Ash Island Loop

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

Explore the quiet backwater of Ash Island!

Launch from Rodgers Landing in Newberg. If paddling in the summer, avoid the busy motorized boat launch and use the easy-to-miss “paddlers launch” which is on the river across from the restroom building. Paddle upstream toward Ash Island, you’ll pass Chehalem Creek on your right. Continue up the island’s back channel. You’ll notice wooden remnants near the shore related to the past logging activities. Stop for lunch at the upstream end of the island where you’ll see signs for Willamette Riverkeeper’s Ash Island Water Trail camp site (the only part of the island open to paddlers). Paddle back on the mainstem side for a fresh view (though you may want to stick to the backchannel if it’s summer and there are a lot of ski and surf boats zipping around the mainstem side, causing a lot of boat wake).