by Geon, Bryan
DragonSports USA, www.dragonsports.org (dragon boat paddling)
Lower Columbia Canoe Club, www.l-ccc.org
Oregon Kayak and Canoe Club, www.okcc.org
Oregon Ocean Paddling Society (OOPS), www.oopskayak.org
Pacific Northwest LGBT Kayaking Club, www.outkayaking.org
Willamette Rowing Club, www.willametterowing.com
Rentals
If you’d like to dabble in paddling and don’t want the hassle of transporting a boat, you can rent a watercraft from one of the following locations, all of which are located within easy carrying distance of a launch point:
Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe (www.aldercreek.com) has three Portland-area locations: near OMSI on the east bank of the Willamette River (1515 SE Water St, 503-285-1819), at Jantzen Beach on the Columbia (200 NE Tomahawk Island Dr, 503-285-0464), and at Brown’s Ferry Park in Tualatin, on the Tualatin River (6855 SW Nyberg Ln, 503-691-2405, open Memorial Day–Labor Day only).
Portland River Company (www.portlandrivercompany.com) has a rental facility on the west bank of the Willamette at Willamette Park in South Portland (6600 SW Macadam Ave, 503-459-4050).
Motorboats
Many Northwesterners own motorboats; small boats with outboard motors that can be transported by trailer and used for fishing are particular popular and versatile, although you’ll also see folks with ski boats, jet skis, and motor yachts. Major rivers and larger lakes and reservoirs generally have convenient boat ramps or other access points; the Oregon State Marine Board provides a list of access points on its website (www.oregon.gov/osmb/pages/access/acess.aspx), or contact them at 503-378-8587 to have a hard copy of the Oregon Boating Facilities Guide mailed to you. For Washington water access points, check the website of the Recreation and Conservation office (www.rco.wa.gov/maps/), which also offers a free Washington Water Cruiser app.
Several marinas for larger boats are located along the Columbia River or on Multnomah Channel; the RiverPlace Marina (503-241-8283) is on the Willamette, right downtown. Most marinas offer motorboat rentals to qualified boaters.
If you’re bringing in a boat from out-of-state, you’ll need to register it. In Oregon, the Oregon State Marine Board coordinates boat registration; in Washington, you’ll need to go through the Washington Department of Licensing (360-902-3770, www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/registerboat.html).
Sailing
Sailing on Portland-area rivers and lakes is enjoyable and can be challenging, but it is also constricting. The open North Pacific is often stormy, and the only access from Portland to the ocean is over the treacherous Columbia Bar. (Serious sailors who can afford it keep boats moored in Puget Sound, two to three hours north of Portland, which gives them access to hundreds of miles of protected sailing grounds.) For local sailing opportunities, including classes and races, contact the Island Sailing Club (515 NE Tomahawk Island Dr, 800-303-2470, www.islandsailingclub.com) or the Willamette Sailing Club (6336 SW Beaver Ave, 503-246-5345, www.willamettesailingclub.com).
Whitewater Rafting
Oregon is full of classic whitewater trips: the Deschutes River in central Oregon; the Snake River in Hells Canyon, on the Oregon-Idaho border; the McKenzie River, east of Eugene; the Owyhee River in remote southeastern Oregon; and the Rogue and Umpqua rivers in southern Oregon. Exciting whitewater is available closer to Portland on the Clackamas River, only an hour away; the North Santiam River, east of Salem; and the Wind, White Salmon, and Klickitat Rivers on the Washington side of the Columbia River Gorge. Commercial rafting companies operate on all of these streams; check online or in the Yellow Pages under “Rafts & Raft Trips” for company listings or visit the Oregon Guides and Packers Association website (www.ogpa.org). For more specific information on whitewater rafting in Oregon, contact the Northwest Rafters Association (www.nwrafters.org).
Fencing
If fencing means more to you than simply yard enclosure or the sale of stolen goods, you’re in luck. Portland has several clubs and facilities for fencers of all abilities. En garde!
Northpointe Gymnastics & Fencing, 6707 NE 117th Ave, Vancouver, 360-254-7958, www.northpointegym.com
Northwest Fencing Center, 4950 SW Western Ave, Beaverton, 503-277-2237, www.nwfencing.org
Oregon Fencing Alliance, 503-467-9891, www.oregonfencing.org
PDX Fencing, 5645 SW Arctic Dr, Beaverton, 503-644-7739, www.pdxfencing.com
Salle Trois Armes, 8517 NE Lombard St, 503-285-2962, www.fencingcenter.org
Studio of American Fencing, 4048 NE 42nd Ave, 503-249-2884, www.saf.pair.com
Fishing and Hunting
In addition to the range of outdoor and sporting goods stores in the Portland area (see “Sporting Goods Stores” towards the end of this chapter), September 2014 saw the opening of the first Portland area Cabela’s, a Nebraska-based, nationally known hunting and fishing superstore, in Tualatin just off I-5.
