The Three Waters Trail and other areas of Cape Disappointment State Park, which were set to undergo improvements starting this fall, will have another year to wait.

In the meantime, visitors will get to enjoy the next few seasons before much of the park closes while under construction.

When it does, the trail — which was designed by architect Maya Lin at one of six sites within the Confluence Project, a series of art and landscape installations across the Columbia River basin — will become a continuous 1/2-mile route near the park’s main entrance.

For now, it’s separated into two sections.

On the river side of the cape at Baker Bay, a path wraps around viewing platforms, where fishermen cast lines near a boat launch. A table in between for cleaning fish was designed by Lin using a single slab of basalt rock.

On the ocean side, two paths exchange notes from history. A boardwalk revisits the journals kept by Lewis and Clark on their journey west, while a path made from a mixture of concrete and crushed oyster shells recites the lyrics of a Chinook praise song.

Once connected, the two sections will meet in the middle at an overlook to Lake O’Neil.

River, ocean, lake.

A bridge between three waters.

Other projects at the park, which are now planned between Labor Day 2025 and May 2026, will include the creation of a new welcome center, repairs to a campground access road and work to restore wetland habitat areas.

During those months, camping will close at loops A, B, C and D, Waikiki Beach and the North Jetty. But until then, reservations are back open.

Also, some areas of the park won’t be affected by the closure, including North Head Lighthouse, Beards Hollow and the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center.

So enjoy. Disappointment awaits.