Day 1 (June 25) – Bowman Park (Albany) to Luckiamute Landing (9 miles)

• Indigenous storytelling

• Invasive species education

• Owl prowl night hike

• Riverside cooking
  

Day 2 (June 26) – Luckiamute Landing to Independence (13.5 miles)

• Wells Island swim stop

• Freshwater mussel education

• Watercraft demos with boating brand representatives

• Local brewery night out

• Live music

Day 3 (June 27) – Independence to Beardsley Bar (16.5 miles)

• Independence riverfront revitalization walking tour

• Rescue skills training

• Wapato restoration visit

• Salmon bake dinner with live music

Day 4 (June 28)– Beardsley Bar to Willamette Boat Launch (6 miles)

• Guided wetlands and riparian forest hike

• Farewell ceremony

• Catered coffee & ice cream send-off

We’re committed to making this experience inclusive:

• Completed our Learn to Paddle 102 class? Get 50% off the weekend trip and gear rental.

• Need a boat or gear? We have high-quality tandem canoe rental packages available (canoes, paddles, PFDs, dry bags) through our registration platform.

  • For those who would prefer a kayak, Oregon Paddle Sports will be renting kayaks with a special discount for Paddle Oregon participants. In order to reserve your kayak and ensure properly fitted gear, please call Chance Rey at Oregon Paddle Sports directly at (541) 505-9020.

• Need financial help? Limited scholarships are available—please inquire via email prior to registration.

• Have other accessibility concerns? Reach out via email and we can discuss how to make this trip work for you.

Paddle Oregon arranges all campsites and amenities for participants, but attendees must bring their own tents and other camping supplies.

Our campsites will vary in ground surface – you might be in a grassy city park, on a sandy beach, or on a gravel bar right next to the river. Sleeping pads are highly recommended. Attendees will be responsible for setting up their own campsites each night. Amenities at each campground include port-a-potties, hand washing stations, and picnic tables.

Participants should view our packing list for an overview of what to bring on the trip.

All meals are provided to event participants on Paddle Oregon Presents trips. As we focus on a return to our river roots, we are approaching catering in a way that is closer to an “authentic” river experience while also celebrating a range of local foods and businesses. Breakfasts and dinners will take place at the campground or nearby establishments, while lunches will consist of simple “grab-and-go” meals. We’ll be highlighting the importance of minimal impact camping principles throughout – all campers are expected to bring and clean their own dishes and utensils on this trip! Alcohol will not be provided to participants, but will be available through purchase from third-party vendors on the second and third nights.

If you have any dietary restrictions, our staff and vendors will work with you to determine alternative options that meet your needs.

Willamette Riverkeeper works to ensure high safety standards at all of our on-water events. This trip will be led by WRK staff, organizational partners, and volunteers with formal safety training and experience in river leadership. In order to ensure a safe and organized trip, paddlers will be grouped into “pods” of ten to twelve boats, based on boat type and paddling pace. Each pod will be led by a minimum of two safety paddlers, and we will have an additional team of roaming safety paddlers traveling throughout the larger group.

While this is a calm section of the Willamette River consisting entirely of Class I flows, there are still a number of hazards which paddlers must be cognizant of. Any river recreation involves inherent risk, and we expect all attendees to play an active role in ensuring the safety of the group – meeting the necessary skill requirements, listening to directions, and an active awareness of downstream water features are essential to having a safe trip.

To ensure that our pods are able to maintain a relatively consistent paddling pace, we recommend that all boats be a minimum of twelve feet in length, and we generally advise against using inflatable kayaks due to their slower pace. If you have a watercraft that does not meet these guidelines, please reach out to us so that we can discuss how to make this work – we don’t want access to specific boats to be a barrier to participation for anyone!

Thanks to a dedicated team of volunteers, your camping baggage will be loaded onto a truck when you arrive, then shuttled and unloaded from campsite to campsite each day. Shuttled baggage needs to be well labeled, and no more than two reasonably sized duffel bags, each weighing 40 pounds or less. You should pack a separate waterproof bag to take with you on the river to hold extra clothes, jackets, sunscreen, etc. For a comprehensive list of what to pack, see here.

For Full Trip Participants (June 25–28):

• Park your vehicle at the Willamette Boat Launch (take-out site near Wheatland Ferry)

• WRK will shuttle you to the launch site at Bowman Park (Albany) on Day 1

• When the trip ends, your car will be waiting for you—no stress, no delay

For Weekend-Only Participants (June 27–28):

• Park at the Willamette Boat Launch Saturday morning

• You’ll be shuttled to join the group at Independence Riverview Park, and continue on the final two days

• As with full participants, your car will be waiting for you at take-out