Fort Stevens State Park

From the Civil War to World War II, three forts protected the mouth of the Columbia river: Fort Columbia and Fort Canby in Washington, and Fort Stevens in Oregon.  Fort Stevens was the primary stronghold of the three, seeing 84 years of active operation beginning in 1863.

Now the 4,200-acre state park, located just outside of Astoria, is one of Oregon’s busiest summer recreation spots and hosts one of the nation’s largest publicly run campgrounds (the largest in Oregon).  Beyond the full service campground, the park offers plenty of activities: enjoy the 15 miles of open, sandy beach, swim or fish in the freshwater lakes, ride on the 9 miles of paved bike paths, hike on the 5 miles of hiking trails, discover local wildlife from several designated viewing platforms, explore a wrecked ship from 1906 or the abandoned Fort Stevens, and put it all in context with the military museum.