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Astoria Column
Category: Public Services & Government Landmarks & Historical Buildings Landmarks & Historical Buildings [Edit]
2199 Coxcomb DriveAstoria, OR 97103
51 reviews for Astoria Column
Review Highlights
"Even if you don't climb the column, the views are stunning."
(in 16 reviews)
"Bring a Balsa Wood Airplane or buy one there."
(in 3 reviews)
"...free ($1 per year parking pass) experience that I hightly..."
(in 3 reviews)
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51 reviews in English
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Review from Justin S.
Erie, PA
11/16/2011
First of all, Astoria... I stopped in Astoria for a week at the end of October, and my god, what a fantastic town. Quite possibly my favorite place in the Northwest, and that's saying a lot because the whole region is wonderful.
Anyway, the Astoria Column is just incredible. I can't imagine a more fitting monument to exploration exists anywhere in the United States. The structure itself is beautiful, covered from base to pinnacle with a sequential mural of the Lewis and Clark expedition, but it's definitely the views that make it worth the climb.
Do yourself a favor and go to the top of the column--the extra altitude makes the panorama even better, and they give you a glider to throw when you pay the dollar for parking. Unless you're afraid of heights... then maybe don't go to the top.
Also, this is a really nice ride if you're a cyclist. It's probably about a 500 foot climb and the grade isn't too bad. I was in my granny gear, but I'm a bum--I'm guessing a "serious" cyclist probably wouldn't even sweat. -
Review from Yuri K.
Torrance, CA
12/11/2011
Two awesome people I met during my recent trip up north recommended I check out the city of Astoria. It was quite a drive from the main hwy, about 30+ miles from the I-5. I have to say it was worth the drive to get to the top of the Astoria Column.
The 360 degree view was indeed magnificent! The weather was great. I was able to see Astoria-Megler Bridge, the Columbia River, Youngs Bay, Saddle Mountain and the city and surrounding forests.
The column is quite a sight as well. Starting at the base and working upwards, there are historical stories by drawings and writings inscribed on the column, such as the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the mouth of Columbia River founder, Captain Robert Gray.
It's also not too far from the Lewis and Clark National Historic Park. I'd definitely recommended checking out Fort Clatsop before heading back home. -
Review from Shy A.
Beautiful views....164 steps to the top but worth each dizzying step! Go early in the morning, the park opens at 5am, beat the crowd and enjoy this gem at its best! You don't have to go to the top of the column to take in the gorgeous views but if you can muster the energy, you will be richly rewarded. Don't be discouraged, there are numerous stops up to the top so don't worry about making the haul without a break. It was a spectacular day out and at the top we were able to catch the fog sitting on top of Astoria and above us the clear blue sky. Breathtaking and worth every step.
If you walk around the column, you'll find a few benches, and memorials and a cool time capsule. Totally worth a peek if you are in the area! -
Review from Tom S.
Hillsboro, OR
2/3/2012
This is the place for an awesome view of the Columbia River as it flows into the Pacific. It's about 160 steps up a spiral staircase to the top. If the wind is blowing, I think the door would be hard to open. The stairs are narrow and the legs will be feeling it when you get to the top. There isn't a lot of room up top and the stairs are narrow, so if there's a crowd, it could be difficult. It's worth the effort for the view. Driven by in the past and glad I made the detour and made the visit this time.
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Review from Robert G.
Fullerton, CA
11/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
I would totally give this place 5 stars if it weren't for it's phallic nature!
It was a strange sensation being able to say "It's SO BIG!" without adding "No homo!" to the end of my sentence.
The view from the top is amazing and it makes you want to jump, or maybe those were just the many years of teen angst I went through finally catching up to me...The Nirvana Pandora station was making me relive those memories on the way to the Astoria Column so that may have also been a factor.
Suicides aside, I didn't jump. Coming back down was a wee bit annoying. There were oldies who were freaking out about the stairs, walking down sluggishly. I simply hurdled over them...Have I mentioned I'm half Kenyan? -
Review from Sandra W.
