Kayaking an urban oasis of tranquility.
The Smith and Bybee Wetlands are one of the largest urban wetlands in the United States and the water is accessible only to non-motorized watercraft.
The result is ultra-serene, still water with a myriad of birds passing through. With barely the whisper of a current, kayakers are free to explore this natural environment at leisure.
Enter via the canoe launch on Smith Lake. Turn right, and you’ll paddle parallel to the marsh, over which the horizon is shaped by the giant hills of Forest Park.
After a mile or so, look to the East behind you – you may see Mount Hood in the distance!
Kayakers can forge their own paths depending on the ever-changing waterscape of the marsh. We cut through a small waterway to Bybee Lake flanked by reeds, provoking lots of jumping and movement as we paddled through.
Nutria? Beavers? The water is alive with critters! We were very excited to see a river otter’s head poking up as it swam through the water towards the marsh.
The strange thing about Smith and Bybee is that it’s essentially a big ol' bubble of nature floating among giants of industry. The wetlands are flanked by a highway, a railroad, the bustling Columbia River, and the Portland airport. So while you’re immersed in this atmosphere of complete natural calm, you may hear an airplane overhead or the whistle of a train intermingling with the birdsong.
It's not annoying - rather, it's pretty amazing that this giant space is preserved and flourishing alongside human industry.
We arrived a few hours before sunset, and as always, admired the gorgeous fiery dusk before quickly descending into a panicked scramble to escape before dark.
The entrance through the brush to the canoe launch blends into the bank, save for a few faded ribbons tied to outer the trees – we spotted them just in time to pull out in the fading light. Learn from our mistake and head in early!
There’s also a short hike (really a walk) called the Interlakes Trail that leads up between Smith and Bybee lakes, with gazebos on either side to observe the water life. I imagine bird-watchers will find a lot of migratory travelers to admire here, though the only bird we recognized was a bald eagle, soaring over the path to perch in a tree. There’s also a plethora of Western painted turtles here (we saw one sunning on a log!) as well as beavers, black-tailed deer, and osprey.
Distance from Portland: 0 - 15 minutes, depending where you start
Difficulty: Easy
Note: This is a transient wetland! We came back in the summer and both lakes had disappeared to reveal the grassy landscape below.
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