Visiting the Astoria Oregon Column

Last updated on 22 June 2026

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The last time I visited Astoria, it was so cloudy you could barely see anything

Not this time! It was still cloudy, but the sun was shining through and I saw a lot more of the surrounding countryside than I did in my 2017 trip to this sweet wee town in the northwest corner of Oregon state.

On our road trip up the coast from Cannon Beach, we pulled into the town from the southern end (last time we were coming from Seattle so entered the town from the northern end), and went straight up to see the Astoria Column.

The Astoria Column

The Astoria Column turned 100 Years Old in 2026, as construction on the tower started in 1926. The incredible art that wraps around the column was done by Attilio Pusterla, and apparently, the mural is 525 feet long (and for my Metric Readers: 160m). The actual painting of the mural sounds very dangerous, and you can read more about that here on the Astoria Column website.

Reading more of the story of the column, it was damaged by weather over the years and a restoration project began in 1929, with the plan to tend to the mural every 5 years for upkeep. WWII shut the column to the public for a time, and then in 1974 it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

These days, there’s a group called The Friends of Astoria Column, who look after the column, and visiting now you wouldn’t really know that any damage had been done over the years.

While the last time I was there, I couldn’t even see the top of this 196-step tower, but this time it was brilliant.

You could see right across out to sea just from the bottom, but when we climbed up (and took a breather half up up!), you could see the river stretching out across the state.

We were lucky enough to see a fully grown American Bald Eagle just chilling out in a tree, as well as another eagle, which someone up the tower thought might be a fledgling of a bald eagle. Even if it wasn’t, it was still a stunning bird.

We didn’t spend too much time down in the town of Astoria this time, but we did pop into our favourite Scandinavian shop, Fin Ware, and grabbed lunch on the water.

The Goonies House

Astoria is also where the 1985 movie The Goonies was filmed. You can go and look at the house that is the main home in the movie, but there are signs up that the current residents don’t want people taking photos or going down the driveway. We didn’t go and see it this time round, but I did see it last time.

Have you been to Astoria, Oregon?