Fort Stevens was a military installation once used to guard the mouth of the Columbia River. The fort saw service for 84 years, from the Civil War to World War II. Fort Stevens, now a retired military installation which has subsequently become a destination for many beach seekers.

Today, Fort Stevens is a 4,300-acre park offering a variety of recreation adventures, including camping, beach-combing, a freshwater lake, trails, wildlife viewing, and an historic shipwreck.

The campground is located near the south jetty of the Columbia River in northwestern Oregon, west of Astoria, Oregon off of US 101

Having year round camping with 174 full hookup sites, 302 electrical sites, six tent sites, 15 yurts, 11 deluxe cabins and hiker/biker sites, there is only a few times during the year when this campground is full. However, it is because it is so close to the megalopolis Portland, that the full period is usually all summer long.

The campsites are arranged in loops with rest rooms in the center. Many of the loops have both a bathroom with flush toilets and shower rooms with hot showers. Some loops only have a bathroom in the center without the shower rooms.

The year round camping, however, means that during the off season, many of the loops are closed along with the shower facilities within that loop.

The rating of Five out of Ten are for only those loops with steamy hot showers, of which I have so far only found two. Other loops without the steamy hot have a lesser rating as shown below.

Loop E: The best (hottest) showers that I know of is in loop E, but there maybe others that I have not been in yet.

Loop I: Once, I was assigned to Loop I and this shower has nicely hot water.

Loop C: A couple of times, I have visited during these off seasons and have been assigned to loop C. The water in the Loop C bath house is at best, medium warm, and at those times my rating for for Fort Stevens is 4.0.

Loop G: During a visit in April 2021, I camp in Loop G, and the water in the showers in this loop is barely warm, with little pressure.

Amenities include: bird watching, junior ranger programs, miles of Pacific seashore with beaches, ranger led nature walks, scenic bikeways, trails, whale watching, and Fort Stevens marks the northern-most trailhead for the Oregon Coast Trail.

Columbia Shore Disc Golf Course, 15 miles of muli-use trails, Seasonal adult and youth bike rentals.

Coffenbury Lake has two picnic areas with swimming, restrooms, boat ramp and there is a 2-mile trail which circles the lake. The park offers ranger-guided kayak tours of Coffenbury Lake during summer.

Fort Stevens is an American military installation that once guarded the mouth of the Columbia River in the state of Oregon. It was constructed in 1863-64 during the end of the American Civil War and named for a slain Civil War general and former Washington Territory governor, Isaac Stevens.

The fort was an active military reservation from 1863–1947 and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

On the night of 21–22 June 1942, the Japanese submarine I-25 surfaced off Fort Stevens and fired 17 shells from her deck gun, making Fort Stevens the only military installation in the continental United States to come under enemy fire in WW II.

The Peter Iredale was a four masted bark, three fore masts with square sales and one aft mast with triangular sails. It was 287 feet in length, thirty feet wide and 23 feet deep, built by Riston of Mayport, England and used to transport grain from the Pacific Northwest to Austrailia.

The Peter Iredale was a windjammer, built and christened in 1890 during the transitional period before wooden sail powered ships were replaced with all metal steamships. Still, this windjammer was constructed of steel plates over iron frames, steel masts, and a partial iron deck, a typical example of technology in transition. Many of the existing steel hulled ships built in the early 1900s were converted to steam, however, the Peter Iredale had already been in service for sixteen years and would have soon been retired had the ship not run aground.

On October 25, 1906, with an empty cargo hold and after sailing twenty-eight days from Salina Cruz, Mexico, the Peter Iredale ran aground. It had been bound for Portland for a new load of cargo and Captain H. Lawrence offered the crew a bonus if they cut five days off the normal sailing time. The sailing conditions had been perfect and the ship made good time but nearing their destination, they encountered a strong southwest storm and the Captain gave the order to stand off the mouth of the Columbia river. A few hours after midnight, a gust of wind pushed the Peter Iredale towards the surging waves breaking on shore and soon, the ship raked the sand, causing sections of the main mast, rigging, blocks and tackle to crash onto the deck. Striking bottom for good, the remaining mast snapped as the Peter Iredale came to rest on the beach at Clatsop Spit.

Remarkably, during the shower of riggings pounding the deck, no hands were lost, and the crew of the Peter Iredale took refuge at Fort Stevens. The ship, however, was declared a total loss, and the wreck was deemed unremarkable, only reflecting navigational problems in bad weather.

The Peter Iredale is visible today, within the boundaries of Fort Stevens State Park, and is a popular attraction that lives on as a well-known landmark on the northwest Oregon coast.

Sunset Beach state recreational site and the Fort to Sea trail is a great place to take a hike, one which Lewis and Clark did during their exploration in the 1800s.

This is a re-creation of an encampment of the Lewis and Clark expedition near the mouth of the Columbia River during the winter of 1805-1806. This fort is located along th Lewis and Clark River at the north end of the Clatsop plains. This was the last camp of the Corps of Discovery before embarking on their return trip east to St. Louis.

It took just over 3 weeks for the Expedition to build the fort, and it served as their camp from December 8, 1805 until their departure on March 23, 1806. This replica was built from sketches in the journal of William Clark and is operated by the National Park Service

Open year round.

The campsites are arranged in loops, many of which have a bathroom with flush toilets and hot showers located in the center of the loop.

Also available are 15 yurts, 11 delux cabins, 9 primitive hike in sites

fire rings, picnic tables, paved parking, firewood, ice

hot showers, flush toilets, RV dump, and ADA accessible cabins and yurts.

After a very long night, I awake to a completely dark morning, turn on my computer and begin writing in my journal. Sunrise is still another hour away when I will step out of the jammer to begin my meal preparations. Then, when the twilight begins to bring light to the forest, I step out to begin my breakfast.

Awake just before the dayglow but go back to sleep for another hour, then rise, walk to the restroom and notice that the showers are locked until ten this morning. Then, I pack out and drive into Warrenton to the w-mart and find that here too, I can go inside and sit down at a table and set up my computer. This is my second experience since the pandemic began, with being able to sit at the table inside. I am so glad that this coffee cafe has finally opened it′s dining rooms and it appears to be nationwide.