Peter Iredale Shipwreck, Fort Stevens SP

At the northwestern-most point of Oregon sits Fort Stevens State Park. Located 3 ½ hrs from Seattle and 2 hrs from Portland, the park sits closest to the city of Astoria. The park itself has over 4300 acres to explore, with day use and camping open year round. However, the most well-known and most visited section of the park resides on its southern shore.

It is on the southern shore where the remnants of a shipwreck from 1906 still lie - the wreck of the Peter Iredale. The rusted bow is the most prominent of the wreckage with several masts sticking up through the sand along the coast. It's a sight to be seen and hard to imagine the wreckage being 100+ years old.

As you exit Hwy 101 towards the park, there are plenty of routes you can go within Fort Stevens State Park. To get to the wreck of the Peter Iredale, get onto NW Ridge Road within the park. You’ll then take a left onto Peter Iredale Road. Along with the obvious road names, the signage in and around the park are straightforward so its tough to get off course. Take Peter Iredale Road 1 mile to get to the parking lot. The hike from here is short; a mere hundred yards from the lot to ocean shore and wreckage.

From the wreckage, you can enjoy another 3 miles of hiking heading north along the Pacific coast. With its wind-swept reeds and rolling dunes to your right and the crashing ocean waves to your left, it's an easy yet stunning hike.