7/12/2011
I did not buy a wooden glider in the gift shop, and I did not climb to the top of the tower. But I did see one of the most spectacular pieces of outdoor art ever created, and I did enjoy the view from every single aspect of the park, on a beautiful, sunny and warm 4th of July weekend.
For those of you that are not up to speed on the history of the column, you can visit the wikipedia page at:
http://en.wikipedia.or...
... and learn that the painting on the outside of the column depicts significant events in the early history of Oregon.
Do not miss this magnificent piece of history. I'll bet the view from the top is worth every step. -
Review from Vee E.
Warren, OR
11/30/2011 2 photos
I am so lucky... I went there today and the weather just sooooo beautiful. The view from Astoria Column is breath taking.. when I say breath taking, I meant you really gotta take your breath to go up there. You have to take 146stairs in order to enjoy the view, definitely worthed.
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Review from Erin O.
7/13/2011
Well, it was a tower full of stairs. I climbed them. I stood at the top. I waved at my heights-adverse mother on the ground, then I climbed down. It was a lovely view though.
It was not a difficult climb other than having to pass people going the opposite direction on the winding stairs.
It was priced right at $1. More than that and I'd have felt ripped off. -
Review from Angel H.
Salem, OR
If you are in Astoria doing the tourist thing, this IS worth the visit!! It's only $1 to park and you get a great view from the hill it is built on top of AND if you dare climb the 164 steps to the top, it's an even more incredible view. I climbed them all, huffing and puffing along the way, stepped out, took a look out, then took a look down, then immediately returned BACK inside and down the stairs!! (I admit I'm a wuss. It scared the crud out of me!!)
The $1 parking fee is yearly. Save your yellow pass and you can return anytime within a year and park for free! -
Review from Monica M.
Corvallis, OR
10/22/2011
The column is a must if you're doing the tourist thing in Astoria. As a former local of the town, I cal tell you that the best time to go is in the day time and then again at night. The lights are beautiful, even if the column is closed and you can't climb to the top. It's a great little place to get a good view of the city.
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Review from Andrea B.
Tacoma, WA
9/16/2011 1 Check-in Here
Lots of stairs, beautiful views. It was fun letting my 2 year old throw the airplane off the tower. Fun tradition
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Review from Rachel P.
2/21/2011
From a distance we didn't know what this was... a lighthouse? a tribal thing? We followed the signs and wandered up the hill...to this pretty cool local thing. The reasons I am not giving 5 stars: there was no easy info on who made this, when it was made or much. I know that this was the location of the first tv antenna in the country- cool but why is the column there?
I am glad I went, just not sure I'll ever need to go back.
BEST PART: was the $.95 paper plane that you buy and throw off the top! So cool!! -
Review from David L.
8/5/2010 2 photos
This is a must visit for those who travel into Astoria Oregon. It's a very tall tower with historic paintings on the tower itself. There is a one dollar parking fee, and anyone can go inside and go up the tower for free. There is also a gift shop and that's where you pay for fee. The stairs up the tower is very very narrow and I wouldn't recommend it for people who suffers from claustrophobia. There were a few times going up the column, I felt like I was going to lose my step because there's only one handrail. Parents should think twice about taking their kids on the column due to the dangers of them falling.
Once you're up at the very top of the column, you can have an awesome view of Astoria. Hey, the only reason I'm excited about Astoria is the movie Goonies! One of my favourite movies of all time was film in Astoria. -
Review from Danielle K.
Portland, OR
7/23/2010 1 photo
Like Brandi, I tried not to hate the marathon-runner who, gazelle-like, skipped the stairs ahead of me and waited on the little landings for me to catch up.
Yes, I am out of shape.
Yes, I wanted to die on those 164 swirly spiral stairs.
But when I finally reached the top, it was like I freaking conquered the world.
The tower isn't huge up top, but dear lord is it pretty! The view is absolutely breathtaking...literally and figuratively. Not to be missed. It was fantastic.Listed in: Take Your Shirt Off...
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Review from Michelle H.
