Best Places to Paddle on the Willamette River

Summer is coming. It’s time to get out on the river.

Noa Rubin, a community organizer for the paddle boarding group SUP PDX, offered her picks for where to take a paddle board, canoe, or kayak on the Willamette River:

Beginner-Intermediate: Ross Island Loop

• 4.5 miles
• 2-3 hour casual paddle ( or an hour for someone exercising)

It’s “our classic Portland paddle. You either go from Sellwood Riverfront Park or from Willamette Park in Portland (not Willamette Park in West Linn). You go around Ross Island. It can be a little challenging if there's wind, but it's a really beautiful paddle. You get to see the city. You can hang out at any point on the island if you get tired. I've maybe looped it more than once a week for the past 10 years.”

Challenging: Willamette Falls to St. Johns (or Start From Hawthorne Bridge)

• 12 - 25 miles
• All day

“A challenging route is a long-distance route. My favorite is to get a shuttle together. So get a few people together and put in by Willamette Falls or Sellwood and paddle all the way to St. Johns. You basically see the entire city from the water. Prepare for a full day of paddling. Prepare for headwinds. Prepare for it to be hard. But it's pretty amazing.”

Hidden Gem: Willamette Falls

• 2 miles

“I usually put in at Jon Storm Park, which is under construction right now. You can still put in there, you just can't park in the parking lot.

“There is a current going down there, so the mile actually turns into a much slower paddle than you would normally do, but once you get there, you basically see a waterfall in the river. It is just amazing. It's breathtaking every time I go there because you forget about it, and then you go there and you're like, 'Oh my God, this is so beautiful.’”

Bonus: She also offers her essential packing list for paddlers and some safety trips.