Itinerary Inspiration

This is a gorgeous section of the Upper Willamette, full of braided backchannels, alcoves, wildlife and a number of outstanding campsites to choose from. This reach has a very natural, wild feel.

This can be a fun half-day paddle with the highlight being the relative solitude and nature of Ash Island’s back channel.

Located about 3 miles upstream of Willamette Falls, the Willamette Narrows features some of the most unique geology and habitat along the entire mainstem river! Most of the property in this area consists of scenic natural areas owned by Metro or the Nature Conservancy. We love that you can explore a beautiful area of the river while not having to set a shuttle, since you can paddle in a loop (for the most part, see “safety alerts”).

You can break this trip up in a few ways and make it a one night or two night adventure with scenic views as well as optional side trips to historic downtown Independence with its new padder and cyclist friendly campsite right next to the river*, as well as the nearby new botique Hotel Independence which offers a restaurant patio with a wonderful view. (*note- the campsite in Independence Riverview Park is closed as of 7/9/2020 due to the COVID crisis).

Launching from the City of Corvallis, this is an easy-to-access experience that offers scenic views. This can be a good stretch for paddling and camping with kids since it’s not a lot of mileage overall. Best of all, your shuttle is very direct as it is all along one road (about a 15 minute drive, one way). Some paddlers have been known to call an Uber or Lyft at the take out (Hyak Park) to transport them back to their vehicle in Corvallis (of course this only works if you have a paddling buddy who can stay with your boats and gear at Hyak in the interim).

This is a fascinating and seldom paddled stretch of the Willamette.

This is the ultimate urban adventure in the heart of downtown Portland. You can experience a large, urban restoration project and see wildlife, such as bald eagles, blue herons, deer, river otter and beavers.

Willamette Falls is the largest waterfall in the Pacific Northwest by water volume, second largest in the United States behind Niagara Falls.

It provides a wonderful look at the backchannel of Wheatland Bar, immediately across from the put-in. This put-in is a relatively short drive from Portland, and you have a great selection of campsite options, as well as the flexibility to make this a one or two night adventure, depending on your preferences.

Lincoln Access, Windsor Island, and Wilamette Mission State Park all provide an abundance of scenery, wildlife and history, all with easy access from the city. You can also find a couple of nice campsites on this stretch.

You can see an abundance of wildlife and experience the confluence of the Luckiamute and Santiam Rivers near Luckiamute State Natural Area.

This is a good stretch for the whole family, with only occasional stretches of swift current.

You can get a great view of Mary’s Peak to the west and you pass Norwood Island, Harken’s Lake, a nice DSL Island, and Buckskin Mary Landing. All of these sites have rustic camp sites. Norwood and Norwood East are owned and managed by Willamette Riverkeeper. Norwood propper has some nice walking trails. There are ample Greenway sites along this stretch, including the parks listed above, and there is an abundance of forest, backwaters, side channels and overall beauty. In the summer this stretch can be busy, but there is also quite a bit of room to spread out.

This is another wonderful open stretch of the Willamette with multiple side channels that shift from year to year and season to season. There are multiple camp sites on this stretch, and large OPRD and DSL gravel bars upon which to camp.

You can view one of the Willamette’s most dynamic areas and get a sense of what backchannel habitat used to look like along the river.

Scenic views of a lively river that is not often traveled.