Astoria and the Upper Oregon Coast

The upper Oregon coast is a magnificent continuance of the southern Oregon coast. It’s amazing shoreline with magnificent sea stacks and snuck away beaches to relax, marvel and explore are simply indescribable. But as the Columbia River flows into the deep Pacific waters the beauty of the coastline meets the beast appropriately referred to “the graveyard of the Pacific”.

Astoria Oregon, the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies with close ties to the Lewis and Clark expedition, sits in the far northwestern corner of the state at the mouth of the Columbia River, connected by two long bridges seemingly like an island. This town of approximately 10,000 local residence has a storied past and deep connection to the shipping and fishing industry.

Shifting sandbars, unpredictable currents and changing weather conditions are just some of the factors that have contributed to roughly 2,000 ships sinking and 700 lives lost along the Columbia Bar since 1792. Early fur trading drove people to Astoria and later it became the largest cannery on the Pacific, home to dozens of canneries such as Bumble-Bee. If it wasn’t for Astoria, we might never know what canned tuna fish was.

That storied past can be seen everywhere in this town that has evolved over the years but in many ways still seems stuck in time. Old canneries are now museums and restaurants. Lighthouses still remain to remind us of the importance of maritime navigation and even a wreckage from a ship from over a century ago sits washed ashore on the beach.

A trip to Astoria and the northern coast of Oregon is a mix of history, natural beauty and abundances of amazing food. Here’s our list of the top things we enjoyed and what you might consider when visiting.

THINGS TO DO AND PLACES TO EAT IN ASTORIA

The Astoria Column

Perched up on a hill just outside of town, this 126 foot column features murals depicting oregon history, and is a great place to start your visit. The view from the hilltop gives you a great appreciation for how the town is situated amongst the Columbia, Youngs and Lewis and Clark Rivers. The view even gets better when you walk up the 126 foot spiral staircase to the top of the tower. You can drive right to the column or take the short Cathedral Tree Trail and see the 300 year old Sitka spruce along the way.

Columbia River Maritime Museum

This is a must do when in Astoria and no place better to give you a better appreciation for the shipping history in this area and the important role that the U.S. Coast Guard plays in these dangerous waters. There’s a great short film to watch and you are even able to board an old lighthouse boat which is quite interesting.

Flavel House Museum

The 1885 Queen Anne style Victorian mansion was built by George Flavel, a maritime pilot and instrumental person in Astoria’s history, as their family residence. The attention to detail, high ceilings and doorways and modern (for the day) plumbing and heating shows just how much he put into this house. It’s wonderfull that it is now maintained as a museum for all to appreciate, inclusive of furnishings.

Astoria Sunday Market

If your in Astoria on a Sunday starting in May the downtown market is the place to be. Several blocks of streets are closed off and local vendors of all sorts are selling their goods. We have a hard time turning down a local market in our travels.

Wreck of the Peter Iredale

Not far from town is the remains of the rusted steel skeleton of this ship that ran ashore in 1906. Not much remains, but this is an eerie encounter and reminder of just how treacherous these seas have been for many and all those who have succumb to it. The beach and wreck is located in Fort Stevens State Park.

Young River Falls

Not far south of Astoria is a beautiful waterfall that only takes a very short hike to reach. It’s a pretty area and pleasant drive to reach the falls. It’s hard to turn down an easy accessible waterfall.

Bowpickers Fish and Chips

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This is somewhat of an institution in Astoria. A converted boat (now on land) has been converted to a fish and chips restaurant for the last 20 plus years. You have options – full order or half. Keeping it simple is their key, and also using tuna makes this a bit more unique than the traditional fish and chips.

Frite & Scoop

French fries and ice cream, what better food combination could there be! Oh, these aren’t your ordinary fries though. These beauties are masterly fried and offered tossed in garlic or rosemary salt or drizzled in hot honey. You even get to choose from 20 different dipping sauces. We didn’t get to try the ice cream but I bet it was fantastic as well. Sit right along the pier and enjoy your treat!

