Fort Clatsop National Memorial

Our family is reading aloud an abridged version of the Lewis and Clark trip. So, we’re all about visiting some of the many Lewis and Clark sites as we are passing by them on our way back up north. There’s a fort replica here, possibly some living history demos on occasion.
See the canoe launch and Sacagawea statue too. As someone with a wee smidge of Native American ancestry, a female etc, I have been in awe of her contributions to the L&C voyage. History, it must be my favorite subject. No need for the twenty questions, or one for that matter, about what I majored in at college.

You know how sometimes you go somewhere and then decide that there has to be a better place… well this is exactly how Fort Clatsop came to be. Over two hundred years ago Lewis and Clark arrived at the beautiful but rough Pacific coast. They then decided to leave that camp and explore an area to the south and further inland. On the 10^th of December in 1805, the men began to build their fort and they named it Fort Clatsop after the local Native Americans. Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery remained at Fort Clatsop until March 23^rd, 1806.
I have been to Fort Clatsop several times before but this was the first time I have ever been here with an international visitor. If you want to show someone a great story from our history along with a very American experience, this is definitely a great place. It is also a very picturesque place so make sure you bring your cameras.
There is both a visitor center and a replica of the fort in a beautiful setting. There is an interpretive center that has some very interesting exhibits and it also has two educational films that will help explain the stories of the explorers and the Native Americans. There is also a gift shop on the premises.
There are several trails in the area including the Fort To Sea Trail that starts at the Fort Clatsop Visitor Center. This trail will take you on a beautiful journey in the footsteps of the explorers. You will climb to a ridge offering a beautiful view to the coast and into beautiful woods and pastures. As you continue you will also see some lakes and finally the dunes and the beach. If you are not much for a long hike you might want to try the short hike from the fort to the canoe landing point on the Lewis and Clark River. It is not far at all.
On the day we went there were several events going on which were great for my friend. He was so excited to be able to write with a quill pen although writing with a quill in Korean was a bit more difficult than writing in English. He still had fun doing it and the man who was chaperoning the event was very friendly and welcoming to my friend. There were also several costumed people who also very interesting to talk to for both children and adults. There were also people telling stories on the day we went. It was great to see all of the people listening to the stories and not on their cell phones!
All of the staff onsite are knowledgeable and friendly. They also can help with directions if you are going on to any other sites in the area.
For those of you who are historical purists, I regret to inform you that this fort is a replica and none of the original fort remains. Sadly the original fort was built with untreated wood and rotted away quickly due to the high rainfall in the area. wood rots quickly. What little that remained of the fort was later burned by homesteaders. Fortunately for us, we still have William Clark’s floor plan drawing that was used to reconstruct the fort in the approximate area.
If you get the chance to come here do so. It is a great piece of American history and it is an interesting exhibit as well as nice fort to visit. Take some time and explore our history. This is a great place to start!

A really cool see! The staff inside were extremely friendly and helpful, the gift shop has these awesome minimalistic posters for Oregon sites. The fort itself was cool, although it is just a representation of what was built, not the actual buildings (not that I’m expecting those to still be standing, just a fore-​warning before you go). There is also a trail and boardwalk that leads from the fort to the water and it’s a beautiful walk!

For what it is they maintain it well. Pretty small, but they do a good job informing you about the history of the fort and area. Cost $ 3.00 per person and it’s worth that. Glad I stopped there

great day trip while visiting Portland. Interesting things to see, knowledgeable and helpful guides, beautiful grounds. An A+ day.
On the way to the park, stop for sandwiches for a picnic at Josephson’s Smokehouse in Astoria. Amazing smoked seafood.

We were here several years ago; before the representation of the original fort burned. So we now got to see the «new» representation of the original fort. They have done a wonderful job. A fire like that gives you the opportunity to do it again… only better. And they have.
There are two videos; one about the Lewis and Clark Expedition; and the other an «alternative view» I guess. The one on the expedition is great; learned several things about the group of guys that I’d not known before. I walked out of the second (don’t supposedly from the Indian point of view); just another bashing of the white culture. And a misrepresentation of the indian culture as being perfect. They had their own problems; did their own funky stuff; so I really get tired of that. Get real; we don’t need revisionist history to be just as twisted as you say the earlier history was.
But enough of that. The fort is great and the reenactment volunteers are wonderful. The guys are wearing real buckskin pants, etc., which cannot be comfortable :-). But they give a more complete picture of what it was to live that winter at Fort Clatsop.
Enjoy!

Interesting but pretty typical National Park stuff. The film we saw was just a little too much and I don’t think I wouldn’t waste my time on it if I had it to do over. The talks by the reinactors were pretty informative.

Great place. The Rangers are very friendly and very knowledgeable. The flintlock demonstration was great, the fort itself is amazing, the kids’ program is top-​notch, and the short trail to Netul Landing is beautiful. So much history.

A smaller national park, but a pretty and relaxing place to spend half a day. I’ve been here several times and have yet to see any crowds. There’s always plenty of parking and free admission for military. I love taking my dog here to walk from the visitor’s center to Netul Landing, which is my favorite part of the park. The trail is along the water, easy and well-​kept. There is an outdoor exhibit and fun wooden animal statues. I saw people fishing, jogging, and paddle boarding.

The Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks is a collection of state and national designations on the coast of northwest Oregon and southwest Washington. It’s very extensive, but what people tend to visit around here is Fort Clatsop. The fort is near the business districts of Astoria, the Astoria-​Megler Bridge and several highways.
You arrive by taking the US-​101 Business to Fort Clatsop Road. Just as you arrive, you enter a forest. When you get inside the museum, the admission is $ 3 for most people. They have an extensive collection of details and artifacts about the expedition.
They play a movie about Lewis and Clark, but oddly enough they aren’t the only organization in Oregon which shows it. The same video is played at the Bonneville Dam Visitor Center.
You can see a host of hats and coats that typify the era. You’ll see a boat and the endless supplies needed to chart an expedition into unknown territory. I enjoyed the pure history and the relaxed atmosphere. The maps and other explanations on the wall let me understand the artifacts in clear terms.
When you walk outside, it gets even more interesting. There’s the typical nature trail you can hike along and you can see Fort Clatsop. Unfortunately, the building is a replica.
You walk around the fort and you mostly see a set of bunk beds and tables. This was a military expedition, not the palace at Versailles. You see wooden one-​room cabins that are small by today’s standards. Although you likely won’t spend more than twenty minutes by seeing the small fort, the nature and simplicity reminded me of a good camping trip.
There’s plenty more to do in the various parks and the coast, but that’s the main part. It’s likely that you’ll enjoy a vast portion of the experience here at the memorial.

We love going to NPS sites and this was not a disappointment at all! Once in the area, signs point you directly there so it’s easy to find. Parking was not a problem for us on a Sunday afternoon, so that was nice.
The visitor’s center was small, but not packed and there was a small charge of $ 3 per person to visit the site. We watched one of the videos, which had an interesting take on the expedition.
The reconstructed fort was cool, but there was a definite lack of signs or other items to explain each of the rooms… though it was pretty clear what each room was. Still would have been nice.
We strolled down the forest paths, which are well marked and decided to take the hike to Netul Landing. The scenery was beautiful, but there wasn’t much in the way of historical education on the way or once we go there. It’s over a mile there and back, but flat surface, so it wasn’t bad at all.
This is definitely a place to visit again!

Fun couple hours. $ 3 per adult. Neat relics and fort rebuild. Pleasant walk around forest. Beware hostiles.

Very fun to walk around, and my daughter loved running on the trails and feeling like she was in the forest just like Lewis and Clark. The ranger was extremely cool, and made the little interpretive center totally worth a visit. I highly recommend walking the trails if the weather is good enough, so pretty and they are some of the best kept trails I have been on lately.
I will be bringing her back for more walks in the future, and it is totally worth the $ 3, less than a cup of coffee to keep our national park beautiful!

Pretty Cool little National Park with great facilities, and very nice people working there. Nice little museum that shows a movie, and of course a replica of the original fort. This is definitely a cool place to stop while visiting the Oregon Coast.

This was the first Fort we chose to go to during our Seaside trip.
It was all about Lewis and Clark and for someone who was feeling touristy, I actually liked the place! Very educational.
I’ve learned about Lewis and Clark during school days, but I found it funny that I was able to step away from my partner and venture off to read and get educated about this.
They have artifacts and sculptures in their glass with descriptions. Also a theater about every 20 or so minutes, they have a little showing about the history. They even have a store.
The outside had a bunch of cool stuff I really enjoyed. There was a replica of the cabin they stayed in and there’s a walk way to the river and a bunch of other replicas.
The cabin was pretty legit and had details and assumptions of what it would’ve looked like.

I’m going to start by saying I’m not the biggest fan of these types of outings, but my guy is so I try to find them for him
There’s a couple videos they show & you can tour the fort as well as see some historical items on display. It’s worth a stop for an hour or so if you’re in to these types of places or someone you love is; not an all day outing by any means

We could not pass through this area without checking out the national park that honors Lewis and Clark. While this is a small portion of the memorial to them, it was just enough. I enjoyed the 20 minute (or so) film about their journey. It was well done and worth seeing.
The fort? Well it is mostly for the kids. It is a replica, and just a cool place for the little ones run and play, and get a glimpse into history without overwhelming them with detail. Since we did not have kids, we spent about an hour, including the film and wandering through the small museum. There are also several nice, easy trails to wander around the forest area.
We have a membership to get in free to all national parks, so this did not cost us anything. But if you do pay, please don’t feel ripped off. This place needs funds to keep it alive for everyone to see and respect.

A compact national memorial. There’s a small museum, gift shop, and two small «theaters» showing short videos. You can probably explore the entire place in 40 minutes or so.
If you’re familiar with the story of lewis and clark you’ll enjoy the fort immensely.
There are a couple short trails to walk down, but this park also serves as a trailhead for the much longer trails in the area.

Fort Clatsop is cool but it took us only about 20 minutes to do everything you could possibly do here. The actual fort is just a replica and is pretty small. The educational/​historical film is informative but the narrator is so annoying, it was hard to sit through. Charging admission felt like a little bit of a ripoff because there is so little to do here. Overall, this place is nice but not a must see or anything.

Nice information center with theatre showing 2 short films. We listened in on a ranger giving a «tour» of the fort and enjoyed the tales of fleas versus smoke in the enlisted quarters.
Trails are well maintained and this location is very close to 101. There are several other Lewis and Clark places to visit, but this was the only one we made it to on this trip.
Don’t miss the map at the entrance that marks where the exhibition was on this day of the year… fascinating stuff!