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Fort Stevens State Park offers visitors a chance to learn about history while enjoying the natural beauty of the Oregon coast. The park is home to the remains of an old military fort that was in use from the Civil War era to World War II, providing visitors with a fascinating glimpse into the area's past. Popular activities include investigating the fort ruins and exploring the area’s historic shipwrecks. The park is situated along the ocean, providing miles of sandy beaches and beautiful Pacific views. Just steps from the campsites are hiking and biking along the park's numerous trails, fishing in the Columbia River or nearby lakes, or bird watching.
$35 - $44 / night
$15 - $20 / night
$20 / night
This 280-acre secluded, forested site is a favorite among youth organizations and other groups. It's easy to get back to nature at this beautiful park, with 24 Adirondacks (3-sided camp shelters), numerous tent sites, and a rustic day lodge complete with cooking facilities to accommodate groups of up to 250 people. Take a big step up from a tent and check out our rustic two-room cabins. Bring your horse, ride the trails and camp in a horse corral tent site. Camp Wilkerson is located 16 miles northwest of Scappoose, Oregon.
Legend
I had researched this park quite awhile beforehand and was interested based on the reviews posted here. It looked pretty nice. Unfortunately when we were able to preview it by driving through I was surprised to find out it was not at all what I had seen in reviews. This place is on the edge of a small town and it looks like it is occupied by long term tenants with a lot of paraphernalia and personal belongings strewn about. For us, traveling for vacation and sightseeing it would not be a place we'd wanna stay. We did have dinner and really enjoyed it in the little town of Vernonia where it is located and that was great. The park is also adjacent to a fantastic walking biking trail and it's next to a city park.
Guide
There is so much to do here and every time I've been to Ft. Stevens, we just scratch the surface. We were down here in August as the last stop on our family vacation and we discovered a whole section of the park we didn't know was there! This time, it was just me and my kiddo. We came down for a rally put on by a PNW based group of the brand trailer I own. The majority of the group was in loops O and N, though there were some of us (myself included) in other parts of the campground. I ended up in loop M, which has full hook-ups so that was nice. This was my first rally and it was my first big solo trip with just me and my kiddo. The sites in loop M do seem sort of close together depending on where you are in the loop. There are also a lot of trees, which could contribute to that feeling. My back-in site, M04, was partially secluded with a row of shrubs between M04 and M05 and some shrubs and trees behind me. I could see the road and the yurt village from my back window. There is also a paved trail that goes along side the road. If you go down into loop O, there is little trail that takes you over to the south parking area of Coffenbury Lake where you can pick up the 2 mile dirt trail around the lake. FYI...no matter how fancy your fancy all terrain running stroller might be, it won't work on this trail. Never fear though, there are plenty of paved bike trails that will get you throughout the park! The only reason I am giving 4 starts instead of 5 is because I have a toddler that likes playgrounds. The only playground is in the north campground. It wasn't a long walk, but there were no paved trails which put us in the bike lane of the main road going into and out of the campground. When it is busy, there are a lot of big vehicles going in and out. It would have been nice to have a playground in the south campground or have a continuation of the paved path next to the road. Verizon phone service is meh. I had no issues calling or texting my husband, anything else was spotty as I had one or two bars. While I don't go camping to scroll about on the internet, I do have a toddler that has a much earlier bedtime than me so it's nice to be able to catch up on social media or put in some earbuds and watch a movie on my phone or watch youtube. Couldn't do any of that.
Scout
The "cabins" are essentially shed conversions on a flatbed and wheels that rock and sway. Not ada accessible. They have electricity but no insulation and the water reeks of sulfur. The loft style beds seem like they are for children.
The host Joann is money hungry and inflexible. Be sure to get travel insurance and read all rules and reviews on other platforms prior to stay to be well informed of issues and not be blindsided by uncharges here. She will enter your space as she sees fit. There are no boundaries for her but tons for guests with rule signage plastered everywhere on the grounds.
