Fort Stevens State Park Beach

Located within Fort Stevens State Park in the coastal city of Warrenton in Clatsop County, Fort Stevens State Park Beach - also known as Fort Stevens Beach - has a long beige sand beach.   The beach is positioned on the Clatsop Spit along the northern Oregon coast, near the mouth of the Columbia River.  It has a beautiful backdrop of dunes and coastal vegetation, offering incredible views of the Pacific Ocean.  

Fort Stevens State Park Beach is renowned for the wreckage of the British ship Peter Iredale, a 275-foot-long, four-masted steel boat that crash-landed on Clatsop Spit in 1906. The ship ran aground on this beach while it was traveling from Mexico to the Columbia River due to heavy fog and currents.  Despite the shipwreck, the entire crew made it safely to shore, and no one was seriously injured or died. Currently, the skeletal remains of Peter Iredale are still visible on the beach, which is protected by state and federal laws.

The beach is part of Fort Stevens State Park, which is one of the largest state parks in Oregon, spread over 4,300 acres and is home to beaches, freshwater lakes, a campground, golf courses, hiking trails, biking trails, museums, a visitors center, and Fort Stevens, the former site of military installations once used to guard the mouth of the Columbia River.  In the 1950’s, the area was converted into a state park after the military decommissioned the fort.

Fort Stevens State Park Beach does not have lifeguards but offers many other amenities, including restrooms, interpretive signs, biking trails, hiking trails, and a nearby visitor center.

Fort Stevens State Park Beach offers many fun activities, including swimming, sunbathing, beachcombing, watching wildlife, kite flying, hiking, camping, fishing, stargazing, sandboarding, driving, riding bicycle, and horseback riding.  If you are planning to go into the water, we recommend being careful, as the water is known to have unpredictable rip currents.  It is a perfect spot for windsurfing due to the frequently windy Fort Stevens State Park weather.  Hikers can enjoy the nearby hiking trails, which offer unique insights into the local biodiversity.   If you enjoy photography, you can take incredible Fort Stevens State Park photos.  There is a nearby campground, popularly known as Fort Stevens State Park Campground, where visitors may book a camp to enjoy an incredible Fort Stevens State Park camping experience.  In addition, visitors can enjoy four-wheel driving on the beach, but we advice abiding by speed limits and being careful of high tides.  Fort Stevens State Park Beach is a popular beach that attracts a large influx of visitors every year.  Dogs are allowed if they are on leash, and it is open from sunrise until sunset.

Fort Stevens State Park Beach offers an access path for people with disabilities.

Getting to Fort Stevens State Park Beach is easy - the beach has a parking lot along Peter Iredale Road, Hammond, or visitors can park their vehicles at Lot A of Jetty Road, Hammond, providing easy access to the beach.  Visitors must pay five dollars per person as an admission fee to access Fort Stevens State Park.  For locational details, refer to the Fort Stevens State Park Beach map.

Fort Stevens State Park Beach is an ideal spot for enjoying the sunset over the Oregon coastline.

There are many attractions near Fort Stevens State Park Beach.  The Columbia River Maritime Museum offers an interesting insight into the maritime history of the Columbia River through historic artifacts, photographs, and related memorabilia.  In addition, it hosts interesting events, educational programs, and short films.  Tapiola Park is a large neighborhood park that offers many amenities, including a large playground with swing sets, a basketball court, a football field, a skate park, restrooms, picnic shelters, picnic tables, a play area, a restroom for people with disabilities, benches, and trash cans.  Oregon Film Museum was a jail turned into a museum that showcases interesting exhibits and related memorabilia from the making of the movie "The Goonies” and many other films made in Oregon.  Fort Columbia State Park is home to Fort Columbia, which served as a military defense installation for the Columbia River through the World War II era.  Visitors can enjoy self-guided tours to see the artillery emplacements, historic homes, observation stations, and bunkers.  If you are looking for another nearby attraction, The Astoria Column is a 125-foot-tall concrete and steel column that features artwork depicting key events in early Oregon history.  It has a 164-step spiral staircase leading to an observation deck at the top that offers Instagram-worthy views of the Columbia River.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants within a five-minute drive of Fort Stevens State Park Beach.  South Jetty Dining Room & Bar serves incredible salads, soups, sandwiches, seafood, beef, pork, poultry dishes, and desserts.  Buoy 9 Restaurant & Lounge serves amazing salads, soups, sandwiches, oysters, shrimp, seafood, beef, and poultry dishes.  El Catrin Mexican Cuisine serves steaks, quesadillas, burritos, fajitas, seafood, beef, poultry dishes, and desserts.  Nisa's Thai Kitchen serves delicious Thai cuisine, including soups, salads, curries, rice, noodles, seafood, poultry dishes, and desserts.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby restaurant, Arnie's Cafe serves eggs, omelets, burritos, pancakes, burgers, sandwiches, salad, soups, burgers, steaks, short ribs, seafood, beef, pork, and poultry dishes.

If you are looking for a hotel near Fort Stevens State Park Beach, there are many great options nearby.  If you are looking for an upscale hotel, the 5-Star Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa is 14 minutes away by car and offers many amenities, including hot tubs, a spa, a sauna, a fitness center, restaurants, and complimentary breakfast.  A more affordable hotel is the 4-Star The Porter Portland Curio Collection by Hilton, which has many amenities, including a heated indoor pool, a fitness center,a spa, and an Italian restaurant.  Another moderately priced option is the 4-Star Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa, which has many amenities, including a spa, hot tubs, a fitness center, a fireplace, and a restaurant.  A more reasonably priced option is the beachfront 3-Star South Jetty Inn, which offers many amenities, including an outdoor seating area, picnic tables, and fireplaces.  If you are looking for another good and affordable nearby hotel, the 3-Star Hampton Inn & Suites Astoria has many amenities, including an indoor pool, a fitness center, a snack shop, and complimentary breakfast.