Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Located on the north bank of the Columbia River, in sight of snowy mountain peaks and a vibrant urban landscape, this park has a rich cultural past. From a frontier fur trading post, to a powerful military legacy, the magic of flight, and the origin of the American Pacific Northwest, history is shared at four unique sites. Discover stories of transition, settlement, conflict, and community.
About under an hour from Portland by car.
Fire nearby
- WildfireHigh Lava
32 mi from the park's reference point · 2,899 acres · 95% contained
- WildfireThe Narrows
43 mi from the park's reference point · 305 acres · 98% contained
Within 50 miles, as of 2026-10-14. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Check the park's alerts and the managing office before you drive.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Per PersonDay use/entrance fees are required for visitors ages 16 and up to access reconstructed Fort Vancouver. Federal Interagency Passes are accepted. There is no day use/entrance fee for visitors accessing the Visitor Center, Pearson Air Museum, the Barclay House, and McLoughlin House. | $10 | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkFort Vancouver National Historic Site offers an annual pass that covers entrance fees for 4 visitors ages 16 and up. Visitors ages 15 and under are free. This pass can be purchased at the gates of Fort Vancouver or at Recreation.gov. | $35 | |
A day use/entrance fee is required to access reconstructed Fort Vancouver for everyone 16 years of age or older. The Visitor Center, Pearson Air Museum, Barclay House, and McLoughlin House do not require a day use/entrance fee.
Hours
| Vancouver, Washington | Varies by day ▾
|
| Oregon City, Oregon | Varies by day ▾
|
Vancouver, Washington: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow |
|
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 21, 2026 to Jan 5, 2027Winter Season Closure | Closed |
| Dec 24 to Dec 25, 2026Christmas Eve & Christmas Day | Hours not published |
| Dec 31, 2026 to Jan 1, 2027New Year's Eve & New Year's Day | Hours not published |
Oregon City, Oregon: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow |
|
| Dec 3, 2026 to Feb 16, 2027Annual Winter Closure | Closed |
When to go
July draws the most visits here and December the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Fort Vancouver Visitor Center ↗Passport stamp
Begin your visit by learning about all the park's venues through new exhibits and activities. Watch a short film about the site's history, peruse the park's bookstore, and enjoy a display of artwork by American Indian artists.
No campgrounds, no webcams or events in Park Service data. What is here comes from the official page. The rest lives there.
Checked nightly. Modules appear as soon as the Park Service publishes the data.
Explore
Things to do
- At-Home Archaeology and Museum Activities for Kids
Learn about archaeology and museums at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site with these fun activities for kids!
Opens on the Park Service site - Birdwatching at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
In the midst of urban Vancouver, Washington, Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, with its open green spaces and trees, is a great place to watch birds!
Opens on the Park Service site - Women of the McLoughlin House (Self-Guided Outside Tour)15-30 Minutes
This short, self-guided walking tour of the McLoughlin House Unit of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, located in Oregon City, Oregon, takes you to four different landmarks and offers an overview of the women who lived in these homes and worked…
Opens on the Park Service site - Level 1 Trails at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site0-40 Minutes
Learn about Level 1 walking trails at Fort Vancouver. Level 1 trails are wheelchair-accessible and can be walked in 15 minutes with minimal elevation change.
Opens on the Park Service site - Level 2 Trails at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site25-30 Minutes
Learn about Level 2 walking trails at Fort Vancouver. Level 2 trails are wheelchair-accessible and can be walked in under 30 minutes with an elevation change of less than 20 feet.
Opens on the Park Service site - Level 3 Trails at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site15-90 Minutes
Learn about Level 3 walking trails at Fort Vancouver. Level 3 trails and routes can be walked in 90 minutes with an elevation change of up to 50 feet.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 12Hide
- Bring Your Dog to Fort Vancouver National Historic Site15-90 Minutes
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site offers several trails for dog walking, and a summer Bark Ranger program designed for visitors and their dogs.
Opens on the Park Service site - The Park Prescription Program at Fort Vancouver15-90 Minutes
Discover history and improve your health by walking Fort Vancouver National Historic Site's many trails!
