Camping is a popular pastime for Oregonians. Our diverse scenery and abundance of state and national parks make for extraordinary camping. But there’s one campsite along the Oregon Coast that offers perhaps the most unique camping experience in the state. At Fort Stevens State Park in Oregon, adventure-seekers can set up camp near an abandoned ghost ship on the beach. A truly only-in-Oregon experience, take your camping game to the next level at this hauntingly beautiful state park.
In a past life, Fort Stevens State Park was the primary military defense installation in the Harbor Defense System at the mouth of the Columbia River. The fort was in service for 84 years, from roughly the Civil War through the conclusion of World War II.
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There’s something inherently unsettling about Fort Stevens, with its abandoned barracks and machinery.
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It feels like something out of a Ray Bradbury novel, wherein nature has slowly reclaimed the land.
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Perhaps most unsettling, however, is the abandoned ship located at the park’s shores.
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Known as the Peter Iredale Shipwreck, this ghost ship is one of the most haunting places in Oregon.
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
A former shipping vessel, in 1906, the Peter Iredale encountered inclement weather while en route to the Columbia River, and the crew had to bail out.
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The ship’s fateful journey ended on the shores of what’s now known as Fort Stevens State Park, where it remains to this day.
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One of Oregon’s 256 state parks, Fort Stevens offers a particularly unique camping experience.
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Fort Stevens offers year-round camping, with yurts, cabins, and tents, as well as several more primitive campsites.
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As dusk turns to night, Fort Stevens takes on an almost ethereal quality. It’s a place that lures you in and makes for a unique and thrilling camping experience!
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The celestial skies above the Graveyard of the Pacific are something spectacular.
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There are many places you can go camping in Oregon, but none offer an experience quite like this.
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Did you know you could camp near an abandoned ghost ship in Oregon? Doesn’t that sound like such a fun adventure? It will definitely provide fodder for those dramatic campfire stories. Learn more about the campground at Fort Stevens State Park at the Oregon State Parks website.
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Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
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Address: Fort Stevens State Park Campground, 100 Peter Iredale Rd, Hammond, OR 97121, USA
