Kayaking and Hiking Adventures

  Buena Vista Starting Location:  Boat Ramp at Buena Vista Park Point of Interest :  Willamette River, just downstream from the confluence of Santiam and Luckiamute Rivers Bathrooms:  Yes, brand new vault toilets Parking : just paved, with plenty of parking for trailers EV Chargers : No Rentals: No Something that I don't think I've mentioned yet about kayaking is the interesting places and views you get on the way to the boat ramp. Buena Vista is pretty close to where we live, but I don't go this way unless we are going to kayak. The back roads and variety of crops we pass are always a fun part of the journey, especially if we are able to take different routes coming back. This park and boat ramp was just redone, with newly paved parking lot, improved dock and boat ramp, and bathrooms. The boat ramp is wide enough for 2 vehicles if they are good at backing up. The boat ramp area is easy to get in and out of. There is more space to the North side to pull your kay...

 We've been chipping away at the Willamette River, and this trip found us just outside of Junction City at Marshall Island , where we took out for a trip in 2021 . We had 6 in our group, all family members.  One thing about this section down to Harrisburg, if you take Ayres Lane, or Lovelake Road, it has a very low train trestle. As in 7' 3" low. When we were heading home after taking out 2 years ago, we had our kayaks on top of our truck rack, and we had to turn around and go a different route. Luckily we were paying attention to the height! Now, we have a trailer, so we were able to pass under just fine. There is a nice quiet eddy where the boat ramp is, so we were able to float and wait for everyone to get ready. Not too busy, around 3 in the afternoon. A few motorboats had put in, but they went upriver. This stretch of the Willamette is similar to most of what we have already kayaked. Pretty natural, quiet, and slow. The water level seemed a bit low, but we didn't...

 We had not floated this stretch of the Willamette before. Normally, when  we put in at Buena Vista Park , we would pedal upstream to the Luckiamute River and float back downriver so we didn't have to shuttle. Today we decided to float downstream, with a shuttle car in Independence. Our other kayaker ended up not being able to come, so, since we had already unloaded everything, we scrambled to find a ride after our float. Once we had someone lined up, we launched downriver.   The park at Buena Vista was closed much of the summer for renovation. I'm not sure what happened, but apparently the contractor fell through. The lower lot is now gravel instead of paved, but the rest of the park is no different, and the boat ramp was still accessible. This stretch of the Willamette is not very different from other stretches downriver. It is a bit wilder, with fewer roads along the river, so not much road noise. There are a few farms and houses along the way. This spot had a large pi...

 Our intention was to put in at Wallace Marine Park in downtown Salem, and float to Spong's Landing in Keizer. However, when we went to drop off our car, it was apparent that there is not a boat ramp at Spong's Landing. You could carry lighter kayak's down to the river, but it's a long haul for heavier craft. So, instead we dropped the car off at Keizer Rapids , and headed back to Wallace to launch. The boat ramp is very nice here, with a small dock and plenty of parking. The only bathroom near the ramp, however, is a nasty port a potty. While Wallace is smack dab in the middle of Salem (okay, more to the West, but close...) it doesn't take long to get away from busy road noise. There weren't too many people on the river, probably because we put in pretty late in the afternoon, almost 4pm.  There was quite a bit of wildlife, including this heron which took flight when we got too close. We saw several heron, jumping fish, ducks, and hawks. But the scenery is alw...

 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 stretc...

 What a gorgeous day to kayak! We decided to float a section of river that we had not done before, putting in at  Willamette Boat Landing, or Crystal Lake boat ramp  in Corvallis, and taking out at  Hyak Park  outside of Albany. As I've mentioned before, each of these parks have plenty of parking, a nice boat ramp, and bathrooms (gold star to Hyak for the clean flush toilets). There were a few large groups putting in before us, and the Benton County Sheriff boat was moored at the end of the dock, checking to make sure that everyone had the right safety equipment. Specifically a PFD, whistle, and permit for watercraft over 10 feet long.  We had our group of 5 in kayaks, plugs double checked, and we set off for our almost 11 mile float. The temperature was in the 70s, and we had a bit of a headwind to start off with. Nothing serious, but it kept swinging the bow of our kayaks to the side. The river here is wide, calm, and clean. There is some road noise at fi...

 Today's adventure was going to be exploring the Calapooia River, starting at Bryant Park in Albany, which is where the Calapooia empties into the Willamette. (And then an ABBA tribute band concert in Albany afterwards. Honestly, that was the main reason for the trip, and this was close to the venue.) We didn't know much about the water levels of the Calapooia, but we went anyway, because, why not? Bryant Park has a boat ramp according to their park map. But when we went to Bryant Park, there is no boat ramp. It seems to have been filled in. You could carry kayaks down to either river, but it's a bit of a trip. Also, the Calapooia seemed low, and it was obvious that we would be portaging around rocks a lot. So. Change of plans. Instead, we drove to Hyak Park , which is only a few minutes away on Hwy 20, on the opposite side of the river. I've driven past this many times, but never stopped. It's a nice clean park, with a nice ramp, and decent parking. Also, there a...

  We chose to spend a hot day on the river, and headed down to Willamette Mission State Park . Our goal was to explore the Mission Lake inside the park. Our plan was to use the Willamette Boat Launch just north of Wheatland Ferry. This is a nice boat launch, with bathrooms, plenty of parking, and a short dock alongside the ramp, which is a bit narrow. There is a small cove here so there is no current to worry about while putting in.  The Wheatland Ferry is just upriver from the boat ramp. The ferry is not operating right now, and it is in 'dry dock' for upgrade and maintenance. We headed upriver to find the outlet for Mission Lake. Unfortunately, that outlet is not passable, and we just headed upriver to see what was around. Yay for pedal kayaks! The river here is very shallow. There were many people using this for swimming on this hot day, and a few kayakers were literally standing in the middle of the river collecting cool looking rocks. We did pull over to cool down, but it...