate 5.
The Riverfront Trail, a multi-use off-road trail, runs along both sides of the Cowlitz River. On the east side, the trail begins at Lions Pride Park, runs past the Rock Community Park, and 1.5 miles later reaches the PH10 bridge. On the west side, the trail runs 1100 feet to the Castle Rock Sports Complex. The City of Castle Rock was awarded the Association of Washington Cities 2004 Municipal Achievement Gold Medal Award for the city's trail system.