We arrived in Astoria in the afternoon bringing sunshine with us. On the Oregon Coast at this time of the year, a sunshine day is a blissful occurrence. After setting up we explored Astoria which is also known as “Little San Francisco,” and coming from “The City” myself this town is indeed little. No visit to the Oregon north coast is complete without a stop at the Astoria Column. It stands 125 feet tall and took us 164 winding steps to the top and the view is “wow”. It was cold and windy when we got there so we only stayed at the top for a few minutes to enjoy the panoramic view of the Columbia river, the Pacific Ocean, city of Astoria and the mountain ranges of Oregon and Washington. Also, the Astoria -Megler bridge that connects Astoria to Washington state is clearly visible.
We have also checked out the historic town of Astoria and followed the Astoria River Walk which parallels the Columbia River. Along this walk, you will see the Columbia River Maritime Museum, the Maritime Memorial and it winds past statues, old canneries, abandoned docks, and new shops and cafés. On this walk, we passed by a small fishing store where we grabbed a fresh crab cocktail. Yum! Across from the Columbia River, Maritime Museum is where we had the best fish and chips ever at a little land-based boat called the Bowpicker. We don’t eat much-fried food, but these guys use fresh Albacore tuna and steak fries for their Fish and Chips. It was the best we’ve ever had!
Finally, we checked out the Ft. Stevens State Park. It is the largest state park in Oregon, over 1,800 acres. We rode down their 9 miles of paths, listening to the ocean and wild birds along the way. What a fantastic bike ride! This bike path gets a “10” in our book for sure! How about a ride where you see a piece of history (a shipwreck), a beautiful fishing lake and the pacific ocean all within less than a mile of each other – and yellow flowers lining the trail and wooded areas along the way!
There is so much to see in so little time. We missed a few interesting places but we must move on. Astoria is the last Oregon coastal town that we will visit on this trip segment.
Lowes Travels 
You got some beautiful pictures of Astoria. I’ve been under the weather, but couldn’t wait to see how you enjoyed it. I wasn’t able to spend the time there that I had hoped to because my kids decided to visit me while I was in Oregon. I loved seeing them, but there are times when I look back now and wish they had visited in another state as I wanted to do so much in Oregon that I didn’t get to do. Astoria is my favorite place. Your pictures are beautiful. If there is a next visit, I’ll plan ahead and stay at Ft. Stevens.
We would have stayed at Ft Stevens, but the rain creates a mud pool that we decided to stay at Lewis and Clark RV park. There is so much to do in Astoria, one day we might be back.For now we are already in Washington.
[…] 2. Fort Stevens State Park – Astoria, OR : When the path is packed with yellow wildflowers, how can you not enjoy your ride? This excellent paved path took us through forests to the beach and a lake. […]