Fishing
The fishing and shellfishing opportunities available in Oregon are nothing short of amazing. In the Portland area, you can find salmon, trout, and other game fish in nearly every river and reservoir, including the Willamette River as it flows through downtown Portland. (You wouldn’t be wise to eat bottom feeders from the lower Willamette unless your idea of a delicious meal includes not-so-delectable PCBs.)
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) (4034 Fairview Industrial Dr SE, Salem, 503-947-6000, www.dfw.state.or.us) regulates fishing and hunting activity in Oregon, and is the best place to go for general information about license requirements and current regulations and restrictions. (In Washington, the equivalent agency is the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife, 360-902-2200, wdfw.wa.gov.) In Oregon, everyone 14 or older needs a license to fish; angling license fees range from $9 (for residents aged 14 to 17) to $116 (for an annual nonresident license with Columbia River Basin endorsement). One-day to seven-day licenses are available at reduced prices. Shellfish collection requires a separate license; fees range from $7 to $20.50. (Washington requirements and prices are similar.) Licenses are available at most sporting goods stores and many grocery stores.
ODFW also publishes useful pamphlets (most of which are available online) on a variety of fish and wildlife topics; they’re not going to reveal anyone’s secret fishing hole, but they can point you in the right direction. Their pamphlet 50 Places to Go Fishing Within 60 Minutes of Portland (also available on the ODFW website) is a useful starting point.
Hunting
Inner-city Portland isn’t really a pickup-and-gun-rack kind of place (although there are certainly residents who enjoy hunting), but hunting, including bowhunting, is a popular activity in some surrounding areas, particularly in the Cascade foothills, the Coast Range, and the mountains of eastern Oregon. Targets range from such big game as deer, elk, or bear to waterfowl, rabbits, and quail. Check with ODFW for current regulations and license or tag requirements.
Geocaching and Orienteering
A relatively new activity that has only been around since 2000, geocaching actually originated just outside Portland in the town of Beavercreek. It is essentially a high-tech game of hide-and-seek, in which a collection of objects is “cached” at specific coordinates and the seeker uses a global positioning system to find the cache. (Geocaching etiquette requires that if you take something from the cache, you leave something else in its place.) For information about geocaching in the area, check out Oregon Geocaching, www.oregongeocaching.org.
Orienteering is decidedly less high-tech, and involves point-to-point route-finding, sometimes over difficult or brushy terrain, using only a map and (usually) a compass. The Columbia River Orienteering Club (www.croc.org) organizes orienteering events in the Portland area.
Golf
It’s admittedly no Florida or Phoenix, but Portland harbors some surprisingly good golf courses. Even the weather helps the reasonably hardy golfer here: mild temperatures and incessant precipitation for most of the year keep the fairways green, and if you don’
t mind the rain, you can pretty much golf all winter. Also, you usually don’t need to schedule summer tee times to avoid the midday heat, and given the infrequency of thunderstorms in western Oregon you are unlikely to be struck by lightning while hoisting your putter into the air in triumph after your impressive birdie on the eighth hole. If you’re serious about your golf game, consider joining the Oregon Golf Association (www.oga.org), which also covers southwest Washington.
Below is a list of the public or semi-private golf courses within Portland, as well as some of the most popular courses in surrounding communities. Because one person’s putt-putt is another’s Pebble Beach, we’ve made no attempt to rank the courses, and there is a challenge here for every skill level. For a complete list of area courses check the Yellow Pages or use the Oregon Golf Association’s Course Finder tool (www.exploreoregongolf.com). For detailed course descriptions, including photos, visit Oregon Golf (www.oregongolf.com).
