365PDX#111: Kayak the Willamette

Posted June 23, 2010

365 Things to do in Portland #111: Kayak the Willamette River.

Of course you know that the  Willamette River by downtown Portland is a superfund site, and you absolutely definately don’t want to swim in it or get wet (what are those people jet skiing downtown thinking?)
What you probably didn’t know is that kayaking the river South of downtown is actually pretty fun and quite beautiful, and on a nice sunny day like today, you will stay completely dry.

A few years ago I took a guided tour with eNRG Kayaking from the Sellwood Bridge to downtown Portland and it was a lot of fun and pretty relaxing. My favorite part was passing moored house boats (have you ever seen that one that looks like it belongs in a Star Wars movie). All the gear and snacks were provided, so all we had to do was show up and paddle.  Make sure to pick a kayaking partner who is strong and sit in the back- that way you can relax while they do all the paddling.

FYI- Groupon is offering a 50% discount on a Willamette River tour today with Next Adventure. If you’re not a Groupon user, just click my link and check it out. I think you will find that exploring the river is actually kind of cool and peaceful.