Fort Stevens has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
On the clock
11:00 · 14:00 · 18:00
Summer wind can be up as early as 11:00 and often holds until dark, with the usable core roughly 14:00 to 18:00. It follows the inland heat, so a cool grey morning pushes the whole thing later. Timing is documented for the same unbroken beach a few miles downwind rather than measured at the Fort Stevens launches.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
thermal
fills in: Summer wind can be up as early as 11:00 and often holds until dark, with the usable core roughly 14:00 to 18:00. It follows the inland heat, so a cool grey morning pushes the whole thing later. Timing is documented for the same unbroken beach a few miles downwind rather than measured at the Fort Stevens launches.
Typical strength
13-22 on a summer day, gusting to around 30
Thermal or synoptic
thermal and storm
The quiver, in words
For 75-85 kg on a twin-tip: 12 m for the light end around 13-15 knots, 9 m as the everyday summer kite from about 18 to 22, and 7 m for the days that gust past 25. Indicative only — there is no local size table, and these are read off the beach's own 13-22 knot working range.Add cold-water bulk to the wetsuit and most riders find themselves a touch underpowered rather than over.
Direction to shore
cross-on
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan52
- Feb37
- Mar29
- Apr40
- May, riders' month26
- Jun, riders' month37
- Jul, riders' month31
- Aug, riders' month16
- Sep, riders' month17
- Oct29
- Nov35
- Dec35
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.
- 52%Jan9°
- 37%Feb10°
- 29%Mar9°
- 40%Apr10°
- 26%May12°
- 37%Jun12°
- 31%Jul13°
- 16%Aug15°
- 17%Sep15°
- 29%Oct13°
- 35%Nov12°
- 35%Dec10°
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Water | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52% | 71% | 61% | 15.1 kt | ESE | 13:00 | 7.3°C | 9.3°C | 62 |
| Feb | 37% | 63% | 56% | 14 kt | ESE | 14:00 | 6.6°C | 9.5°C | 57 |
| Mar | 29% | 55% | 45% | 12.8 kt | SW | 15:00 | 7.2°C | 9.2°C | 62 |
| Apr | 40% | 75% | 65% | 13.3 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 8.3°C | 10.3°C | 60 |
| May | 26% | 71% | 53% | 11.9 kt | NNW | 17:00 | 11.5°C | 12°C | 62 |
| Jun | 37% | 67% | 55% | 12.3 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 13.4°C | 12°C | 60 |
| Jul | 31% | 52% | 39% | 11.2 kt | NNW | 17:00 | 15.6°C | 13°C | 62 |
| Aug | 16% | 40% | 27% | 10.3 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 16.7°C | 14.6°C | 62 |
| Sep | 17% | 37% | 23% | 10.2 kt | NNW | 16:00 | 15.2°C | 14.5°C | 60 |
| Oct | 29% | 50% | 35% | 11.4 kt | E | 13:00 | 12.8°C | 13.4°C | 62 |
| Nov | 35% | 67% | 55% | 13.8 kt | SSW | 11:00 | 8.2°C | 11.5°C | 60 |
| Dec | 35% | 68% | 63% | 14.3 kt | ESE | 12:00 | 7.8°C | 9.8°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal. A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.
High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024
The water
Type
waves
Standing depth
No — open Pacific beach with a shore break and swell behind it
Tides
Full open-coast tidal range. How much it changes the launch or the break here is unconfirmed.
Temperature
Summer About 15-16 in July-September
Winter About 9
Wetsuit
A 4/3 is the summer minimum; outside summer add a hood, boots and gloves.
Currents
The Columbia River mouth sits immediately north. The current off the South Jetty is very strong and riding north of the jetty is the one thing riders here are told not to do.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
Launch and rules
three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you
With a school or a boat
1 school names this spot
On your own
Room to launch: huge
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
Two normal starting points: Lot B, which opens straight onto a wide beach, and the Peter Iredale wreck access a little to the south. Both are a short walk from hard parking with room to spread out.The short run is Lot B down to the wreck; shuttle a second car and the downwinder carries on to Sunset Beach or Del Rey Beach.
Space
huge
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Know where the plover boundary sits before you pump up: kites are named in the March 15 to September 15 prohibition at the north end.
- Do not ride north of the South Jetty, in any conditions.
- For the long downwinder, shuttle a second car to Sunset or Del Rey. The alternative is upwind or a very long walk.
- Buy the day-use parking permit at the kiosk on the way in, $10 for one day (2025 price).
- Cars use parts of this beach. Look up the sand before you lay out lines.
- Do not turn up at nine expecting to ride. The thermal wants inland heat first; midday to early evening is the window, and a grey morning delays it.
- Non-Oregon plates pay $12 for the day permit in 2026, not $10.
Getting there
Airport
Portland International (PDX)
Route
About 171 km by road from PDX, roughly two and a half hours, out along the Columbia through Astoria then across to Hammond and into the park.
Transfer
155 min
Staying
The park itself has 174 full-hookup sites, 302 electrical sites with water, 6 tent sites, 15 yurts and 11 deluxe cabins, reservable up to six months ahead and often needing it. Astoria and Seaside cover everything else.
No-wind days
Coffenbury Lake inside the park has swimming, a boat ramp and a two-mile loop trail, with ranger-guided kayak tours in summer. The military museum and gun batteries and the wreck itself are all within the park, and the Oregon Coast Trail runs through it.
FAQ
Is Fort Stevens good for beginners?
It is rated beginner through advanced, with a wide open beach that gives plenty of rigging room.
What is the wind like at Fort Stevens?
Wind comes from both north and south, driven by a mix of thermal and storm systems.
Where do you launch at Fort Stevens?
Riders launch near the Peter Iredale shipwreck or from Lot B depending on conditions, with downwind runs possible toward Surf Pines.
Last updated: August 2026