Fort Columbia Historical State Park - Lewis and Clark Trail Experience

Information

Park is open Summer 6:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m. Winter 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Interpretive Center is open July 1 - Sept. 5, from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m

360-777-8221

Day-use pass — $10. Good for the date marked on the pass. Transaction fees may apply. [One pass, two vehicles: The annual Discover Pass is transferable between two vehicles. Simply write both plate numbers on the pass. The pass can only be used on one vehicle at a time. Do not duplicate the pass]

lat: 46.2603507 long: -123.918589

One of the most intact historic coastal defense sites in the United States, Fort Columbia is situated atop Chinook Point and was built between 1896 and 1903. It was finally decommissioned in 1947. Today, this former military installation is a 618-acre state park that makes up part of the Lewis & Clark National and State Historical Park.

Although considered an early 20th-century site, the land upon which Fort Columbia sits history goes back much further. When Meriwether Lewis and William Clark passed through here on January 9^th, 1806, a Chinook village under the command of Chief Concomly was located here. The expedition met with the natives, who were on their way to trade for whale blubber and oil.

Fort Columbia Historical State Park features a self-guided interpretive walk that details the area’s history, and visitors will find informational exhibits near the fort’s gun batteries. The park itself is open from 6:30 AM to dusk year-round. The site boasts 2.5 miles of hiking trails, plentiful bird watching, and wildlife viewing opportunities, and an interpretive center. A pass is required to enter the park.

The Fort Columbia Interpretive Center is only open during the summer season from 11 AM to 3 PM July 1 through September 5. Here, visitors will find exhibits focusing on the history of Fort Columbia, including the area’s early exploration, fur trade, and western settlement.

For more information on the park or to download a park brochure, visit their website at Fort Columbia Historical State Park.

Nearby Attractions

Distance Unit:

Chinook Point

Chinook Point

Chinook Point, Washington, USA
Distance: 0.63 Away

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Middle Village, Station Camp

Middle Village, Station Camp

Middle Village - Station Camp (unit of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park), U.S. 101, Chinook, WA, USA
Distance: 1.02 Away

Tribal Experiences LC Features

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Dismal Nitch

Dismal Nitch

Dismal Nitch, Lewis and Clark Trail Highway, Naselle, WA, USA
Distance: 2.90 Away

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The U.S. Columbia River Quarantine Station

The U.S. Columbia River Quarantine Station

U.S. Columbia River Quarantine Station, Washington 401, Naselle, WA, USA
Distance: 4.30 Away

Guided Tours Museums and Interpretive Centers

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Cliff Point & Hungry Harbor

Cliff Point & Hungry Harbor

548 WA-401, Naselle, WA 98638, USA
Distance: 4.48 Away

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Tansy Point

Tansy Point

Tansy Point, Warrenton, OR, USA
Distance: 4.82 Away

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Fort Stevens State Park

Fort Stevens State Park

Fort Stevens State Park, Peter Iredale Rd, Hammond, OR, USA
Distance: 5.11 Away

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Baker Bay

Baker Bay

360 Stringtown Rd, Ilwaco, WA 98624, USA
Distance: 5.65 Away

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Astoria Riverwalk

Astoria Riverwalk

Astoria Riverwalk Inn, Industry Street, Astoria, OR, USA
Distance: 5.82 Away

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Astoria Riverfront Trolley

Astoria Riverfront Trolley

Astoria Riverfront Trolley, Industry Street, Astoria, OR, USA
Distance: 5.89 Away

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Pig N Pancake

Pig N Pancake

146 Bond St, Astoria, OR 97103
Distance: 6.10 Away

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Oregon Film Museum

Oregon Film Museum

Oregon Film Museum, Duane Street, Astoria, OR, USA
Distance: 6.36 Away

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Park of the Week: Harpers Ferry National Historica

Park of the Week: Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Positioned at the meeting place of three states (Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland) and the confluence of two major rivers (the Potomac and the Shenandiah), it is not surprising that Harpers Ferry National Historical Park has seen quite a bit of history. The town was the site of John Brown’s Raid and changed hands between the North and the South eight times throughout the course of the Civil War. It was also visited by George Washington in 1785 as he gauged the need for canals and sluices on the Potomac River.

Many visitors are shocked to find that Harpers Ferry also claims a major role in the success of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. In 1803, Meriwether Lewis stopped at Harpers Ferry as he prepared for his famous journey to the Pacific Ocean. At the time of his visit, Harpers Ferry was the home of the United States Armory and Arsenal. Resultantly, Lewis ordered the production of 15 powder horns, 30 bullet molds, 30 ball screws, extra rifle and musket locks, gunsmith's repair tools, several dozen tomahawks, 24 large knives, and a collapsible iron boat frame. These weapons and tools were used by the members of the expedition as they braved the great wilderness of western North America.

Today, the buildings of Harpers Ferry Historical Park are home to a series of small museums, artisan boutiques, and restaurants. Though the United States Armory and Arsenal itself was burnt down during the Civil War, visitors can still read about Meriwether Lewis’s time in Harpers Ferry on informational signs and inside one of the small onsite museums dedicated to the armaments of the expedition. Tours dedicated to the history of Harpers Ferry also detail Lewis’s time and lodgings as he stayed in town.

