Fort Stevens State Park

We really liked that ship!

One of my favourite camping spots! the staff are super chill and always really helpful! It does book up in summer though so be prepared for that!

What can we add?...Signage to get to the CG was a little confusing to us. We drove all the way to the end of the jetty and took a nice walk around there that we wouldn't have otherwise. So, when in doubt turn left to get to the CG. if you think you have gone too far, you probably have.

As we usually like to do, no matter how tired or hungry we are, we drove around and around to assess the different loops and pick our spot. They are all more or less the same though, so if you are in a rush, and have to choose, just go for it!

We stayed in the off season and though the park was pretty empty, we appreciated the year round camp hosts. A note of warning - the air compressor at the welcome center actually took air OUT of our bike tires.

We biked from here to Ft. Clatsop. Would recommend, but the route does take you along some busy roads. Teeny tiny blip of AT&T coverage came in and out.

Great park, well maintained and easy access back in sites.

Beach’s and wilderness at its best. We stayed for a month minus four days to meet State park rules.
The only reason I didn’t give five stars is because most sites didn’t have sewer and the other was beyond there control mosquitoes. They got so bad we left early.
Incredible place to begin our journey

We had an absolutely terrible stay at this campground! The mosquitoes were out of control and there was no help from anyone at the park. Disease carrying mosquitoes should be conveyed before people are subjected to them! Of course other campgrounds were full in the area. Having travelled from Colorado our vacation was disappointing. I can’t understand why they wouldn’t display this issue on their website. The excuse was it could change. Well then change it on the website. People use their time and financial resources to come from other states to stay. Oregon, you owe us transparency. We would not have come if we knew about this issue!

June 1st thru 4th, 2021 - Please be aware that we encountered 4 dreaded days and 3 nights of painful mosquito swarms at our campsite. So thick that your arm was thickly covered with these painful mosquitos. Mosquitos were so bad that a family packed up camp and left the park to stay in a hotel. The mosquito problem greatly reduced our enjoyment and became terribly frustrating. Even during the daytime mosquitos are very bad. If you don’t want to be bitten badly, plan on lathering up with a mosquito repellent and being inside of a lodging before dusk. If you are outside around the campfire, consider lathering up with a mosquito repellent. To eat out side using the picnic table you may consider a pop-up bug screened shelter. We were very cautious to close the entrance door quickly to keep out mosquitos, yet at bed time we still ended up with bites, even though inside and under covers. We visited campsites throughout the entire camping area. We ran into terrible swarms no matter which campsite we visited. If you are going to use the campsite bathrooms or showers, we found that both were packed with attacking mosquitos to the point we would no longer entered nor used the parks camping bathrooms or showers. If you spray yourself with mosquito repellent and then use the park shower before going to bed, washing off the spray, we were excessively bitten before we could return from shower to our lodging. The beaches, the military museum and gun battlements did not have mosquitos. This Park is fantastic in everything except for the severe mosquito problem.

This was a fantastic state park, very well planned. This is definitely a park if you have kids. There are plenty miles of paved bike trails. We did arrive after a bit of rain and the mosquitos were crazy bad. We enjoyed the nature trails and bike paths

You would never guess that Ft. Stevens is one of the largest public campgrounds in the US because it is so thoughtfully laid out (it doesn’t appear to be crowded at all) and is so quiet. Lovely sites with good spacing. Easy in/ out for big rigs. The mosquitoes were not a problem at all if your site is on the east side of the CG. If it is on the west or anywhere near the lake, they can be very bad. The bike riding is amazing and the old fort is a lot of fun to explore! My only criticisms are that there are no trash cans at all except for those at the front of the park and a couple by the lake. It also sure would be nice to have a little AT&T coverage somewhere besides at the beach.

Clean, neat, well maintained, and well hosted campground. This state park is an example of how state park camping should be done - Texas take note! Restrooms were well maintained. Roads throughout are well maintained. Trails are wide enough for comfortable hiking to the Fort.

The only negative we found were the monster mosquitoes. One reviewer called them gargantuan. Being thumbnail size, I would agree. So don’t forget your repellant!

Check in was very efficient!

Con: 1 - Really nice dump station was locked as we departed at 5 a.m. - Locked until 8 a.m. This is unfortunate for early travelers.
2. Post COVID camping has become very congested especially around holiday weekends. Newer campers have not learned good camping etiquette of not cutting through campsites, turning off bright exterior lights at night, picking up after their dogs, and controlling their children. Children should be able to play, but know the limits of their campsite or playground areas.