Broadmoor Golf Course, 3509 NE Columbia Blvd, 503-281-1337, www.broadmoor-1931.com
Camas Meadows Golf Club, 4105 NW Camas Meadows Dr, Camas, 360-833-2000, www.camasmeadows.com
Charbonneau Golf Club, 32020 SW Charbonneau Dr, Wilsonville, 503-694-1246, www.charbonneaugolf.com
Claremont Golf Club, 15800 NW Country Club Dr, 503-690-4589, www.claremontgolfclub.com
Colwood National Golf Club, 7313 NE Columbia Blvd, 503-254-5515, www.colwoodgolfclub.com
Eagle Landing Golf Course, 10220 SE Causey Ave, Happy Valley, 503-698-8020, www.theaerieateaglelanding.com (short course)
Eastmoreland Golf Course, 2425 SE Bybee Blvd, 503-775-2900, www.eastmorelandgolfcourse.com
Forest Hills Golf Course, 36260 SW Tongue Ln, Cornelius, 503-357-3347, www.golfforesthills.com
Glendoveer Golf Course, 14015 NE Glisan St, 503-253-7507, www.playglendoveer.com
Heron Lakes Golf Course, 3500 N Victory Blvd, 503-289-1818, www.heronlakesgolf.com
Langdon Farms Golf Club, 24377 NE Airport Rd, Aurora, 503-678-4653, www.langdonfarms.com
Lake Oswego Golf Course, 17525 Stafford Rd, Lake Oswego, 503-636-8228, www.lakeoswegogolf.org
Meriwether National Golf Club, 5200 SW Rood Bridge Rd, Hillsboro, 503-648-4143, www.meriwethergolfclub.com
Mountain View Golf Course, 27195 SE Kelso Rd, Boring, 503-663-4869, www.mtviewgolfclub.com
Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, 12930 Old Pumpkin Ridge Rd, North Plains, 503-647-4747, www.pumpkinridge.com
Quail Valley Golf Course, 12565 NE Aerts Rd, Banks, 503-324-4444, www.quailvalleygolf.com
RedTail Golf Course, 8200 SW Scholls Ferry Rd, 503-646-5166, www.golfredtail.com
The Reserve Vineyards & Golf Club, 4805 SW 229th Ave, Aloha, 503-649-8191, www.reservegolf.com
Rose City Golf Course, 2200 NE 71st Ave, 503-253-4744, www.rosecitygc.com
Stone Creek Golf Club, 14603 S Stoneridge Dr, Oregon City, 503-518-4653, www.stonecreekgolfclub.net
Tri Mountain Golf Course, 1701 NW 299th St, Ridgefield, 360-887-3004, www.trimountaingolf.com
Wildwood Golf Course, 21881 NW St Helens Rd, 503-621-3402, www.golfingwildwood.com
Farther afield, the region around Bend in Central Oregon is a major golf destination, as is, to a lesser extent, the Oregon Coast.
Hiking and Walking
The amount of green you see on an Oregon state map speaks for itself. The majority of the state is public land, much of it national forest, and thousands of miles of hiking trails lace the region. It’s not necessary to venture very far to get a hiking fix, however; almost every neighborhood in Portland is within hailing distance of a walking path or hiking trail. The longest and “wildest” trails are in the West Hills, especially in Washington Park and Forest Park. (The Wildwood Trail runs for 28 miles along the spine of the West Hills, from near the Oregon Zoo to the northern reaches of Forest Park, crossing paved roads only a few times along the way.) Many of the trails in the region are interconnected, and given world enough and time you could walk all the way across the state.
Portland is also a great city for urban rambles, especially near downtown and on the East Side, where sidewalks are abundant. If you like some direction to your walks, buy, beg, or borrow one of the walking or hiking guides described in A Portland Reading List, or visit peripatetic guidebook writer William L. Sullivan’s website (www.oregonhiking.com). For something more structured and informative, try one of the tours offered by Portland Walking Tours (503-774-4522, www.portlandwalkingtours.com). (Note that their “Epicurean Excursion” to various foodie destinations is unlikely to promote weight loss.)
Walk About (www.walkaboutmag.com), a free publication available at many natural food supermarkets and sporting goods stores, lists events of interest to Northwest walkers. If you prefer to walk with a partner or group, look into the following organizations:
Columbia River Volkssport Club (www.walking4fun.org) organizes recreational walks, usually about six miles in length, in scenic locations around the Portland area.
Although best known as a mountaineering club, the Mazamas (527 SE 43rd Ave, 503-227-2345, www.mazamas.org) sponsor frequent hikes, including some for beginning hikers.
Portland-based Racewalkers Northwest, www.rwnw.org, organizes local training walks and racewalk competitions.
Wonders of Walking, 503-282-1677, www.wondersofwalking.com, sponsors various recreational and competitive walking events in the Northwest.