Campground is covered in rabbit feces, so parents with small children beware. I would never stay here again. For the headache of dealing with the host alone it made the entire experience one of an utterly uncomfortable inconvenience.
This place looks nice from an outside view but staying here is an entirely different story.
Also the fact that a Joanna left a 5 star reviews here when all other platforms have complaints is a bit questionable.
GuideI hadn't been here for years. I forgot how massive this place is...and how nice it is! We got a last minute reservation and ended up with a great site. It's a HUGE set of campgrounds, but it never felt crowded. And you can drive out on the beach and get away too. We sat for a few hours and had maybe 1 car per hour drive by. We were on loop H, which was good and bad. The bathrooms were horrible and needed torn down, but the next loop over was close and had great bathrooms and showers. Also, H didn't have a playground, so it was a little quieter with the kids. Or maybe it was just because we were camping after Labor Day and there were fewer kids in general.
GuideThis campground has it all, nice size spaces, beaches, lots of hiking, biking trails, dirt, and paved. Very quiet, extremely well kept and managed.
Scout
I pulled up and it looked abandoned and unsafe—something from a horror movie. The bathroom literally had trash dumped out in front and the some of the campsites were unkept. It's trek to get back there for such disappointment. Left as soon as I could, ended up sleeping at a rest area.
ScoutLocation is incredible, great nature. Place for your dreams! I do like this place so much and playing there in papa games!
TravelerLarge 36 acre peaceful Rv Park on the Clatskanie River. 2 miles on SWEDETOWN road. lots of bunnies and a cute petting zoo very relaxing.
ScoutFerocious number of mosquitos that were persistent despite repellant. It’s bizarre they chose to put the campsites near the “lake” and swampy areas versus closer to beach access away from those areas.
Camp sites were also a little too packed tight versus other nearby state parks like Nehalem Bay.
Guide
A very nice campground, close to Portland. Well maintained, bathrooms were the cleanest I’ve seen at a campground.
Scoutthis just an EXCELLENT destination!!!!! thank you for taking the time and exerting the energy to do this! I love it and super mario 64!
GuideI usually dispersed camp, so it was a lot more noisy and active than i'm used to. Most people seem pretty polite, though.And the bathrooms had warm showers, complimentary, and flushing toilets!
GuideVery nice campground. Large, clean sites. Lots of hiking and mountain biking trails within the park and a regional rail to trail runs through it.
I really appreciated other Dyrt reviews that said the shadier, more private sites are numbered below 40. We were in 38.
The walk in sites in Dairy Loop surround a meadow, so less private. The other walk in sites on the other side of the visitor center are very sweet. Just little sites carved out of the woods. They are a longer walk from the car and have a pit toilet instead of flush. But very sweet.
Travelerthe "hike in" camp sites are located between the trash compactor and recycling cans and the parking lot of the ranger station that leaves lights on all night.. so the trees are blown out by the light and it's nearly impossible to see the stars through the trees, and the trash compactor likes to go off randomly at 5:00 a.m.. athe sites are very small and close together. the other major problem is the squirrels in the campground and the previous campers that left piles of scrap for them to snack on. the first thing I see upon arriving at our campsite is a squirrel coming out of a neighboring tent that it chewed a hole through carrying a bag of graham crackers. (yes, do not leave food in your tent..) I chase the squirrel away multiple times to have the same squirrel come back over and over again.. I'm pretty sure that the same squirrel was the one that I witnessed climbing up into other people's tents and trying to steal food the entire time.
this is also a large campground with a lot of people and their children and dogs.. screaming children and barking dogs.. and that started at sunrise.
the campground and park are beautiful and I will try again in the off season..
TravelerNice little campground. Two drive in sites the rest are walk in. A couple that are a short walk. Great fishing in the lake year round. The road up to campground is pretty rough. Lots of washboard.
Travelerthis was so awesome.. we used the walk-in camp sites that had been closed till the moment we asked after closing due to a tree falling in one of the bathrooms.. so me and my friend were the only ones out there.. but the walk in and out is nothing but a hill. but that was a small price for the beautiful seclusion. I doubt it will ever be the same when I go back..
