Castle Rock is the northern most city in Cowlitz County.
Spirit Lake Memorial Highway (State Route 504) connects the city to the Mount St. Helens National Monument and Spirit Lake recreation areas – two of the most outstanding tourist attractions in Washington State.
The City of Castle Rock received the Association of Washington Cities 2004 Municipal Achievement.
Castle Rock’s historic downtown features a wide variety of shops, antique stores, restaurants, and accommodations. Other activities include the Castle Rock Exhibit Hall/Visitor’s Information Center – displaying carvings, photographs and exhibits relating to Mount St. Helens.
The town’s namesake, a 190-foot-high rock, was a landmark for Cowlitz Indians and Hudson’s Bay Company traders as early as 1832. Castle Rock prospered as a Cowlitz River steamboat port and trading center for valley farms. A local sawmill was the first to produce cedar shingles, using the Western red cedar, which grows in abundance in the region.