Coffee Girl

This is one of the most unique coffee houses we have been to. Situated at the end of Pier 39 and part of the old Bumble-Bee cannery complex, it provides a nostalgic atmosphere and great views of the Columbia River. The food and coffees are amazing, however the drive on the pier was a bit interesting. We watched the wood planks bounce up and down as we drove across the one lane pier bridge. Alternately you can just walk across the pier.

PLACES TO EXPLORE ALONG THE UPPER OREGON COAST

Seaside

Seaside is a popular vacation community just south of Astoria with a lot to offer, albeit we understand it can get quite busy in peak season. The 1 1/2 mile 1920’s promenade boardwalk makes for a nice walk along the beach. There are many places to eat in this town including Sea Star Gelato. Gelato is a food group isn’t it? Well maybe it is when you turn it into an affogato. Just south of town is Bell Buoy of Seaside, a little hole in the wall seafood spot specializing in fried seafood and shrimp and crab melts.

Ecola State Park

Oregon state parks are beautifully maintained and this is no exception. There are several longer hikes to take you to the Tillamook Head, a famous cliff overlook historic to Lewis and Clark, and views of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse that sits well offshore via a short walk. The drive through the forested park is quite enjoyable on its own.

Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach is home to one of Oregon’s most recognizable landmarks, Haystack Rock. This sea stack rises up 235 feet from the edge of the shoreline and is a huge bird habitat. It also provides for for fascinating tide pooling at low tide when you can walk right up to it and observe some of the sea creatures on the rock. It’s a huge beach that also makes for great beach walking. The town is very nice as well, small and cozy with lots of B&B type places.

Hug Point State Recreation Site

This beach was probably our favorite place in the area because it depicts the oregon coast best. The sea stacks and low tide seas cave exploring was amazing. So much fun and such incredible natural beauty. Just up the road is Arcadia Beach which is worth exploring as well.

Oswald West State Park

This is just possibly the most dramatic part of the shoreline we saw in the upper Oregon coast. We explored two areas including the Devils Cauldron, a cliffside cove with turbulent waters below. Don’t go past the barrier though, the cliffs edge drops off suddenly and the ground is very unstable. The other area we explored was Cape Falcon via a nice 4 1/2 mile hike. The view here is looking back across a cove towards Devils Cauldron. A bonus to this hike is a stop at Short Sand Beach on the way back, a popular surfing spot.

Cape Disappointment

Cape Disappointment is a 2,023-acre park on the Long Beach Peninsula, fronted by the Pacific Ocean and looking into the mouth of the Columbia River from the Washington side (yes we’ve cheated here a bit and crossed the border). Although the British explorer named it this when thinking it was simply a bay rather than the mouth of the Columbia River, it is certainly no disappointment. There are two lighthouses to visit via short hikes, North Head and Cape Disappointment, positioned accordingly to originally help ships navigate the very dangerous waters around the peninsula and into the river. There is a magnificent beach called Deadman’s Cove on the way to Cape Disappointment Lighthouse that is beyond words, epic. Waikiki beach, further down the road, provides yet another view of the lighthouse from across a bay. This is an incredible area and gives you a much better perspective of “the graveyard of the Pacific”.

WRAPPING IT UP

Our trip to Astoria gave us a better appreciation for both the beauty and the beast of northwestern Oregon. The deep history along with maritime tragedies have defined the town of Astoria as a pillar of strength, opportunity and change, we’ve now covered a large percentage of the 362 mile Oregon coast and from end to end it is truly breathtaking and amazing. Both the beauty and the ability to fully immerse yourself “within” the coastline rather than it simply being a dramatic view, is what separates it from everywhere else we’ve been. Oh, we are now in Washington, so I’ll hold that thought for just a bit.

Be sure to check out all of our pictures from Astoria and the upper Oregon coast.