Opens on the Park Service site - Picnicking at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site1-2 Hours
Enjoy a picnic on the grounds of Fort Vancouver National Historic Site. There are several picnic areas in the park, which are open from dawn to dusk.
Opens on the Park Service site - Become a Junior Ranger at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Collect them all! Earn three Junior Ranger badges at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site.
Opens on the Park Service site - Visit the Fort Vancouver Village30-60 Minutes
Learn about the working class of Fort Vancouver by taking a scenic walk to the Fort Vancouver Village.
Opens on the Park Service site - Visit the Japanese Castaways' Memorial10-15 Minutes
Near the Fort Vancouver Visitor Center, remember three Japanese castaways who arrived at the Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Vancouver in the 1830s.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
On the National Register nearby
- Evergreen HotelBuilding · Vancouver · 0.5 mi
- U.S. National Bank BuildingBuilding · Vancouver · 0.5 mi
- House of ProvidenceBuilding · Vancouver · 0.6 mi
- John P. and Mary Kiggins HouseBuilding · Vancouver · 0.6 mi
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Forest Service trails nearby
These trails are outside the park on National Forest land, within 15 miles of Fort Vancouver. Each one opens on Trailhead Atlas.
Distance is measured from the park's reference point to the nearer end of the trail.
Guidebooks for the Pacific Northwest
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBarred Owl 33× · Sandhill Crane 31× · Eastern Fox Squirrel 28× · Belted Kingfisher 14× · Western Screech-Owl 12× · Coyote 12× · American White Pelican 10× · Greater Yellowlegs 7×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 57 birds, 26 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Hen Harrier · Red-tailed Hawk
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Coot · American Wigeon · Bufflehead · Canada Goose · Common Merganser · Double-crested Cormorant · Great Blue Heron · pied-billed grebe · western grebe
Shorebirds & seabirdsDunlin · European Herring Gull · Killdeer · Ring-billed Gull · Semipalmated Plover
Gamebirds & dovesCommon Pigeon · Mourning Dove
Woodpeckersnorthern flicker
Hummingbirds & swiftsRufous Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAmerican Goldfinch · American Robin · American crow · Barn Swallow · Belted Kingfisher · Bewick's Wren · Black-capped Chickadee · Brewer's Blackbird · Brown Creeper · Brown-headed Cowbird · California Scrub Jay · Cedar Waxwing · Chestnut-backed Chickadee · Chipping Sparrow · Common Starling · Dark-eyed Junco · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Golden-crowned Sparrow · House Finch · House Sparrow · Mallard · Northern Raven · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Pine Siskin · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-winged Blackbird · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Song Sparrow · Spotted Towhee · Steller's Jay · Varied Thrush · Violet-green Swallow · Western Flycatcher · White-crowned Sparrow
Small mammalsAmerican Beaver · American Shrew Mole · Brown Rat · Coast Mole · Common Muskrat · Coronation Island vole · Creeping Vole · Deer Mouse · Eastern Gray Squirrel · Eastern cottontail · House Mouse · Pacific Jumping Mouse · Townsend's Vole · Vagrant shrew
PredatorsAmerican Mink · Coyote · Cross Fox · Long-tailed Weasel · Striped Skunk · Western Spotted Skunk · common raccoon
Hoofed mammalsColumbian black-tailed deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Little Brown Bat
Also on the checklistCoypu · Virginia Opossum
Activities
Activity guides for this park Wildlife watching in the national parks
All 14 activitiesHide
Weather & climate
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site is located in a mild, temperate climate. However, in the case of severe weather, park alerts posted on the park's website will provide information about emergency closures.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Fort Vancouver?
Entrance is $10 per person on foot or bike. Day use/entrance fees are required for visitors ages 16 and up to access reconstructed Fort Vancouver.
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Fort Vancouver?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Fort Vancouver-only annual pass is $35.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Fort Vancouver takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
When is entrance to Fort Vancouver free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Fort Vancouver?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Fort Vancouver. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Fort Vancouver?
Standard hours are 9:00AM - 4:00PM on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and it is closed on Sunday and Monday. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
How busy is Fort Vancouver?
1,071,161 recreation visits in 2025, number 69 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
When was Fort Vancouver established?
1948. It covers about 0.3 square miles.
Source: Wikipedia
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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