Visiting Oregon's Fort Stevens State Park

Fort Stevens State Park consists of 4300 acres and what a gem!  It's on the North Coast of Oregon. It was once a military installation from 1864 to 1947 and used to guard the mouth of the Columbia River.

Fort Stevens State Park

The remains of the British Sailing Ship the Peter Iredale that ran aground on Clatsop beach on October 25th, 1906, can be reached by the Sunset Trail. It is a short .2 mile walk one way to reach this beach from the Fort Stevens State Park campground. 

Clatsop Beach is fun for beach combing. 

Brown Pelican (Fort Stevens State Park) 

Beaver (Fort Stevens State Park) 

There are beautiful trails within the park that are worth taking.  The longest being the paved 9-mile Fort Stevens, Jetty Loop and Fort Stevens ridge trail that hikers and cyclists enjoy. 

Clatsop Spit in Fort Stevens State Park is where the mouth of the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean and is a treat to see.  This sandy plain is also great for birding!

South Jetty was completed in 1895.  (The North Jetty is on the Washington side.)  There is a 20-foot viewing platform which is a great place to watch big waves.

Coffenbury Lake Trail is a beautiful 2-mile hike 

around the lake at Fort Stevens State Park. 

Trumpeter Swans in Coffenbury Lake. To learn more about the Trumpeter Swans see my post: The Beautiful Trumpeter Swan

Signs of beaver at Coffenbury Lake 

Two Greater Scaup (females) in Coffenbury Lake

When you leave the State Park there are so many more things nearby to explore.

Fort Stevens Battle Ground National Cemetery is 1/2 mile north of Fort Stevens State Park.  It's one of the nation's smallest national cemeteries.  

Fort Clatsop National Historic Site is 8.8 miles from Fort Stevens State Park.  It has a visitor center, museum, several hiking trails, and a replica of the old fort.

Fort Clatsop National Historic Site

1-mile hike along the Netul River Trail at Fort Clatsop

The city of Astoria is only 10.6 miles from Fort Stevens State Park.  It has tasty restaurants, interesting architecture, and other fun attractions.  There is the Old 300 Astoria Trolley, built in 1913 that runs seasonally as well. Astoria reminds me of a mini-San Francisco.  

The beautiful 125-foot Astoria Column was built in 1926.  It is a monument to the history of the Pacific Northwest.  The lower portion of the column shows Captain Gray’s arrival in 1792 to the Columbia River, when he met the Chinook and Clatsop Indians. As you move up the column it shows the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s and the first European settlers.  The upper portion shows the Astoria railroad in 1893.

Walk to the top of Astoria Column for a amazing view.

View from Coxcomb Hill, a 30 acre park where the Astoria Column is located.  There is a great view of Astoria-Megler Bridge too!

 Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria

The historic George Flavel House Museum in Astoria was completed in the Spring of 1886.  It is a beautifully restored Queen Anne architecture style home.  Capitan George Flavel built this as his retirement home.

Flavel House Museum

Flavel House Museum

Downtown Astoria

Elk in the small town of Hammond, which is 2.2 miles from Fort Stevens State Park.

Crossing the Astoria-Megler Bridge will take you to nearby Cape Disappointment, which is located on the Long Beach Peninsula in Washington State.  It's a 27.8-mile drive from Fort Stevens State Park to Cape Disappointment.  Astoria-Megler Bridge is a 4.1-mile-long bridge that was built in 1962 that crosses the Columbia River from Oregon to Washington.

Astoria-Megler Bridge

North Head Lighthouse, Cape Disappointment State Park

  It was completed in 1898.

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, Cape Disappointment State Park.  It was completed in 1856.  There is also the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center which is informative with excellent exhibits.

Happy Trails!