Cruising the Willamette River in Oregon?

J

j&lgray

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 28, 2008
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644
Fluid Motion Model
C-28
Vessel Name
Trilogy
Hi Tugnutters;

We are looking for information on the possibility of cruising the Willamette River starting in Portland, Oregon and want to know if any of you have done this and/or where to find information on this.

We were at Champoeg State Heritage Park that is on the river between Salem and Portland and found a nice dock with a three day time limit. This is at milepost 46 on the river and therefore 46 miles from Portland. It looks like it could be a fun trip; an easy trailer trip from Seattle, launch somewhere in the Portland/Vancouver area, and go up the river, turnaround and come back. We are not new to river boating having done 1,600 miles of the Tennessee River from Ohio to Mobile Bay, Alabama in the Laurie Ann.

Who has done this? What would you recommend?

We love this website, so much expertise out there!
 
We live in McMinnville and have put in at Newberg a number of times. They have a beautiful ramp and parking lot. You need to let parks and recreation know if you are going to park overnight. There is a three dollar launch fee, but if you let them know in advance you can park overnight for free.

We have been down to just about a mile above where the Tualatin River comes in. The river gets narrow and shallow and fast in that area and I have been too chicken to try. We have been up as far as the Yamhill river and the whole stretch is beautiful. This week has been high with some debris, but we generally take it slow and keep a sharp watch.

The 23rd we will launch at Cedaroak Park in West Linn. There they have the same arangement. You can park as long as you want, just let the West Linn Police know. We will spent Friday and Saturday night at River Place in downtown Portland. They are kind of expensive, $105 for two nights. From there we will explore Sauvies Island on Saturday and snoop around in the Columbia before going back to West Linn on Sunday.

We were at the dock at Champoeg Park just a couple of weeks ago and they still let you tie up for three days.

The only surprise we have had in that part of the river is that our Garmin charts ended about two miles before we got to the Yamhill River. We just stayed in the middle of the river and watched the depth sounder. No problems.

This summer we plan to do the run from Lewiston Idaho to West Linn.
 
I forgot to mention, we have a few pictures posted of that stretch in Photo Albums.
 
Several years ago we traveled up the river from Portland thru the lock at the falls at Oregon City to Newberg. It was a great trip. The lock was closed the last couple of years but there has been some discussion of opening it again. Not sure when or if that will really happen. We are hoping that it will be re-opened so that we can take our R-25 up the river. The trip from Portland up to Oregon City is a great trip on its own. We did that trip a couple times last fall.
On another note. We are also talking about towing up to Lewiston and bringing our boat(s) (we will be going with our brother-in-law who has a 28 foot Bayliner) down the river. Seems like it should be a great trip. When do you plan to do it?

John Turner, John's Folly
 
We haven't set a schedule for the Snake Columbia Willamette trip yet. We plan to take our time, so we would like ten days of good weather in a row. I think my son will bring my tow vehicle and the empty trailer home. If not that will have to be figured in too.
 
Willamette Falls Locks just completed a major renovation and is scheduled to open April 26. There is an "official" reopening during "Lockfest," which is Memorial Day Weekend.

For planning purposes, it takes about 45 minutes to go through the locks going upstream, and about 30 minutes going downstream, according to someone I talked with today at the locks. He said boaters should call them at VHF 14 or (503) 656-3381.

For what it's worth, I was raised in Oregon and have seen the Willamette River all my life. But I never ever thought about taking the Red Ranger on it -- until now. What a great idea!!!!
 
Thanks for this information! Our dates for the Willamette River Expedition (sounds like something Lewis and Clark would do) has not been set. We think it is better to plan this in the spring/early summer when the water levels are higher, is that a good assumption? The more we hear about it, the more interesting it sounds.

Assuming that the locks re-open as johnniethek described and cruising past the Portland downtown would be a good thing, what ramp would you suggest using to launch that is in the Portland/Vancouver area? Or, is it best to launch like at Newberg or West Linn and proceed to Portland and then back again? If I am reading this correctly, it sounds like the latter is the better plan.

Also, is their a guidebook on this subject? I have found some descriptions, though dated back to the early 1990's, but nothing that is relatively current.
 
John,
You are putting to much planning into this. Until we got Karma, we never even had a "chart plotter". We relied solely on our charts and depth sounder.

