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Trip RecommendationsComing Soon - More trip recommendations for paddlers of various abilities in different trail reaches. Reach 1: Reach 2: Reach 3:
Reach 1: BIDDLE'S BEACON Directions: Beacon Rock State Park is located 35 miles east of Vancouver WA at milepost 35 on Highway 14. Description: Beacon Rock, named and described by Lewis and Clark as "a remarkable high rock," is a remnant of an ancient volcanic explosion; at 848 feet high it stands as a stunning landmark to guide a paddle around Pierce and Ives islands. Two-hundred acre Pierce Island is a Nature Conservancy preserve, haunt of osprey and beavers. Visitors are asked to stay only briefly and leave no trace. Heavily-wood Ives Island is part of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Adjacent to the islands are the wetlands and uplands of Pierce National Wildlife Refuge on the Washington shore (not open to the public) and on the Oregon side, John B. Yeon State Park, site of a trailhead to two of the gorge's most beautiful and secluded waterfalls, Elowah and Upper McCord Creek falls. Surrounding views from the water encompass Hamilton Mountain, Aldrich Butte, Yeon Mountain, St. Peters Dome and Rock of Ages. Camping is available year-round at popular Beacon Rock. An easy trail leads to the summit of the rock, with panoramic views up and down the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area from Wind Mountain to Crown Point. Henry Biddle purchased the rock to build a trail and in 1935 his heirs turned it over to the state for use as a park. Reach 1: CAPE HORN CRUISIN' Directions: Dalton Point, at milepoint 29 of Interstate 84 in Oregon, is accessible only from the westbound lanes. If driving east, exit at Multnomah Falls then return two miles west to the Dalton Point boat ramp. Description: At the western edge of the spectacular Columbia River Gorge, Dalton Point is gateway to geologic beauties and fine sandy beaches. Just over a mile downriver, near the Washington side, rises a rugged basalt pillar, remnant of massive landslides eons ago. Lewis and Clark named it Phoca Rock for the many harbor seals, Phoca vitulina, they saw nearby. The main shipping channel runs between the Rock and shore; large commercial craft, especially tugs and barges, can approach quickly and almost silently. This area can also be hazardous with winds and rough water. Cape Horn, with its impressive towering basalt cliffs rising directly out of the river, waterfalls and small caves, lines the shore beyond. Mid-river is Sand Island, a partly-forested, undeveloped part of Rooster Rock State Park. Its extensive sandy beaches are clothing-optional. Lewis and Clark camped from April 6 to April 8, 1806 just downriver from the island. Shuttle trips can be continued downriver, to land at Rooster Rock State Park (RM 128.5, five miles from Dalton Point) or Corbett Ramp ( RM 126.5, seven miles from the launch.) Reach 1: STEAMBOAT LEGACY Directions: The park is located in Washougal, WA, at Highway 14 and 15th Street. Description: A Clark County Heritage Site, Steamboat Landing offers both a beach launch and a floating dock. In the 1880s, it was the home port for the steamer Calliope, and some of the pilings are still visible a few hundred yards upstream from the site. Remnant dock pilings and pieces of pipeline at the landing are the remains of a Pendleton Woolen Mills dock for unloading oil, used from the 1920s to the '40s. A mile upriver is the Captain William Clark Park at Cottonwood Beach, and a mile downriver is the Port of Camas-Washougal Boat Ramp. Lady Island is three miles downriver. In 1805 Lewis and Clark estimated its size at 3-1/2 miles long and 1-1/2 miles wide. They watched more than a thousand waterfowl pass over its head and named it "Island of Fowls." Today Highway 14 crosses over the island, which is now the property of Crown-Zellerbach Corporation; part of it is a pulp mill but the island's sandy beaches revealed at low water are fine for a picnic lunch. At the upriver end of the island are the mouths of two rivers -- in Washington the Washougal River and in Oregon the delta of the Sandy River -- both excellent waterways for further exploration. Reach 2: PADDLING THE PORTS, WILDLIFE BONUS Directions: Interstate 5 north to Jantzen Beach exit, drive a half mile along NE Tomahawk Island Drive to the Alder Creek Kayak and Canoe store parking lot. Description: Huge international cargo ships at anchor, dry docks, cranes, pilings, piers, grain silos and stevedores at work provide a fascinating backdrop for exploring the busy inland seaports of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington. A circumnavigation of Hayden and Tomahawk Islands (now one connected narrow island, about 5. 