Astoria Things to Do

One of the first stops heading up the Washington coastline from Oregon across Columbia River on the other side of the Astoria-Megler bridge is North Head Lighthouse.

The North Head Lighthouse at Fort Canby State Park was built in 1898 and is one of the windiest places in the United States. Visitors can take in the view from the height of North Head, or ascend the lighthouse itself on a tour offered by volunteers from Fort Canby State Park for a $1 fee. Tours are conducted daily during the summer from 10 AM to 6 PM, and during the off-season on weekends from 11 AM to 3 PM.

The Astoria Column commemorates the westward sweep of discovery and migration. Designed by a New York architect named Electus Litchfield and inspired by the Trajan Column in Rome, the Astoria Column was completed in 1926 for a total cost of just over $27,000. The initial expense included the etchings of fourteen scenes in the cement around the column depicting the pioneers as they settled in the Northwest. Along with these carvings, today a large version of the Oregon state seal has been engraved into the floor of the observation deck. It is 125 feet high and has 164 steps winding to the top. Open dawn to dusk. $1 per car donation requested. Any visit to Astoria would not be complete without getting a full view of the Astoria-Megler Bridge from the top of the Astoria Column.

Especially if you have kids coming, buy some balsa wood gliders in the gift shop before you go up the tower. They sell them to launch from the tower and it's great fun to watch them glide and circle their way down to the ground. If you write your name on the plane you may be able to recover it at the bottom, although if you catch a good updraft you will be amazed as your biodegradable plane flies up, up and away until it disappears from view. Good fun.

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287 feet long, 30 feet wide and 23 feet from water line to keel, this 4 masted bark was built by Riston of Mayport, England in 1890. It served the Peter Iredale and John Porter Line for 16 years, mostly hauling grain between the Pacific Northwest and Australia and coal and wood to England.

On October 26, 1906, the ship was running light from Salina Cruz, Mexico back to the Pacific Northwest. A strong southwest storm hit the ship at the mouth of the Columbia River. The change of weather was abrupt from the smooth journey they had for much of the way. Sometime between the early morning hours and dawn, the entire ship came crashing ashore.

Thanks to the landing on soft sand, no one was killed in the grounding of the vessel.

The ship was declared a complete loss, and sold to Pacific Iron Works of Astoria for scrap. Much of the hull was cut up and removed, but the heavy pieces were determined to be too difficult to remove. Thus, a portion of the ship wreck has remained on the Oregon coast for the past 104 years.

Other pieces have been removed over the years as they were determined to be safety hazards.

There are interpretive signs at the wreck site, south of the main beach parking lot and south of the bathrooms, that tell the brief story of the ship, and give some historical photos of the wreck as it has deteriorated over the years.

If you look at the photos closely, you will see that the wreck has moved a little over the years. My first memory of visiting the wreck when I was a child was a little disappointing, as much of the ship was so deeply buried in the sand at that time it was impossible to see anything except a section of the bow. These photos are from a May, 2010 visit, and show that now it is possible to see and touch the ribs and even see the remains of one of the masts. The angle and depth at which the ship sits changes slowly over time due to sand shifting from the ocean. However it may shift, it is still thoroughly stuck in the sand.

The beach on which the Peter Iredale was wrecked was incorporated into Fort Stevens State Park, and that is the web site you will find listed below.

The way to the ship is reasonably well marked once you enter the section of the park that is near the campground.

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Located at the very northwest corner of Fort Stevens State Park, this observation deck allows for an elevated view out to the Ocean at the end of the natural peninsula, and at the start of the artificial peninsula that was formed out of thousands of large rocks. This "South Jetty" helps create a section of calm water for ships entering the Columbia River from the Pacific Ocean.

Other than the pit toilets and the observation platform, there isn't too much at this location.

The beach access provided here is of limited utility, as the beach really isn't that good due to the large rocks that have been placed here to form the start of the jetty. You are better off at the beaches further south. See photo 2, 3, and 4 for a look along what little of the beach remains at this location.