Photos credited to Mitchell Pence and Cait Clark, 2024

#lewisandclark #history #adventure #travel #westvirginia #maryland #virginia #potomacriver #harpersferry #shenandiahriver

Our new APP is now available! Check it out if you

Our new APP is now available! Check it out if you haven’t yet to bring the adventure and magic of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail on your mobile device. Scan the QR code here or find it on your app store.

Check out our YouTube Channel! We have some great

Check out our YouTube Channel!

We have some great content being posted there every Saturday - you’ll see videos related to personal stories and adventures on the trail, special reports on various trail locations, and much more!

Be sure to subscribe and share with friends as well!

https://www.youtube.com/@lewisandclarktrailalliance

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Here’s a summary of the latest video you can find there, ‘The Legend of Big Bone Lick’:

“What’s a lick, and what do big bones have to do with it? A “lick” is a term for a natural occurrence of salt. They usually appear around sulfur springs, which are places where water and minerals bubble out of the ground. It often smells like rotten eggs.

People call these places “licks” because animals like to lick the salty deposits. The “big bone” part of its name came from huge bones in this bog. Indigenous oral tradition states that the bones were from the white buffalo, who died when they drank the salty water. Western scientists theorized that animals—including mammoths and mastodons—who came for a salty treat got trapped in the marshy areas around the springs.

This site was influential in the American development of paleontology and theories of animal extinction. Thomas Jefferson knew about this place and asked Meriwether Lewis to stop and collect some fossils and send them back.”

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLevOwbBZzs)

https://lewis-clark.org/the-trail/down-the-ohio/big-bone-lick/

The (Confluence Land Bridge in Vancouver, Washingt

The (Confluence Land Bridge in Vancouver, Washington) is a real link connecting back to the Klickitat Trail, Lewis and Clark, and the development of the Northwest. It completes a circle that’s been broken. -Johnpaul Jones

https://www.confluenceproject.org/

About Confluence:
Confluence connects you to the history, living cultures, and ecology of the Columbia River system through Indigenous voices. We are a community-supported nonprofit that works through six art landscapes, educational programs, and public gatherings in collaboration with northwest tribes, communities, and the celebrated artist Maya Lin.

Site Features:
European and Native American cultures once converged at this Columbia River site, where the Hudson’s Bay Company stood as the first European trading post in the Pacific Northwest. Lewis and Clark camped here, and Fort Vancouver was built here 20 years later. Today, the site features a 40-foot wide earth-covered pedestrian bridge that arcs over State Route 14, reconnecting historic Fort Vancouver with the Columbia River, which helped extend the fort’s influence from Mexico to Alaska and across the Pacific Ocean.

Directions to Vancouver Land Bridge
There are two entrances to the Land Bridge in Vancouver, WA. The south entrance is on Columbia Way Blvd. at Old Apple Tree Park. From I-5, take Highway 14 east and take Exit 1 for SE Columbia Way toward Vancouver National Historic Reserve. Keep right, follow signs for S/Southeast Columbia Way. Turn right and drive west to the sign for Old Apple Tree Park. Park and walk under the overpass to the welcome gate of the Land Bridge.

The north entrance to the Land Bridge is just west of Fort Vancouver. From I-5, take Mill Plain Blvd east. Turn right at Fort Vancouver Way. Stay on Fort Vancouver Way through the roundabout and turn left on East 5th Street. The path to the Land Bridge will be on your right.

Watch -- Virtual Tour of Vancouver Land Bridge on Confluence’s Digital Library (https://www.confluenceproject.org/library/).

Watch -- Tanna Engdahl: We Were Excellent Land Managers (http://xn--https-hw3b//www.confluenceproject.org/library-post/tanna-engdahl-we-were-excellent-land-managers/%22)

The Sunshine Mill has a long, colorful history. T

The Sunshine Mill has a long, colorful history.

The Sunshine Mill has milled wheat on this property for more than 130 years, and was the first building in The Dalles to have electricity, powered by a Thomas Edison Motor which can still be seen in The Mill. It is also the only designated skyscraper in The Columbia River Gorge. The Sunshine Biscuit Company once owned this property and the wheat milled here was used to make everyone’s favorite cracker, the Cheez-It!

The Sunshine Mill now houses Quenett and Copa Di Vino wineries owned and operated by James and Molli Martin, both from The Dalles. Quenett Winery released its first vintage in 2002 and burst onto the wine scene with its outstanding vintages of Sangiovese and Zinfandel. The word Quenett comes from the journals of Lewis and Clark, who camped along luscious and fruitful banks of the Columbia River and learned from the local Indians that the word Quenett meant “Steelhead.”

The story and inspiration for Copa Di Vino, or “Wine by the Glass”, takes us on a journey through Provence on a bullet train where James and Molli first saw the concept of ready to drink wine. They brought their idea back to the States and began re-habilitating the Sunshine Mill Campus to become the production site and tasting room for Copa Di Vino, which has been housed on site since 2009.

So take a walk through the grounds and discover The Sunshine Mill, the awe-inspiring property that James and Molli have hand crafted out of artifacts found here to share with you. Enjoy a tasting or have a glass of wine in our amphitheater. Order an Antipasto platter to enjoy in The Boiler House Bar and drink differently at The Sunshine Mill.

https://www.lewisandclark.travel/listing/sunshine-mill-winery/