Portland, OR
6/8/2010 1 Check-in Here
Take your ass up the column. Just do it. Left foot. Right foot. You know how to do it.
I don't care if it's raining. I don't care if you need a hit off your inhaler. I don't care if it's windy. I don't care if you have to take a five-minute break at each landing. I don't care if it's foggy. I don't care if your normal exercise routine is walking to the bathroom.
Just go. The view is fantastic.
Make sure you remember to donate $1. -
Review from Andrew C.
5/31/2010 1 photo
If you can't walk up 162 steps without:
A) Bitching incessantly
B) Becoming extremely winded
...you need to take a closer look at the physical aspects of your life.
Get off that couch.
Get a little more active.
Because once you can, the view from up here, even in the fog, is breathtaking. And it costs a dollar. If this was California, it would be $7 to park, $9 to go up in the column.
$1...
Only in Oregon. -
Review from Kim K.
The haul up the 164 steps to the top of the Astoria Column will get your heart pumping but it's totally worth it. The views from the top of the surrounding area and the Columbia River are exquisite! A must do in Astoria!
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Review from Nancy L.
Beaverton, OR
4/16/2011
I was raised in Astoria, so it's no wonder I'm giving this monument a huge thumbs up. The column has been repainted/refurbished and is well taken care of. It's a lot of steps to the top, but it's so worth the view. You can see the whole town of Astoria into Warrenton across to Washington, the ocean, the Columbia Gorge and all the adjoining rivers and tributaries. Saddle Mountain is quite a sight and i can see all the way out to Lewis and Clark, where I was born. It's best to go on a sunny day, after eating at the Pig n Pancake, so you can walk off the calories.
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Review from Don J.
Eugene, OR
1/21/2011
My trip to Astoria, OR:
http://www.donjkingsle... -
Review from Kristen M.
Hillsboro, OR
7/29/2010
Honored in 2009 for being the best tourist spot in Oregon is the Astoria Column. What's lovely is that on your drive throughout the city, the roads are painted with pictures of the column so you know where to go. You don't need your GPS, you just follow the column pictures that are painted on the road!
Once you reach the curve drive up to the column, parking is $1 and I guess you pay at the gift shop in their donation area.
For all of you who are scared of heights, you probably would be scared climbing the 150-ish steps to the top. I saw people walking up halfway and got scared and ended up just walking down since they're scared of heights. Some people got dizzy just walking up (I got dizzy walking down).
Honestly I can say it was a bit scary walking up the spiral staircase. Some platforms in the middle gave me the illusion that I was about to reach the top when I had a couple more circles to turn before I reached it. But once you get to the top, you feel your thighs burning from the work out you just pulled.
Once you climb your way to the top, the views are phenomenal. A 360 view of Astoria, the bridges that connects from Seaside to Astoria and the other from Astoria to Washington.
Would I go back? Probably so to bring visiting fam and friends to see the views. -
Review from brandi p.
3/12/2010
I tried to not hate the jogger ahead of us that ran the stairs, ran the perimeter at the top, ran back down and ran away, all without breaking a sweat. If you're in decent shape the climb isn't a big deal, but I still won't be bounding it two steps up anytime soon.
That said, this really is one of those "wait you went to Astoria and you didn't see THAT???" places. Very PNW, very steep, very neat. I'm not height-phobic, but for some reason the railing/sight line hit me with a bit of vertigo, and as Jen mentioned if you're there on a windy day you'll want to hold on (to yourself, cameras, kids, what have you.) Totally worth the short drive from downtown.
('kay, so I re-read this and realize I sound about ninety years old. The stairs! The height! The wind! Think I'll just go grab my walker and afghan now. damn.) -
Review from Bree C.
Huntington Beach, CA
8/26/2010
It was like being on a treasure hunt trying to find the column. And the way to find the treasure is to follow the painted white columns periodically posted on the pavement.
So its definitely a been there done that kinda place. Simple enough, 164 steps up a narrow spiral staircase where people are both going up and down at the same time. No windows along the way. Great photo op and that's that. Then your headed back down.