The south jetty was put here over 100 years ago, and you can still see the remains of the railroad trestle that was constructed out to sea, from which the rocks were dumped. Along the jetty, these trestle pilings and parts are now part of the jetty, as the rocks were dumped around the trestle pilings.

The jetty extends out to sea approximately 2 miles (3.3 km).

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For many years Astoria's best known landmark, this 125 foot tall column is still one of the best known landmarks on Oreogn's west coast, and offers a wonderful 360 degree view that includes the Pacific Ocean, the Columbia River, and the Cascade Mountains.

The artwork that scrolls up the side of the column would be some 500 feet or more long if it were completely unrolled. This artwork tells of early Oregon history, especially that early history that took place in the area around Astoria.

Now, a few words of warning: peak tourist season in June, July, and August will make this quite a bit less pleasant to visit due to the crowds. The 164 steps that go from the bottom to the top are steep, and very difficult to navigate if there are a lot of people on them. It is somewhat difficult to for groups of people to pass eachother on these narrow steps. When it was built in the 1920s, tourists were fewer, and much better behaved.

There are landings on the stairs every 1 1/4 turn or so, and if you hear people coming in the opposite way you would do a lot better to wait and let them pass.

The top of the column is windy, and you will find it quite a bit colder up there than at the bottom of the column.

If it is raining, the metal stairs may be a bit slippery.

Also located at the top of the hill is a very large "Native American" canoe, and a grass hillside that is part of a larger city park. If it is a sunny day, you may want to consider having lunch here, but it may have a cold wind coming from the west.

More information than you could possibly want to know is located at the Astoria Column Web Site, below.

In 2005, they replaced the entire staircase by removing the roof of the column, yanking the old staircase out the top with a huge crane, and dropping a new one in. This was the only way anyone could think of that would remove the old staircase and put in a new one, without the work being horribly time consuming and difficult.

The parking fee at the tower is $1 for an annual permit. There are a number of items available in the gift shop in the parking lot, including some literature that comes with the parking permit.

The column closes at dusk, but the park at the top of the hill remains open until 10 at night. The column has ligths on it at night.

In addition to the five photos I have on this tip, I have added a few more photos in a traveloge in the event you would like to take a look at some of the views from the top.

The Astoria Column Visitor's Center offers a number of things for sale, including column memorabilia, some literature and interpretations of the column artwork free of charge, and some general Oregon Coast items.

The museum contains not just a wealth of information about the maritime history on the Columbia River, but also information more relevant to today, including one of the most spectacular displays being a full-sized Coast Guard rescue boat being pitched at a severe storm wave, which is also life-size and takes up an entire side of the museum.

You will find that there are hallways upon hallways here. You will turn a corner and find a new corridor that you didn't realize was there before.

If your interest is boats and ships, this is definitely a place you will not want to miss, and there is a lot here of general interest as well.

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From the outside the Flavel House is a beautiful example of a Queen Anne Style Victorian Home. The house was built in 1885 for Captain George Flavel and his family. Captain Flavel was a harbor master and one of Astoria's most influencial residents. He made his fortune in real estate and shipping investments.

The inside of the house has some beautiful woodwork, several mantels, and wonderfully high ceilings. I also loved the three-story octagon tower. The period furnishings are not original but enable visitors to imagine what life was like at that time. For as beautiful and interesting as the outside is, there was no "warmth" inside.

Allow about an hour to explore the house and its very pretty grounds.

You may recognize this home from the movie, The Goonies. For fans of the movie, the house is featured as the museum where Mikey's father works as a curator.

Open daily Summer (May-Sept.) 10-5; Winter (Oct.-April) 11-4

Admission: $5 adults, $4 seniors, $children

There is a small gift shop on the property.

During the summer months, you can have tea and scones in the formal dining room of the Flavel House for a slight fee.

You can purchase a Museum Pass that will gain you access to the Flavel House, the Heritage House, and the Maritime Museum.

Please note that the visitor information is correct at the time of this writing.