Military Truck Tours Back at Fort Stevens, Go Back in Time on N. Oregon Coast

Published 06/12/25 at 4:45 a.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Astoria, Oregon) – Time to go back in time: Fort Stevens is offering some unique tours over the summer, starting this weekend. If getting onto an old school military rig and roving around some Civil War and World War II landmarks on the Oregon coast has ever been on your mind, this is the ticket. (Courtesy photo)

Military Truck Tours are back for the summer at Fort Stevens State Park, where you hop aboard a five-ton military truck and rove around the grounds for about an hour. You're sitting on padded troop benches on a six-wheeled antique army rig known affectionately as The Beast, as guides point you to the sites and sights of the famed military installation.

They happen Saturdays and Sundays - call (503) 861-2000.

What points of interest will be looking at for the Fort Stevens Military Tours? Friends of Old Fort Stevens hasn't issued actual spoiler alerts, but the famed Oregon coast attraction contains numerous remnants from essentially three different wars, including Battery Russell, Civil War earthworks and Battery Mishler as well as the Pacific Rim Peace Memorial.

Tours cost $8 for adults, $5 for kids and $2 for those under 5 years old. However, the group does not recommend that young children go on the tour for safety reasons. Tour times are 11:15, 12:45 and 2:15. You'll have to sign up in person at the visitor center at Fort Stevens.

Summer also allows separate tours of Battery Mishler, which is underground and was once a command center during WWII.

Call (503) 861-2000 for the Mishler tour times and cost. Email foofs@teleport.com.

Tours do not happen on the third Saturday of the month, as these feature various music acts with historic themes. Upcoming shows include a blues festival on June 21, Clatsop Country Fest on July 19, and '90s cover bands on August 16.

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Fort Stevens, originally completed in 1865, was an earthwork fort designed to defend against land attacks, surrounded by a moat and drawbridge. In 1897, as part of a national effort to strengthen coastal defenses, it underwent a major refortification, resulting in eight concrete batteries armed with mortars and long- and short-range rifles. Positioned at the mouth of the Columbia River alongside Forts Canby and Columbia in Washington, Fort Stevens was equipped with 10-inch rifled cannons mounted on disappearing carriages, capable of firing 617-pound shells up to nine miles. Additional armaments included 6-inch rifles, 12-inch mortars, and rapid-fire batteries to protect minefields.

Following World War II, advancements in air power and guided missiles rendered coastal artillery forts obsolete, leading to Fort Stevens' deactivation. By 1947, its weaponry was removed, and the site was repurposed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for maintenance operations along the Columbia River. In 1975, Oregon State Parks leased the historic fort, initiating restoration and interpretation efforts to preserve its legacy.

More at https://www.facebook.com/friendsoffortstevens

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