Do it just you can say you have! -
Review from Bill E.
6/11/2010
Astoria - is it "uhhh-stor-ia" or "ASS-stor-ia"?
After all the beer and wine we consumed in Seaside and Astoria, we needed some movement - luckily, there are 162 stairs up the column! Even if you don't feel like exercise, the views from the top are your reward. -
Review from Jen K.
1/18/2008 1 Check-in Here
Astoria is an interesting place. Over the past ten years it has changed a lot and is going through a bit of an artistic renaissance from its industrial roots. During my last visit in February 2007, I spent a lot of time walking around the city (really a town) and saw more interesting restaurants, coffee shops and boutique hotels then I recalled from prior visits.
One of the fun (and quick) things to do when you are in the area is to visit the Astoria Column. I don't believe there is an admission charge, just the willingness to climb all those stairs. It does have a commanding view of the mighty Columbia River. However, on all my visits over the years it seems like a magnet for wind and rather foul weather. So be prepared to bundle up and have a laugh while you try to navigate around the guardrail at the top without being blown off.Listed in: NW Coastal Favorites (Oregon…
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Review from Janessa P.
Portland, OR
9/9/2009
The Astoria Column is Astoria-Awesome.
* It's free (Well, we didn't pay. Don't know if we were supposed to).
* There are 162 steps to the top. If you want to feel like She-Ra you can run most of them.
* The view from the top of the tower is breath-taking. I don't think it's possible to take a bad picture.
* You may feel like Rapunzel.Listed in: Best of 2009, ASTORIA
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Review from Jason F.
Blaine, WA
7/10/2011
Ok Throwing little wooden airplanes off the top is pretty cool! Lots of stairs but worth it.
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Review from Liz S.
Cambridge, MA
5/1/2011 1 Check-in Here
You can't beat a $1 admission fee. Very fun, kid friendly activity.
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Review from Erin H.
Medford, OR
2/19/2010
I'm glad to see that this place got five stars from everyone!
If you happen to be in Astoria, there's no reason not to make the 10 minute drive from the main road up to this point. You're in Astoria anyway, which took you forever to get to, so you might as well do something enjoyable.
It costs just one dollar for parking, and the pass they give you is good for a year. Seriously--a year. So it's quite the bargain.
Even on a grey and blusterly day, you can see for miles from this high up. While the climb can be exhausting (especially if you're smoker), it's well worth it. There are plenty of places to stop and rest along the way up if you need, plus you can take your steps really slow as the place is never really busy.
Bonus, which I just found out the last time I was here: There are these wooden glider planes you can buy at the gift shop for a buck and throw off the top. They fly forever and ever before they fall into the thick brush by the road. Very entertaining. -
Review from Cheryle R.
Lake Oswego, OR
3/6/2010
Simply put - the Astoria Column ROCKS!!!
First, it's an absolute bargain - $1 buys you a parking pass that's good for the entire year. I think they could easily doublle or triple their parking fee and make it one time use and it would still be an incredible value.
Second, the bathrooms are close to the column and CLEAN. Public bathrooms - especially at parks and such - are often sketchy so I appreciated a bathroom that didn't give me the creeps.
Third, the climb isn't difficult at all if you are in reasonably decent shape. And even if you're not in decent shape, they have little platforms where you can stop periodically to catch your breath. The staircase is spirally and kind of narrow, but definitely not the scariest I've climbed.
Fourth, the views are AMAZING! Even if you don't climb the column, the views are stunning. Reminds me of why I love living in the Pacific Northwest so much, even with "all the rain". (Pssst: it was 60 degrees and sunny on the beach today, but don't tell anyone!) -
Review from stangirl w.
Vancouver, WA
4/18/2011
Beautiful views and the detail on the tower is amazing.
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Review from Winane L.
Alameda, CA
9/15/2007 1 photo
This is definitely a must do while in Astoria. Even though we had directions to the column we had some difficulties finding it. There weren't any signs pointing the way. But sure enough we found it.
