Warrenton
Warrenton is a small town located in the Northwestern corner of Oregon. It is the second to last town on the Northern Oregon Coast. There is one last town on the coast of Oregon called Hammond, however locals in the area view them as the same town.
Understand
Warrenton was officially established as a city in 1899, although the first settlement in Warrenton was in the late 1840s.
Warrenton got its name from one of the early settlers, Daniel Knight Warren. Warren's house still stands today just down the road from the city center.
Warrenton sits on an impressive 16.7 square miles of land. Only about 12.3 square miles of that is land, and 4.4 square miles is water. The reason 16.7 square miles is impressive is because of the population. Warrenton's population is relatively small compared to the neighboring Astoria and Seaside. Warrenton only has about 4100 people. With only 4100 people occupying the land, there is a lot of natural resources surrounding the town. Half of the area is surrounded by water, both the Pacific Ocean and the Columbia River.
Get in
US 101 is the main highway to the city leading to Astoria just across Youngs Bay to the east with quick access to other Oregon Coast beach towns like Seaside and Cannon Beach. Astoria Regional Airport is located within Warrenton but does not have commercial flights. NW Connector busses connect Warrenton to Portland with a few stops around town.
Get around
Warrenton has about 5 miles of drivable beach and about 1 mile of drivable river front. Driving on the sand is a unique experience that visitors should try.
See
- 🌍 Peter Iredale ship wreck.
- 🌍 Fort Stevens State Park, ☏ +1 503-861-3170 ext 21. A wonderful place to see a wide variety of things ranging from an elk look out tower to a historic military base. Parking $5/day.
Do
If you are into history, then you would enjoy taking one of the tours of the underground gun batteries located within Fort Stevens State Park. The underground gun battery is fairly rare, built about 90 years ago, it served as a military command post during World War II.
If you do not have a vehicle that is capable of driving on the beach, you can take a tour in one of the off-road tour buses that the campground has to offer to its guests.
Make sure to bring your bicycle also. Fort Stevens has miles of trails that ride along the ocean and through the woods. The bike trails will take you everywhere that a car will, but on a bike the views are much more scenic. Along the trails you can see all of the old war buildings and there is also a lookout tower, and if you are lucky sometimes you can see elk out in a field.
Warrenton also has multiple charter fishing boats that you can take advantage of. They will talk you out into the Columbia where you can fish for multiple types of fish. One of the most popular is the Sturgeon.
- 🌍 Cullaby Lake County Park, ☏ +1 503 325-9306. Parking $5/day.
- 🌍 High Life Adventures, 92111 High Life Rd, ☏ +1 503-861-9875, info@highlife-adventures.com. Swing through the trees and over water on a guided tour of 8 Zip lines. Or throw an axe. They also have a restaurant, Zip n' Sip, with paninis, burgers, salad, beer bread, and local craft beer and wine. Zip lines: Adults $99, Child (15 and under) $69, add "extreme" Zip swing $29. Axe throwing stall: $40/ half hr., $75/full hr., for up to 6 people.
Eat
- 🌍 El Catrin Mexican Cuisine, 19 N Hwy 101, ☏ +1 503-861-0369.
- 🌍 Nisa's Thai Kitchen, 575 E Harbor Dr, ☏ +1 503-861-5645.
- 🌍 FishMongers, 890 Pacific Dr, ☏ +1 503-861-8778. Fish & Chips $13-16.
Sleep
- 🌍 Fort Stevens State Park. The park has multiple RV hook-up sites and tent sites. If you don't feel like roughing it in a tent, and don't have an RV, Cabins and Yurts are available for rent also, some pet-friendly. Tent site $22, Full hookup $34,Yurt $48-58, Cabin $93-103.
- 🌍 Astoria/ Warrenton/ Seaside KOA, 1100 NW Ridge Road (Across from Fort Stevens Park), ☏ +1 503-861-2606. Cabins, RV sites, and tent camping.
- 🌍 Shilo Inns Warrenton, 1609 E Harbor Dr, ☏ +1-503-861-2181. Check-in: 16:00, check-out: 11:00.