S2.11 - Willamette Narrows

 We've been hearing about the Willamette Narrows for quite a while, now, so we finally took the
opportunity to check it out. We put in at Bernert Landing, in Willamette Park, in Oregon City. The park has a nice boat ramp, but it looks like most kayakers use an old ramp before you get to the new one. You do have to carry your boat a bit, but there's 2 parking areas nearby, so it's not a bit deal. The park has nice bathrooms, picnicking and a play area.



Bernert Landing is at the mouth of the Tualatin River, and it is a very calm place to put in. There was a lot of weeds and ducks, both getting in the way. There's not much of a current when you get into the Willamette either, at least not late in the summer when we were there.

There were a lot of paddle boarders present, and they had no trouble with paddling upstream. 




We stayed on the right (West) side of the river as we headed upstream, and soon came to the first narrows between a small island and the bank. This stretch of the Willamette is pretty wide, and there are motor boats and jet skis using the river, but you can keep your distance easily. The narrows is a great place to get away from them.

Again, the current here is almost non existent. There's a nice stretch of forest on both sides as you enter, and then, as you round the bend, the banks become more rocky and dotted with nooks and crannies. This is a good place to swim, if you feel like it, and several people did.
One of the nooks is a small bay that we were able to paddle into, all the way to the back, which is separated from the main river by a higher bank. We chose this place to swim for a bit to cool off from a hot day.
From there, we headed upstream again in the main channel to the far southern end of Rock Island, the bigger island. Rock Island forms another narrows with the East bank, and when the river is higher, you can travel the entire distance. We were not able to get through this late in the year, but again, the current is not an issue.
Heading back down to the landing is actually pretty slow, and you have to deal with motor boats again, but it's a nice, gentle place to visit, and you can take as long as you like. Just don't head downriver to far past the landing, because you might get too close to the Falls farther downstream. 

Definitely a place I recommend, and good for kayakers and SUPs. It's a great place to bring a picnic.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

S2.7 - Trillium Lake.

Image
  Trillium Lake is just past Government Camp, on the foothills of Mount Hood. The boat ramp area is decent, with a small loading and unloading area, and a pit toilet. There is a decent amount of parking, and we got there around 9am, so no trouble finding a spot. However, it got a lot busier as the day went on. There is a day use area on past the boat ramp, and that's where most people go who are just coming to swim. It's always nice to get that first glimpse of the water you will be floating for the day, but the view you get when you get to the bottom of the boat ramp is breathtaking. Everyone who comes down always stops to enjoy the view, and usually to take some pictures. During our time on the lake, I took quite a few breaks to just enjoy the view. And take lots of pictures. There is a day use area on one end of the lake, and a campground on another. A 2 mile trail goes around the lake, although part of it was closed when we were there. The campsites are spaced quite a ways
Read more

#6 - Ermie Walters - Alsea River

Image
  We went camping at Beachside, just south of Waldport. Our intent was to try the Alsea water trail, which starts at the mouth of the Alsea, heads upriver, and into Drift Creek. Leanna's sister was with us, and so we called around to rent a kayak for her to join us. The advice of the renter was to skip the water trail due to wind and waves, and head upriver about 19 miles to the Ermie Walters Boat Ramp . So we did. Ermie Walters is a nice boat ramp with decent parking lot for this far upriver. No bathrooms. There were 2 other cars in the parking lot. One waiting to rent kayaks, like us, and another belonging to a couple who had set up shop at the bottom of the boat ramp, and were cooking up some crawfish they had caught. Once our other kayak arrived, we put in. I got all the way in, unintentionally, as I was trying to get in my kayak. The water level was pretty low, and I had to pull my kayak into a deeper channel from the ramp. Just slipped on slippery rocks. Good news is the wat
Read more

S3.5 Larison Cove

Image
  We seem to be going back to places we've been before lately. This week was Larison Cove, in Oakridge, which we kayaked last year . However, the water level was much lower this time. Significantly lower.  This was also a fun practice at backing up the trailer down a long dirt road with lots of potholes, maneuvering around cars. Good times. 5 of us kayaked today, including Dody and her Drippy Plum kayak. No big adventures today, with calm, flat water. Also, very few other people here on a Saturday. I took this photo to help show how far the water level has fallen recently. And I also thought the texture looked cool.  There were a few places we couldn't get to this year because of the water level, smaller coves or inlets that we could navigate last year just didn't have water in them this year. We did see some turtles and a mama duck with 9 very small ducklings. The highlight of the float was getting out of the kayaks, and swimming. It wasn't super hot out, but there was
Read more