The pictorial on the column is quite interesting. Make sure you bring binoculars. Or a very good zoom lens on your camera. I stayed below while BF took the stairs. It's very peaceful and tranquil down below. Great awesome view.
Check out the pic. -
Review from Jessica W.
Sacramento, CA
10/21/2010
Long spiraling walk! You donate your "entrance fee" and get to climb this gorgeously decorated column. It truly is an experience. I definitely recommending doing it at least once. Gorgeous views of the river and towns below.
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Review from Ryan A.
12/12/2010 1 Check-in Here
It's the Astoria Column. It is what it is, so for that it gets a 5-star. It's a piece of our history in one of (the?) oldest towns west of the Mississippi. It offers great views (maybe not when we were there yesterday - we were looking for the storm, after all), but what is more impressive is the history behind it and the column itself. There's a lot of detail that was put into it. The stairs have been replaced, but it's still a bit scary on top for me - especially during higher winds. I would come here each time I visit Astoria since the weather, if nothing else, gives a different view each time.
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Review from Ngoc T.
11/18/2010 1 photo
I'm not very impressed with this place. Yes, it has a nice view, but i'm not in awe with it. Its fresh air, peaceful when you're here or aka boring. But i can say that this is much better then the town. I rather be here then walking around downtown. I hope next time when i'm back, Astoria has more to offer.
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Review from Lydia K.
Rocklin, CA
10/27/2010
OH MY... my legs are still sore... but the husband is fine after climbing to the top and being scared to walk out...! It was a very nice climb but it made me a little bit dizzy and the hubby did get height fright! A great free ($1 per year parking pass) experience that I hightly recommend... and if you can't/don't make it to the top, it is still a beautiful lookout from the lot and you can buy a button for $1 in the gift shop that says you didn't make it up... COOL!
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Review from Kelly S.
Portland, OR
2/22/2011
so here's the thing...
i forgot my inhaler...
my GF had a panic attack at the top
we realized when we came down that the view from the base is damn near the same as at the top
but...
we saw a gigantic bald eagle hanging out in a nearby tree
i didn't tumble down the stairs
the lady in the gift shop offered up the friendly reminder that "those pencils are recycled"
come here and support a kinda neat historical heart attack waiting to happen. buy yourself a balsa wood plane and bring it home to fly outta your 2nd storey window if you don't make it to the top. -
Review from c l.
Portland, OR
4/26/2010
the Column was easy to find, no directions needed. we saw it from downtown Astoria, then just drove up into the neighborhood underneath it and saw a sign. the drive up is pretty and the views are nice even before you reach the top.
there is a small store with souvenirs, books on the history of the Column and Oregon, and best of all, 50 cent glider planes you can throw from the top of the Column! something that didn't seem like CA would allow it (someone might get offended or sued!). heh. i can say that because i was born and raised there. the woman in the shop was very friendly and helpful and sold us our super expensive, mandatory, yearly parking pass. it was a piece of paper the size of a bookmark and cost us $1! we could barely afford it!
so the stairs leading up the inside of the Column were tight but pretty easy to climb. i have asthma and haven't worked out in a year and i made it just fine. the only danger you face is becoming dizzy. the views up top were amazing! it was a beautiful warm sunny day but there is still high winds up top.
the balsa wood glider planes are a must! you think they're going to just plop down below you and they start to drop, but then the wind picks them up and they stay almost as high as the Column, floating forever above the tree line until you can't see them anymore. you can't beat the experience for $1.50! -
Review from Sage A.
Newberg, OR
12/31/2010
Nothing special. Just a tall tower that you can throw airplanes off of, and then get them, and then throw them again.
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Review from Erin M.
Seattle, WA
11/14/2010
Awesome view, funky Oregon coast thing to do. Definitely something you need to wear good shoes, as the stair climb is very narrow and gets super awkward if you have to pass someone coming up or down.
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Review from Jessica A.
Chula Vista, CA
11/4/2007
There is a really nice view after 200 steps up the column. The cool thing is the view and the fact that you can throw gliders off the top of the column...
Listed in: Oregon
