Fort Stevens State Park

The state park (SP) was fairly easy to find as there are SP signs well before the park, and all the way to the park regardless of which direction you are coming in from. WAZE and our RV GPS wanted to take us down other streets, but we held the course following the signs. There are multiple ways to get to the park, but the signs lead you to the most RV friendly roads. We turned into the park entrance, where there was a huge parking lot and a sign to register. Check-in was quick and easy. Our cost was an $8 online booking fee, with both of us having the Oregon State Park Disabled Veteran Pass. This pass provides 10 days of free camping per month to disabled veterans, resident or non-resident. We proceeded right out of the parking lot and to the H loop, where we drove to site H10 with FHUs. This is an old loop with lots of trees, but the road was passable with our 40’ fifth wheel. However, site H10 has a brush on the driver’s side and low-hanging trees on the passenger side. It’s a tight back-in, and you have to hit the pad exactly to keep from scraping the driver’s side, and we brushed branches on our 13.5’ roof. After several tries and some minor scraping, we got into the site. We asked a park ranger if we could trim the branches so they wouldn’t scrape the roof, especially in the wind. The ranger gave us permission to hand trim. On select loops (there’s a sign as you exit the registration parking lot on where) they sell firewood by the camp host areas for $7 a bundle. They also sell kindling for $4 a bundle. The water pressure was okay, and we had no issues with the sewer or electric. As we were here for two weeks and football junkies, we tried to get Starlink to connect with no luck as there were too many trees. We had 2 bars on Verizon, so we were able to get some internet with our MiFi. Fort Stevens is a huge campground with a variety of site sizes and utility options. The best loop for big rigs, in our opinion, is the newer O loop (water and electric 50/30/20 AMP only) that doesn’t have as many trees or shrubs between sites. The O loop’s even-numbered sites 2-26 are big-rig friendly and open enough to provide satellite shots, especially for Starlink. In general, just our opinion, loops B, C, D, E, F, G & M, are better suited for tents and/or shorter rigs (up to 35’). Class A's and 5th wheels may have trouble with overhead branches. Loops I, J, and N have plenty of sites that will fit big rigs, but read reviews as loops I and J are heavily wooded with overhead branches and brush/shrubs separating sites like in the H loop. There are a ton of trails to walk or bike. We really enjoyed all that Fort Stevens State Park has to offer, with a side benefit being all the elk roaming around the campground and deer hanging out at our campsite.

We really liked that ship!

One of my favourite camping spots! the staff are super chill and always really helpful! It does book up in summer though so be prepared for that!

We stayed here years ago (my old video is featured on here) and needed a spot for one night as we headed S from the Olympic Peninsula. The asphalt is showing its age in some of the sites - tree roots and getting old. Having FHU & pull-thrus available make it an attractive campground. The walking trails & bike trails are great! Also a great place for families and kids - lots to do & see. The "oh wow" thing, was having elk poop in our site!

Tent only is $22, campsites quite close to each other

Facilities were nice and clean. Spots were easy to get into but not much space once parked. We were parked next to the Yurt Host and their dog barked ALL day the first day. Easy access to the beach (less than a mile drive from our site). Loved the history of the shipwreck!

Check in was easy. This is a huge park and depending on which loop you reserve you could have good cell service or no cell service with Verizon. We didn’t have much of a choice. We booked it two weeks before we arrived and we were lucky we got in. It’s an extremely busy park. There are north and south loops. Some loops are extremely forested.
We are in O-1 which I would stay again. Starlink is not possible in many of the loops. We were lucky as there’s a marsh area behind us and my partner put on rubber boots and went out and put our Starlink out in a clearing. We are also a short hop over to the lake.

There are many things to do here biking, hiking, and exploring the historical sites. There is coffinberry lake to fish, paddle board and kayak in with a boat launch. The lake is only about 2 1/2 miles around and it’s a nice walking path to take your dog on with very few people.
The day use area has picnic tables and is right by the lake. There is a place to rent paddle boards and kayaks by scanning the code and choosing, your equipment. There’s also a bike rental place.

There is a Walmart and Costco a few miles away.
You can book fishing charters as you’re right at the mouth of the Columbia river.
You can drive your 4 x 4 onto the beach and our dogs had a great time running along the beach early in the morning. There is a season when the snowy plovers are nesting, and then there are restrictions along the beach.

What can we add?...Signage to get to the CG was a little confusing to us. We drove all the way to the end of the jetty and took a nice walk around there that we wouldn't have otherwise. So, when in doubt turn left to get to the CG. if you think you have gone too far, you probably have.

As we usually like to do, no matter how tired or hungry we are, we drove around and around to assess the different loops and pick our spot. They are all more or less the same though, so if you are in a rush, and have to choose, just go for it!

We stayed in the off season and though the park was pretty empty, we appreciated the year round camp hosts. A note of warning - the air compressor at the welcome center actually took air OUT of our bike tires.

We biked from here to Ft. Clatsop. Would recommend, but the route does take you along some busy roads. Teeny tiny blip of AT&T coverage came in and out.

The rate is for a full hookup site. This campground has 500 campsites, electric/water and full hookup, in 12 loops (C-O), plus a few cabins, yurts and tent sites. We were here in November and they had shut down loops N and O. We thought the layout of loops L and M felt a bit more private with pull-throughs on the inside of the loop and back-ins on the outside of the loop.

Sites are in forested areas, paved and with picnic tables and fire rings. There are rest rooms in each loop, and showers in most loops. There are day use areas, picnic shelters and biking and hiking trails nearby, as well as access to Swash Lake.

The beaches are beautiful and dog friendly (one part of Clatsop Spit has a leash requirement from March 15-July 15). Driving is permitted on a part of the beach, though we did not drive on the beach - see notes from other reviewers on this.

The remains of the wreck of the Peter Iredale, a ship which ran aground in1906, lies near the southern beach access parking area and is a very pretty sunset spot. There is an observation platform near the South Jetty on Clatsop Spit with a great view of the Columbia River bar crossing. On a clear day, the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse is visible across the way in Washington (a good one to visit also).

The park also houses an abandoned fort, the Fort Stevens Military Reservation, sections of which are open to the public (there is a brochure for a self-guided tour), and a Military Museum. And the Fort Clatsop unit of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, where the Corps of Discovery spent the winter at the end of their journey, is a short drive away.

There are grocery stores and other services in nearby Hammond. And the lovely town of Astoria is about 20 minutes away, with more museums and historic sites, breweries, restaurants, cafes and more fun stuff.

Note: The office was only open from 9-11AM during this season. If you have no reservations the bulletin board directs you to sites that are available for one night only.

Saw this park when we flew to OR to visit relatives and vowed to come back with the RV. Took our first long post retirement trip in July-Aug 2015 and this was our end point. Loved our stay under the tall Sitka Spruces along with the very short route to the Pacific Ocean. Some sites could be a snug fit but no more so than other parks. Park was well maintained & run. I hope to visit again someday.