Trip Report: Paddle Boarding the Willamette River at Sellwood Riverfront Park
When: 02/18/2019
Location: Sellwood Riverfront Park
Conditions: About 40 degrees, little to no wind, and cloudy with moments of sunshine breaking through.
Duration: 2 hours
Difficulty: Low in these conditions. Difficulty could increase slightly based on wind conditions, flow of the current, and if there are motor boats creating wake.
Kid Friendly: Yes
Pet Friendly: Yes, but my dog loves water way too much to stay on the board.
Usefull links: www.portlandoregon.gov | tides.willyweather.com
The Full Report:
Sellwood Riverfront Park is one of my go-to spots for flat water paddling, whether it be in a kayak or on a SUP. When I saw the sun start to peak through this morning a grabbed a SUP I've been itching to try out and made the short drive to Sellwood. There were plenty of places to park when I got there, but still, lots of dogs to greet me when I started walking to the water; this put in for paddling is also a dog park.
There is a dock there that you can use to launch, or you can walk about 20 yards past that to a set of stairs leading down to the sandy beach. I started paddling north passed Oaks Amusement Park and kept to the right of the river to enter the no wake zone between East Island and the houseboats. This area is well protected from wind and current, also a great way to escape motorboats during the spring and summer.
I continued down this channel until the opening of the Ross Island Lagoon. When I got there the wind started to pick up and there was a bit of current coming from inside the Lagoon, and I decided to turn around and start the trek back. Paddling back took longer since I was paddling against the current, but still was not very difficult. I didn't see any sea lions today, but there is a huge flock of crows hanging around Ross Island in addition to the regular birds.
The Full Report:
Sellwood Riverfront Park is one of my go-to spots for flat water paddling, whether it be in a kayak or on a SUP. When I saw the sun start to peak through this morning a grabbed a SUP I've been itching to try out and made the short drive to Sellwood. There were plenty of places to park when I got there, but still, lots of dogs to greet me when I started walking to the water; this put in for paddling is also a dog park.
There is a dock there that you can use to launch, or you can walk about 20 yards past that to a set of stairs leading down to the sandy beach. I started paddling north passed Oaks Amusement Park and kept to the right of the river to enter the no wake zone between East Island and the houseboats. This area is well protected from wind and current, also a great way to escape motorboats during the spring and summer.
I continued down this channel until the opening of the Ross Island Lagoon. When I got there the wind started to pick up and there was a bit of current coming from inside the Lagoon, and I decided to turn around and start the trek back. Paddling back took longer since I was paddling against the current, but still was not very difficult. I didn't see any sea lions today, but there is a huge flock of crows hanging around Ross Island in addition to the regular birds.