You can enter the Willamette via kayak at a number of areas. The question is, "where?" Our go-to's are Willamette Park and Cathedral Park.
You're in Portland! A city divided by the legendary Willamette River, stretching 187 miles from Eugene, OR to just beyond Portland, where it joins the Columbia River rushing toward the Pacific.
Despite the proximity, finding good spots to actually enter the river via kayak close to home can be tricky. Here are a few good spots.
Cathedral Park is a must-see, especially at dusk when the lights illuminate the magical St. Johns Bridge. We meandered close to the park, watching the sunset change the colors of Forest Park and the industrial buildings backdropping the bridge.
But our favorite spot to enter the Willamette is at Willamette Park, on the Southern side of the city.
There's a spacious dock with ample parking and you have your pick of places to explore. The dock is just a mile South of downtown, so you can catch some nice views of the city and West Hills. You can head South to paddle under the Sellwood Bridge.
Or you can go East to explore a cluster of islands, from teeny tiny Toe Island (you can run from end to end in just a few minutes!) to East Island (small enough to circle around while admiring both wildlife and cool houseboats) or, if you have time, maneuver around the much larger Ross Island and Hardtrack Island.
These two islands are connected and form almost a long, full oval - with the only opening on the direct opposite side of Willamette Park.
We have yet to fully circumnavigate the islands, but we've paddled along the shores, watching the innumerable fish jump and curious ducks trailing behind us.
We've gotten stuck in some rain and paddled our hearts out to get back to the dock before darkness settled in fully. With so much to see and do so close to home, this is the dock for us!
Distance from Portland: 0-15 minutes, depending where you start out!
Other places to enter the Willamette River:
-Sellwood Riverfront Park in SE Portland: Paddling South toward the golf course, we just laid in our kayaks watching the sky as hawks repeatedly swooped down to catch fish and returned to the trees above.
-Clackamette Park in Oregon City: Where the Clackamas River meets the Willamette River. A great launch spot to paddle to Willamette Falls!
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