Oregon’s largest campground has a long history, featuring a military installation dating back to the Civil War, and the remains of Peter Iredale shipwreck from 1906.

The Fort Stevens campground is very popular, especially in the summer, so the off season is a good time to camp here since it’s much less crowded and easier to reserve a campsite. Half of the campground was closed for restoration when I was here (including the tent camping area), but there were still plenty of RV campsites available and I was able to reserve one just a few days before my trip.

Since the forecast called for overnight temps in the mid-30s, I brought a heating pad to plugin to the electric hookup for warmth on the cold nights and mornings. View My Honda CR-V Camper to see my full camp setup.

For more info about Fort Stevens State Park and to reserve a campsite, visit the Oregon State Parks website.

Hiking & Biking Trails

This map from Gaia GPS shows the trails that I hiked while camping here. A great place to hike or ride a bike, this state park has 15 miles of multi-use trails – all accessible from the campground. It also features Coffenbury Lake with picnic tables, a boat ramp, and a 2-mile trail around the lake.

Trails to the beach

To reach the beach from the campground, I headed to the bike paths located near the G loop and took a short side trail to the Crossover Trail and headed towards the coast.

The forests in this part of the park are thick with moss and ferns.

Sun rays in the forest created interesting shadows, as shown in the photo below.

The bike path goes under the park’s road that leads to the beach, then parallels the road for a short distance before reaching a parking lot at the beach access point.

The coastline of the Pacific Northwest from Tillamook Bay northward is known as the Graveyard of the Pacific due to unpredictable weather and changing conditions along coastline. The Columbia Bar, where the Columbia River meets the ocean, is one of the most treacherous sections. The Peter Iredale ship wrecked here in 1906, and it’s bulky rusted bow and masts are still visible along the beach.

Since cars are allowed to drive on the beach here, it’s covered with tire tracks and has much less of a wilderness feel than other Oregon beaches, so I didn’t spend much time there. For those who are interested in driving on a beach, this is a popular place to do so.

Coffenbury Lake

On the way back to the campground, I took a short side trail to Coffenbury Lake. In the summer, this is a popular area for swimming and kayaking. A 2-mile trail goes all the way around the lake, but I decided to check out other trails within the park instead.

Fort Stevens Ridge Trail

To get back to the campground, I hiked on several trails for hikers instead of the bike paths. For the rest of the day, I didn’t see another person on the trails.

I was surprised when I reached these abandoned bunkers that are separated from the rest of the historic military buildings.

After checking out the barracks, I took an unmaintained trail that connected back to the bike paths. This was my favorite section of the hike, with more old growth trees and ferns than in other areas.

Fort Stevens Military History

Located at the northernmost point of Oregon’s coast, Fort Stevens was built in 1863 towards the end of the Civil War to guard the Columbia River. It continued to be used until 1947, with approximately 2,500 men stationed there during World War II. The site was no longer used after the war and the guns were removed. In 1975, Oregon State Parks took over the site to create Fort Stevens State Park. The buildings that are left are interesting to explore – and a bit eerie if you are the only person there at the time. During the summer, tours of the historic sites are available through Friends of Old Fort Stevens.

Fort Stevens Trail

The next day, a friend joined me for camping and we walked the bike paths up to the historic area, checking out the history museum and trails along the Columbia River.

These elk looked like statues from a distance since they were so still. They sat here for a long time enjoying the sunshine. This photo was taken with a telephoto lens on my phone so I didn’t need to get close to them. Elk are quite large and can be dangerous to approach, so keeping a safe distance is highly recommended.

Jetty Trail

From trails along the Columbia River, we could see the Astoria Bridge and Mount St. Helens in the distance.

South Jetty

A small wildlife viewing bunker is located to the south east of the jetty, but there wasn’t any wildlife in the area to view at the time I was there.

Current construction at the South Jetty closed most of the area and didn’t leave for much exploring there, but I found it fascinating to see where the Columbia meets the Pacific, with big waves hitting the jetty.

The next time I camp here, I’ll take a bicycle for riding on the many bike trails in the park, allowing me to see more of the park in a shorter timeframe.