Overview
Across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon stands the palisade of Fort Vancouver National Historical Park. From 1825 to 1860 it served as the Hudson’s Bay Company’s western headquarters, even after the U.S. took control of the territory from Great Britain in 1846. Within walking distance, the National Park Service (NPS) also manages the free Pearson Air Museum at an active airport surrounded by the Vancouver National Historic Reserve. A separate unit of the park, the McLoughlin House (free) is found in downtown Oregon City and focuses on the area’s significance as the terminus for the Oregon Trail.
Highlights
Reconstructed fort, period garden, Pearson Air Museum, McLoughlin House
Must-Do Activity
Today’s fort buildings are reconstructions, including the bakehouse, blacksmith shop, chief factor’s house, fur store, and bastion which are open to visitors with costumed reenactors inside happy to answer questions.
Best Trail
True to its past, Vancouver, Washington (not to be confused with the large city across the Canadian border) remains a major shipping center to this day. Its waterfront is home to a sculpture honoring “Wendy the Welder” and the women who worked here during World War II. Many structures are preserved in the surrounding Vancouver National Historic Reserve, including the Marshall House (tours for a fee).
Instagram-worthy Photo
A garden designed to mimic one from 1845 is maintained just outside the fort’s palisade.
Peak Season
Summer
Hours
https://www.nps.gov/fova/planyourvisit/hours.htm
Fees
$10 per person (only to enter the fort itself) or America the Beautiful pass
Road Conditions
Access roads paved, but parking is a short walk from the fort.
Camping
Battleground Lake State Park has a campground 20 miles northwest of Vancouver, Washington. There are many camping options across the Columbia River in Mount Hood National Forest.
Related Sites
Grand Portage National Monument (Minnesota)
Whitman Mission National Historic Site (Washington)
Mount Rainier National Park (Washington)
Mt. Hood in the distance 
Scott inside the fort 
Bakehouse 
Tiff before ascending the fort’s bastion 
This is a statue dedicated to the women who worked in the shipyards
Explore More – Before it became a unit of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in 2003, when was McLoughlin House named a National Historic Site in the “father of Oregon’s” honor (even though he was Canadian)?
Raven About The Parks | Raven About The Forests 