We spent a week in the Hammond/Astoria area in early September 2024. Unfortunately Anna had hurt her back just before we got there and I was feeling a bit under the weather so we didn’t get to see everything we wanted to. We did manage to get in a day trip in the the beautiful Cannon Beach area as well as a visit to Fort Clatsop.

Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach, is a picturesque coastal town famous for its stunning natural beauty, artsy vibe, and laid-back atmosphere. It’s best known for Haystack Rock, an iconic 235-foot sea stack rising dramatically from the shoreline, which is home to tide pools and seasonal nesting seabirds like puffins. The beach itself is wide, sandy, and perfect for strolling, kite flying, and enjoying breathtaking sunsets. The town also has a charming downtown area with galleries, boutique shops, and cozy restaurants offering fresh seafood and local delicacies. Cannon Beach also hosts events like the annual Sandcastle Contest and Stormy Weather Arts Festival. Nearby, you can explore Ecola State Park, which offers hiking trails with sweeping views of the coastline.

Fort Clatsop

Fort Clatsop is part of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. It marks the location where the Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the winter of 1805-1806 after reaching the Pacific Ocean. The fort was named after the Clatsop people, the Native American tribe that lived in the area and assisted the expedition during their stay. A replica of the original fort stands at the site, giving visitors a glimpse into what life was like for the explorers during those cold, rainy months.

Sacagawea (c. 1788–1812) was a remarkable Shoshone woman best known for her invaluable role as a guide and interpreter during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. At just 16 years old, she joined the expedition along with her husband, Toussaint Charbonneau, and their infant son, Jean Baptiste (Pomp), traveling thousands of miles from present-day North Dakota to the Pacific Ocean. Sacagawea’s contributions were critical to the expedition’s success. She helped the Corps of Discovery communicate with Native American tribes, negotiate for supplies, and identify edible plants. Her presence also signaled to tribes that the group was peaceful, as a woman with a child was not seen as a threat. Perhaps most famously, her knowledge of the landscape helped the explorers navigate challenging terrain, particularly when they crossed the Rocky Mountains.

Park Review – Astoria /Warrenton / Seaside KOA Resort

Rating: 1/2
Location: Hammond, OR
Type: Commercial Park
Check-in/Check-out times: 3:00/11:00
Site Quality / Amenities: The roads and pads are gravel and dust was a problem. Each site has a picnic table and a fire pit. This is a KOA resort so it was one of the nicer KOA properties we have stayed at. It has all of the different site types KOA offers including basic sites and deluxe premium sites. They also have tons of cabins and tent sites including some that are primitive walk in sites. Being a resort, they offer a lot of amenities for families including an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, and a hot tub.
Access: From US-101, take Fort Stevens Hwy Spur west to Main St. then go south. Turn right on SW 18th St. / Delaura Beach Ln. then join NW Ridge Rd. north to the park.
Staff: The staff were very friendly and helpful. Normally they charge $7.50 for each visitor since they have access to all of the resort facilities but they allowed Anna’s brother and his wife to visit without paying the fee. They also allowed us to extend our check-out time to 1:00 since our check-in time at the next place was so late.
Cellular/WiFi: Verizon was marginal with 4G service. We had issues with dropped calls and data was slow at best. Trees created obstructions for Starlink and on average the obstructions caused a loss of data for about 1 hour out of every 12. For streaming, this only caused occasional buffering.The park does have WiFi but we didn’t use it.
Restaurants: Buoy 9 Restaurant (Hammond) – Good place close to the KOA for seafood. A bit out of the way for the tourist crowd so more locals and less crowded. Ecola Seafood Restaurant & Market (Cannon Beach) – Great place for seafood just a few blocks from the beach. Uptown Cafe (Warrenton) – Great burgers and sandwiches. La Cabaña de Reya (Astoria) – OK Mexican food. My Chile Relleno needed a topping. Anna’s chicken flautas also could have used a sauce.
Nearby parks: We didn’t look at any other parks nearby.
What we liked: We enjoyed hearing the fog horns on boats going up and down the coast in the mornings as opposed to train horns we hear in most places. Nearby to Cannon Beach and Astoria with tons of things to do.
What we didn’t like: Unfortunately Anna had hurt her back just before we got here and I was feeling a bit under the weather so we didn’t get to see and do everything we wanted to. It would have been fun to spend more time in Cannon Beach and in Astoria along the waterfront.
Verdict: We would stay here again if in the area although we’d look at other parks as well since we don’t get our moneys worth a parks geared for families.