5 miles long) offers a flavor of urban river ambiance -- the Port of Portland's Terminal 6, marinas and floating houseboat communities, overhead the Interstate Bridge and low-flying airplanes from the Portland International Airport. Lewis and Clark called Hayden "Image Canoe Island" after the highly-decorated canoes they saw in the area; from here they spotted and named Mount Jefferson. More than 800 acres of the island's northern half are undeveloped and sit at the intersection of two major wildlife corridors. The cottonwood-ash forest is one of the largest intact stands left on the lower Columbia and the area is used by more than a hundred wildlife species, including bald eagles, pileated woodpeckers and painted turtles. Reach 2: PARK TO PARK Directions: The launch is an amphitheater just west of the Red Lion Inn at the Quay, 100 Columbia St. From the City Center exit (Sixth St.) off Interstate 5, proceed three blocks to Columbia St., turn left and then right into the landing's parking lot. Description: A city park, major hotel and restaurant lining the shore set the stage for a decidedly urban paddle. Downriver, gargantuan grain silos and huge international cargo ships at dock or anchored mid-river dwarf a small craft, while a view upriver reveals marinas, moorages and multi-story condos. Vancouver, population 140,000, is the seat of Clark County, its rapid growth reflected in an expanding city skyline and construction cranes. Four-mile-long Hayden Island, its northern half undeveloped, makes a transition to a more natural shoreline. Just past Hayden's downriver end is the Willamette River's confluence with the Columbia at Kelley Point Park in Oregon. From here, Sauvie Island comprises the Oregon shore and commercial shipping traffic from both rivers merges into a busy river highway. A mile past the point, Frenchman's Bar (named for Paul Haury, a French sailor who jumped ship) has more than a mile of sandy beaches and a 2-1/2 mile trail that connects the 120-acre regional park with Vancouver Lake Park. Other paddle options launching from Vancouver include Vancouver Marine Park (WA, RM108) to Kelley Point Park (OR, RM 101). Reach 3: CAMP ON COON ISLAND Directions: Launch: Sauvie Island is approximately 10 miles northwest of Portland. Follow Highway 30 to the Sauvie Island bridge; the road becomes NW Sauvie Island Rd. Follow it for approximately 2.5 miles, turn right onto NW Ferry Rd. leading to the boat ramp. Description: Part of the Willamette River Greenway, Multnomah Channel is a narrow, 21-mile stretch connecting the river with the Columbia. Before a bridge was built in 1951, the launch site was a ferry landing for islanders traveling to and from the mainland. Along the first two miles downriver, shores are lined with ash, willow and cottonwood forests--Wapato Access Greenway State Park on the right, and on the left, mainly Metro Parks and Greenspaces lands, where more than 20,000 trees have been planted to stabilize the banks and provide shade cover for fish habitat. The northern 12,000 acres of Sauvie Island are owned by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and managed for waterfowl habitat. Great blue heron, belted kingfishers and bald eagles are regularly seen; during migrations, sandhill cranes and tundra swans commonly fly overhead. As the channel nears the outskirts of Scappoose, marinas and floating homes solidly line the left shoreline, with agricultural fields beyond. A floating restaurant, Mark's on the Channel, is a popular stop. At River Mile 93 (or MC RM 8) the J.J. Collins Marine Park (also known as Coon Island) offers camping on the west and east sides. Approximately 1-1/2 miles downriver, just after the mouths of Cunningham Slough and the Gilbert River, the Gilbert's boat ramp is easy to spot. Reach 3: LITTLE SLOUGH TO BIG RIVER AND BACK Directions: Interstate 5, take Exit 14 (Ridgefield) and head west on Highway 501 for about 3 miles into town. Turn right at the stoplight, left in ___ blocks to _________ Street to the kayak launch. Description: From the launch site on Lake River, this scenic circumnavigation of Bachelor Island begins on narrow, tree-lined waterways. First heading north for about a mile, then sharply turning south into Bachelor Island Slough, the route wends along the main unit of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge. Great blue heron, belted kingfisher and a host of other migratory and resident birds are likely to be seen along this stretch of the refuge, managed to protect habitat for waterfowl and other wetland wildlife. After two miles, the small slough meets the expansive, open-water Columbia. With Sauvie Island in the distance on the opposite shore, Bachelor's sandy beaches offer a glorious spot for lunch or lazing about. Changeable weather and strong winds can result in dangerous conditions heading downriver. At the confluence with Lake River, a short paddle returns to the launch. The trip can be lengthened by crossing the Columbia to the north shore of Sauvie Island and a stop at Warrior Rock Lighthouse. Reach 3: GUNKHOLING IN SCAPPOOSE BAY Directions: Follow Highway 30 to the town of Warren, turn east on Bennett Rd. at milepost 25.8, then an immediate left on Old Portland Rd, then another half mile to the marina. Description: Scappoose Bay is a gunkholer's paradise, an intricate web of wetlands and mostly unnamed creeks, tributaries and channels that meander and curve and switchback and slice through islands and veer into lakes and flow into each other -- or simply peter out, so tide tables should be carefully checked. The bay's watershed drains about 85,000 acres and has been identified as a major salmon and steelhead spawning and rearing area. Paddling in the bay is a sheltered float in protected waters amid the sights and sounds of myriad birds, including bald eagles, cormorants, and woodpeckers. Depending on the course, sights might include old farmhouses, pastures with grazing cows, logging pilings from yesteryear, expanses of arrow-leafed native wapato plants, or canopies of overhanging trees. The marina includes a convenience store and Scappoose Bay Kayaking, purveyors of kayaks and gear, food, rentals and guided tours.
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