In the conifer forests six miles south of Astoria and three miles east of US-101, the Fort Clatsop National Memorial (daily; $5 per car; 503/861-2471) is a credible reconstruction of the encampment Lewis and Clark and company constructed during the winter of 1805–06. A range of exhibits in the visitors center, a full-scale replica of the 50- by 50-foot log fort, and summertime living history reenactments help conjure the travails of that time. The expedition spent three miserable months near here, mingling occasionally with the native Clatsop and Chinook tribes but mostly growing moldy in the incessant rain and damp while being bitten by fleas, sewing new moccasins, and making salt in preparation for the return journey across the continent.
