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Mission22

Astoria Column

Suggested by Max W.

Climb all 164 steps of the Astoria Column and send a balsa plane flying off the top.

Walk around the base of the Astoria Column and each pick your favorite scene in the painted spiral. Grab a $1 balsa plane from the gift shop, then climb the 164 spiral steps to the lookout. Count down together, launch your planes off the top and try to get a photo of yours mid-flight. Then race down to find where it landed.

  • Date or adventure
  • 1-3 hours
  • Moderate
  • Under $20
  • Outdoors
  • Daytime

Good with just you, friends, family, and kids

Check before you go: opening hours and whether it's open this season

Astoria Column, Astoria1 Coxcomb Dr, Astoria, OR 97103
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Kids' version

Climb the tower and fly a plane off the top!

  1. Your favorite picture on the tower
  2. Your plane before the climb
  3. The view from the top
  4. Your plane flying!
  5. Where your plane landed

Checked November 2026

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About this place

The Astoria Column stands 125 feet tall on top of Coxcomb Hill and turned 100 in 2026. It's wrapped in a spiral mural of 14 scenes from the area's history, etched into the plaster by Italian artist Attilio Pusterla. There's no elevator. From the top you can see the Columbia River meeting the Pacific, the Astoria-Megler Bridge and the hills of the coast.

The $1 balsa planes are a local tradition, kept cheap by an anonymous donor. Climbing is free; parking is a yearly pass per car. The park is open early until late, but the gift shop keeps shorter hours that change with the seasons, so check before you go if you want a plane. Make a day of it with the Wreck of the Peter Iredale on the beach nearby.

Also in: Kid-Friendly Adventures

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