Willamette River, Oregon

[Hays]

Moving to Corvallis Oregon and wonder if anyone here has had experience on the Willamette or other rivers in roughly that area. I'm particularly interested in the put ins, take outs and camping. Are there accessible gravel bars? I have stiff knees and need a gradual entry to comfortably launch and land my Vagabond. Is camping allowed anywhere below the mean high water line (like Missouri) or restricted to public parks, commercial sites, etc. Any information appreciated.

 

[AK_Brad]

Lots of information available re:the Willamette River Water Trail - check it out! The Santiam is also paddled, but can be more of a challenge than the Willamette. Lots of other paddling opportunities in the Pacific Northwest, including British Columbia.
Brad

 

[DaveOR]

Hays,
Welcome to Oregon.

Go to http://willamettewatertrail.org, the website for the Willamette River Water Trail. On the site you can get an awful lot of information on put-ins, takeouts, camp sites as well as other things of interest along the river. You can also buy The Willamette River Water Trail Guide through the website. It's a 2 volume Guide, one volume covering river miles 0-106.5 (Portland to Buena Vista Ferry and the second the mainstream, Middle Fork and Coastal Forks. The books are soft cover, top spiral bound on water-resistant paper so they are meant to be used on the River.

You might also get more information from:

- The Willamette River Field Guide/200 Miles of Adventure From the Cascades To The Columbia/ Travis Williams
- Canoe and Kayak Routes of Northwest Oregon/ Philip N. Jones
- Soggy Sneakers/ A Paddler's Guide To Oregon Rivers/ Peter Giordano and the Willamette Kayak and Canoe Club
- Oregon's Quiet Waters/ Guide to Lakes for Canoeists & Other Paddlers/ Cheryl McLean & Clint Brown

Dave

 

[Hays]

Thanks for information and the greeting Dave. I knew about the River Water Trail book but not the website. I'm also anxious to get my hands on the Quiet Waters Guide. Thanks again to both of you, Bill