
Photo Credit: Kurt Nelson
One of the first tourists to the Lower Columbia River, William Clark (of Lewis and Clark) summed up what many visitors have repeated when visiting Astoria, Oregon, and the mouth of the Columbia: Oh Joy! The area is a tourist’s delight, and RVers will find much to explore on both the Oregon and Washington sides of the river.

A replica of Fort Clatsop exists where the Corps of Discovery wintered.
Photo Credit: Kurt Nelson

Fort Stevens State Park began as a military fort in the Civil War.
Photo Credit: Kurt Nelson
Maritime History

The Columbia lightship is moored on the Astoria waterfront.
Photo Credit: Kurt Nelson
Astoria has seen a renaissance of late, which means the RV traveler is not forced to cook at camp each night. Scrumptious restaurants, brew pubs, and cafes provide welcome respite for nights out with fun and fine dining. Many are located along the waterfront, allowing views of ocean freighters as they move up river or out to sea. A boardwalk runs along the waterfront, and there is also a trolley.
For a spectacular view of the area, go to the top of Coxcomb Hill and climb the 125-foot Astoria Column. Even if the fear of heights prevents you from exploring the top of the column, the history of Chief Concomly of the Clatsop Indians and the views from the parking lot make the hill a must-see destination. On a clear day you can see Saddle Mountain, Tillamook Head, or west out to sea, with a lighthouse marking the entrance to the Columbia River. (The column is undergoing a $1 million restoration this summer, and the interior will be closed through September, but the grounds remain open.)
On the North Side
You could spend weeks just exploring the south shore of the Columbia, but that is only half the area, and half the fun. Crossing the Astoria-Megler Bridge from Astoria takes you into Washington state. Once across the bridge, if you head east, or up river, you can visit the national park site of Dismal Nitch, where the Corps of Discovery spent a week during a winter storm. Further east is the “Ellis Island of the Columbia,” or the Public Health Service’s (PHS) Quarantine Station. A private museum is housed in the original PHS building and preserves a fascinating piece of the area’s history. The museum is working with local residents to tell the story of those who were quarantined at the station and what happened to them once they left. While many of those who were detained at the health station were Asian, others were Scandinavians who came by ship to join family and friends in this region heavily settled with Viking descendants.

Fort Columbia State Park has buildings dating to the 1890s.
Photo Credit: Kurt Nelson
On both sides of the river are numerous fishing villages with charter boat opportunities and places to put your own boat in the water. Oregon has Hammond and Warrenton and Washington has Chinook and Ilwaco, to name just a few. As you drive west from Fort Columbia State Park, you pass places with some of the world’s best salmon fishing! But once at Ilwaco, you can head for another premier state park: Cape Disappointment. With 60 full hookup sites, 18 with water and electricity, plus another 137 sites, a dump station, cabins and yurts, this Washington state park offers RVers a wonderful base of operations to explore the Long Beach peninsula as well as the Cape Disappointment area.
The cape has two lighthouses to hike to, boat ramps to sail away from, wonderful beaches and hiking trails to wander along, and two premier destinations to check out: Cape Disappointment Coast Guard Station (with the National Motor Lifeboat School) and within the park, the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, located and built near the old gun emplacements of Fort Canby. Like Fort Stevens in Oregon, Cape Disappointment State Park is part of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.
Driving an RV or towing a trailer to the mouth of the Columbia River can lead to an excellent vacation. RV parks abound, from simple RV camps to first-class private RV parks with pools and spas, to excellent state parks with wonderful facilities and recreational opportunities. Services are plentiful with repairs, groceries, medical care and everything else an RV traveler needs. It’s time to hook up and head west. Whether you stay on land, cross the river, or take a charter boat, you, too, will exclaim, “Oh, joy! Ocean in view!”
Kurt Nelson is a writer, photographer and RVer who lives in Milwaukie, Oregon. He is also a volunteer at Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.
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