GuideSites are mostly in shaded wood areas but since hookups are available solar needs shouldn't be a concern. Most sites offer good privacy. Hiking opportunities as well as to local historical military battery (big gun installation). They guns are gone at this site, but there is one on display a short drive away.
Scout
Campsites are spaced well apart with lots of room in each site. Bathrooms are nothing special. Make sure to bring water shoes down to the river -(It’s super rocky). Phone Service is super bad so be prepared to go off grid!
ScoutI like this area but so do the local tweakers too. I should have ignored the tweaker girl who camped in the best site by the lake. She tried to burn down the forest in middle of the night. So I went a second time and found a homeless camp in the only RV spot. Camped there anyway and had cars driving in and leaving all night long. This camp has become creepy, borderline unsafe.
ScoutShowed up in the dark & rain, no reservations in February. Lots of room at each site, very clean, nice bathrooms, quiet. Easy onsite reservation/payment.
LegendThere's not much to add to all of the other reviews except that we were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed being here for a few days. We happened to get one of just a couple remaining sites mid-week in late June. The park was full. And yet there are so many places to explore and relax that we never felt too crowded. This was our second trip out with our 8 year old grandson. We didn't lack for activity, for sure!
We checked it all out! The batteries, the Peter Iredale, the lake and the Jetty. The only thing we might have enjoyed having were our bikes. However with a dog, walking is better.
TravelerWe really enjoyed this state park. We were tent camping in November, so we knew what we were getting into. We reserved a full hookup site and packed heated blankets (site had electricity) and plenty of blankets. Overall the park is very clean, well maintained, and very quiet. Lots of hiking to be had. Would recommend bringing bikes along if you have the chance. We’re definitely planning on coming back during the summers months. The biggest bonus is that it’s really close to the metro area. It was a 30 minute drive for us.
LegendThe 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.
LegendAs we had been here before, it was an easy drive in on US-26 to the campground (CG). What we didn’t do was read our 2019 review on whether we needed to stop at the park building that sits down the hill from the main road. The way it looks from the road, there isn't any RV parking, but as we rolled past the exit, we saw there actually was RV parking. The next road happened to be our loop, Daisy Creek, so we went ahead and backed into our site, 52, with FHUs. The pad starts with asphalt and then goes to gravel, where you actually park the rig. After setting up, we walked down to the park building, and the rangers had just opened their check-in windows. Since we were pre-registered, we could have printed out our confirmation email and placed that on the dashboard. However, they gave us a rearview mirror tag so we wouldn't have to print off our confirmation. The water and sewer hookups were in the middle of the site, with electric being at the back of the pad. The water pressure was not very good at around 35 psi. We had a clear shot to the north sky for Starlink, but it's doubtful we’d get a southern sky shot from this site due to the mature trees. We got 3 bars LTE on Verizon. There is a good variety of sites for RVs, large and small. There are also tent sites to include a walk-in tent area near the main building where you register. Since we were here last time, they now have an off-leash fenced dog area. What makes this CG so special is the multitude of hiking, biking, and horse trails. They even have a disc golf course within the park. The CG is close to Portland, but you'd never know you were that close to a major city.
GuideWe stopped here on our way south from Washington. Had a nice stay. Campsite was so clean, even the gravel was raked. Plenty of room at each campsite. Bathrooms were old but very clean and well kept. Showers were also very clean. Camp hosts were very nice and helpful. Some nice hiking close by. I would definitely stay again.
LegendLots of things to do in this area. park is super well maintained. Trash services, awesome showers, reasonable price. You can walk to the historic boat wreck. Lots of walking and biking trails. Spots were level but close together, but it was quiet.
Quick drive to Astoria if your a Goonies fan. There were elk walking around the neighborhoods. Just love the vibe!
TravelerPretty quiet. The campsites are a little too close together. Not a lot of privacy. The beach is beautiful, though.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Arch Cape, OR?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Arch Cape, OR is Fort Stevens State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 149 reviews.
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