Go with the flow. Plan to "bump" the bottom once or twice, just try not to do it to hard. Guide books were written by those who dared to venture off of the beaten path. Even Columbus did not have a clue as to where he may wake the following morning!

Take the least traveled path. See the things others have never had the courage to see. Remember, a prop can be replaced with money, a scratch can be repaired with gelcoat. I envy you for being able to load the Laurie Ann on her trailer and take her to these types of destinations. Maureen and I have boated all over this country and some of the most exciting times were the far unknown places that others said could not be explored with anything more than a canoe or kayak. My thought was, as long as the water was between chest and belly button deep, it was deep enough to anchor in! Remember, most lakes and rivers have no tides!!!

I remember once going through a canyon on Lake Powell where my oldest nephew was on the bow, my youngest nephew on the stern. They were positioned in these locations to assist us in getting our Catalina 25 around the corners. When we came to the end of the canyon, it opened into a huge pool! We dropped a bow and stern anchor and spent the night there. Another night we spent in a cave. Yes, literally in a cave with a sailboat! The rain cascaded all night long off of the opening while we slept in the cockpit completely dry!

The point being, enjoy today as if it is your last. Get up early, watch the sunrise. Sit in the cockpit in the evening watching the last light of day fade into night. See who spots the first star.

Remember, the scratches and bumps can be repaired. The memories are forever!

Have Fun!
 
Here's a place near Scappoose and along the Multnomah Channel. It's near where the Willamette River enters the Columbia, so it would mean essentially starting near the mouth of the Willamette and making a longer trip of it...past Sauvie Island, St. Johns, into Portland and then on to Oregon City: http://www.mccuddysmarina.com/
 
We have launched at Scappoose Bay Marina, near St. Helens. They have an excellent ramp and a large parking lot. Last year they charged $5.00 to use the ramp to launch and take out. It is somewhat down the river but the trip up the Multnomah Channel is always a fun trip. There are several houseboat settlements along the channel so there are several "no wake" zones but not enough to take away from the fun of the trip.The north end of the channel drops you into the Willamette just below downtown. On your return you can always go out into the Columbia to make better time if you desire. There is a transient dock near the middle of the channel and another one at St Helens should you choose to stay over night in the area. There is also a transient dock at Oregon City where a person can stay over. Not sure of what may be above the falls.
We might see you on the river, we kept our boat at a Marina on the channel last summer and will likely do so again.
Enjoy your trip, sights are wonderful.
John Turner
 
I've been down the Columbia from the Mcnary Dam all the way to Astoria on a 16' welded aluminum boat. It was a GREAT trip. Just take your time and plan to duck in if it really starts roaring through the gorge. Lewiston to Astoria would be epic.

As far as the Willy is concerned. I've canoed and kayaked most of it from Corvallis all the way down to McMinnville and then from Oregon City to Kelly Point Park. Water flows are the biggest deal, but you have a pretty decent channel at least up to Champoeg. As long as the lock at Oregon City is operational again, you will be fine. The later in the year, the more boat traffic you will deal with... the Newberg Pool gets pretty busy with water skiers and such.

The great thing about the Ranger is the low draft, so as others have said, take it slow once you get past Champoeg and have a great time!
 
The Oregon State Marine Board (www.boatoregon.com) has a publication that should answer many questions regarding the Willamette. It's called the "Willamette River Recreation Guide". It has quite a bit of very specific information on the river including navigation hazards, access, facilities and points of interest all the way from the mouth (where it enters the Columbia) all the way up river for 200 miles.

They recommend enclosed drive and steering (read that as "jet drive") upstream of Newberg (river mile 50) but I believe that our boats can safely negotiate the river when its running high at least up to Corvallis (river mile 132). and possibly beyond. Upstream of Corvallis the river picks up speed a bit as as the drop increases.

Be advised that a river is an ever changing enviornment. Flows on the Willamette range from about 60,000 cfs in late summer to early fall up to 600,000 cfs during late winter and spring floods. Those are two VERY different rivers.

Right now (I live in Corvallis) the river is still running pretty high due to the late season rains. Follow Karma's motto.

Buzz
 
Thanks everyone for the information.

We decided to move this trip to September and probably after the rendezvous in Bremerton. Instead, we are trailering the Laurie Ann to Vancouver Island and launching at Port Alberni for the first phase of this adventure and then taking it up to Port McNeil for the second phase as we explore the Broughton Islands.
 
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