Fort Stevens State Park Beach
Warrenton, OR
Fort Stevens sits at the tip of Clatsop Spit where the Columbia River meets the Pacific, and the rusted skeleton of the Peter Iredale, wrecked in 1906, still sits half buried in the sand a short walk from the main lot. The old military batteries and a nine mile bike loop through the dunes round out a beach day here.
A genuine landmark beach thanks to the shipwreck, but the wind off the river mouth is relentless and the lots get crowded fast once school lets out.
How we score beachesGo at low tide for the best look at the Iredale wreck, and check the tide table before you park, since the shipwreck lot floods first in a big surge.
A day use fee applies at the main Peter Iredale and Coffenbury Lake lots. Both fill by mid morning on summer weekends.
Paved paths lead from the parking lots to viewing points; reaching the wreck itself means crossing open sand that can be soft and uneven.
Dogs are allowed on leash throughout the state park's beach and trails.
The mouth of the Columbia gets wind and swell most of the year, so summer, June through September, is the calmest window for a beach walk without a jacket.
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