Marine State Parks, Including Beacon Rock And Others On The Columbia River Near Portland, Or
Up the Columbia to Beacon Rock
When your boat is moored at Hayden Island (Portland) on the Columbia River, Beacon Rock State Park (Washington) is an excellent overnight destination. Half the time the wind doesn"t cooperate, but that"s ok you can easily motor the 33 miles in one day. The park like most parks in Washington is well maintained. The dock has room for 8-12 boats depending on size, and has electricity. On shore is a restroom facility and day use area. It"s just a short walk up the road to the base of Beacon Rock where you access the mile trail to the top. Hiking to the top of Beacon Rock is easy, and well worth the time. You will gain over 850 feet and too many stairs to count and remember. This is not a good place to cut cross country as the surrounding fields and woods grow poison oak. I should"ve known better. For those that trailer their boat to the Columbia you can put in at 42nd and Marine Dr. in Oregon, or at Marine Park on Columbia way in Washington. Pay to launch and park in Oregon but in Washington you only pay to launch, park for free. Be sure to bring your camera and provisions there are no grocery stores along the way. You can get fuel at the Camas/Washougal marina, about 10 miles or so up river from Portland/Vancouver. Between the two interstate bridges (five miles) expect lots of sailboat traffic. Up river from the I 205 bridge water traffic will be more pleasant. Government Island recreation area is just past the bridge, and has a really big new dock. It"s a good place to spend the night if you decide not to go all the way to Beacon Rock the first day, or come back late in the day and don"t want to pull out in the dark. Once past the fast water at Washougal the scenery improves as you enter the Columbia Gorge. On the Washington side are shear cliffs dropping hundreds of feet into deep sturgeon pools. On the Oregon side are Crown Point, Rooster Rock, Multnomah Falls to name a few. This is a real good trip to pay attention to navigation aids (learn what a range is) and use your charts. The shoaling is fierce and the Army Engineers change the river levels on a whim it seems. The deep water channel at Multnomah Falls is so close to the gorge hwy you can just about talk to people in their cars. There is a channel into some docks and a ramp at Rooster Rock Park but be careful the depth may be less than three feet or over eight. Or worse it may change while you there and leave you stranded. Like Sauvie Island, Rooster Rock has a clothing optional beach at the east end of the park, but don"t be shocked because anywhere on this trip you are likely to spot naked Sea Lions also. Yes I"m comparing nudists to sea mammals. The gorge has its own weather so be prepared. Barge traffic is fairly common and must stay in the channel, plan to share. You can"t miss Beacon Rock. It is all that"s left of an extinct volcano whose soft outer layers have eroded away leaving the hard center core. When you arrive at the dock be prepared for a significant current, what looks like a little bay is actually a little side channel. To make a great trip plan three days, with two nights at Beacon Rock. This will give you from sun up to sun down to explore or just lay around and fish. The run back to Portland can be pretty fast when the wind and current line up for you. You won"t have a use for your dinghy on this trip unless you need to set a kedge anchor, and only you know the likelihood of that. As an option you can overnight here and then continue up river through the locks at Bonneville Dam and onto Cascade Locks or Hood River. John
This article is excerpted from www.triptalkusa.com
When your boat is moored at Hayden Island (Portland) on the Columbia River, Beacon Rock State Park (Washington) is an excellent overnight destination. Half the time the wind doesn"t cooperate, but that"s ok you can easily motor the 33 miles in one day. The park like most parks in Washington is well maintained. The dock has room for 8-12 boats depending on size, and has electricity. On shore is a restroom facility and day use area. It"s just a short walk up the road to the base of Beacon Rock where you access the mile trail to the top. Hiking to the top of Beacon Rock is easy, and well worth the time. You will gain over 850 feet and too many stairs to count and remember. This is not a good place to cut cross country as the surrounding fields and woods grow poison oak. I should"ve known better. For those that trailer their boat to the Columbia you can put in at 42nd and Marine Dr. in Oregon, or at Marine Park on Columbia way in Washington. Pay to launch and park in Oregon but in Washington you only pay to launch, park for free. Be sure to bring your camera and provisions there are no grocery stores along the way. You can get fuel at the Camas/Washougal marina, about 10 miles or so up river from Portland/Vancouver. Between the two interstate bridges (five miles) expect lots of sailboat traffic. Up river from the I 205 bridge water traffic will be more pleasant. Government Island recreation area is just past the bridge, and has a really big new dock. It"s a good place to spend the night if you decide not to go all the way to Beacon Rock the first day, or come back late in the day and don"t want to pull out in the dark. Once past the fast water at Washougal the scenery improves as you enter the Columbia Gorge. On the Washington side are shear cliffs dropping hundreds of feet into deep sturgeon pools. On the Oregon side are Crown Point, Rooster Rock, Multnomah Falls to name a few. This is a real good trip to pay attention to navigation aids (learn what a range is) and use your charts. The shoaling is fierce and the Army Engineers change the river levels on a whim it seems. The deep water channel at Multnomah Falls is so close to the gorge hwy you can just about talk to people in their cars. There is a channel into some docks and a ramp at Rooster Rock Park but be careful the depth may be less than three feet or over eight. Or worse it may change while you there and leave you stranded. Like Sauvie Island, Rooster Rock has a clothing optional beach at the east end of the park, but don"t be shocked because anywhere on this trip you are likely to spot naked Sea Lions also. Yes I"m comparing nudists to sea mammals. The gorge has its own weather so be prepared. Barge traffic is fairly common and must stay in the channel, plan to share. You can"t miss Beacon Rock. It is all that"s left of an extinct volcano whose soft outer layers have eroded away leaving the hard center core. When you arrive at the dock be prepared for a significant current, what looks like a little bay is actually a little side channel. To make a great trip plan three days, with two nights at Beacon Rock. This will give you from sun up to sun down to explore or just lay around and fish. The run back to Portland can be pretty fast when the wind and current line up for you. You won"t have a use for your dinghy on this trip unless you need to set a kedge anchor, and only you know the likelihood of that. As an option you can overnight here and then continue up river through the locks at Bonneville Dam and onto Cascade Locks or Hood River. John
This article is excerpted from www.triptalkusa.com