Portland Parks and Recreation (www.portlandparks.org) also organizes walks and hikes, as do many environmental organizations, including the Sierra Club’s local Columbia Group (www.oregon.sierraclub.org/groups/columbia/).
Horseback Riding and Equestrian Sports
Most equestrian activities necessarily take place outside of Portland, although there are some trails in the larger parks, such as Forest Park, that allow horses. If you’re interested in trail rides, try Flying “M” Ranch (23029 NW Flying M Rd, Yamhill, 503-662-3222, www.flying-m-ranch.com). For more serious trail riding, the nonprofit Oregon Equestrian Trails (www.oregonequestriantrails.org) is an excellent resource. If you’re looking for riding lessons, or if you actually own or want to own a horse, check out the listings at Oregon Horse (www.oregonhorse.net) or the Oregon Horse Directory, produced annually by Oregon Horse Country (www.oregonhorsecountry.com).
Hot Air Ballooning
Several area companies will carry you into the sky in a hot air balloon (and bring you back down again). Try Portland Rose Hot Air Balloon Adventures (Lake Oswego, 503-638-1301, 877-934-6359, www.portlandroseballoons.com), Vista Balloon Adventures (Newberg, 503-625-7385, 800-622-2309, www.vistaballoon.com), or Pacific Peaks Balloon Company (Tigard, 503-590-5250, www.pachigh.com). Regardless of a company’s headquarters location, flights generally launch from outlying areas.
Ice Skating
Portland lacks the convenient frozen ponds of, say, Minneapolis, so ice skating necessarily takes place in indoor rinks. All of the rinks below offer public skating, skate rentals, and lessons; most sponsor hockey, speedskating, and other ice-related activities. Please be tactful and bear in mind that Tonya Harding jokes wore out their welcome long ago.
Lloyd Center Ice Rink, Lloyd Center Mall (lower level), 503-288-6073, www.lloydcenterice.com
Mountain View Ice Arena, 14313 SE Mill Plain Blvd, Vancouver, 360-896-8700, 503-235-8176, www.mtviewice.com
Sherwood Ice Arena, 20407 SW Borchers Dr, Sherwood, 503-625-5757, www.sherwoodicearena.com
Winterhawks Skating Center, 9250 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy, 503-297-2521, www.winterhawksskatingcenter.com
Amateur figure skaters may be interested in the Portland Ice Skating Club (www.pisc.org). If ice skating is too strenuous for your taste, try curling. The Evergreen Curling Club (503-430-0910, www.evergreencurling.org) has its own curling facility in Beaverton, and stands ready and willing to help you out.
Mushroom Hunting
If you know the difference between a morel and a false morel—or if you’d like to—consider joining the Oregon Mycological Society (ww
w.wildmushrooms.org). OMS organizes frequent mushroom hunts and educates its members about mushroom identification and other mycological issues. OMS puts the “fun” in fungi!
Paintball & Laser Tag
If shooting at people is your hobby, and you want to keep it legal, paintball and laser tag are among your few available non-military options. Here are a few establishments that will facilitate your murderous predilections:
Action Acres, 10381 S Mulino Rd, Canby, 503-266-5733, www.actionacrespb.com
Impact Action Spots, 19265 SW Schaber Ln, Tualatin, 503-213-3230, www.impactactionsports.com
LaserPort, 6540 SW Fallbrook Pl, Beaverton, 503-526-9501, www.laserportofbeaverton.com
Splat Action Paintball, 32155 S Grimm Rd, Molalla, 503-467-1855, www.splataction.com
Ultrazone Laser Tag, 16074 SE McLoughlin Blvd, Milwaukie, 503-652-1122, www.ultrazoneportland.com
Racquet Sports
Many city and suburban public parks have outdoor tennis courts, the majority of which are lighted. Given the inevitable heartbreak and soggy tennis balls that result from playing on a court full of puddles, Portland thankfully also has its share of indoor courts. The following indoor courts are public facilities:
Lake Oswego Indoor Tennis Center, 2900 Diane Dr, Lake Oswego, 503-635-5550, www.ci.oswego.or.us/parksrec/indoor-tennis-center
Portland Tennis Center, 324 NE 12th Ave, 503-823-3189
St. Johns Racquet Center, 7519 N Burlington Ave, 503-823-3629, www.stjohnsracquetcenter.org
There are several private racquet clubs in the area, too; check online the Yellow Pages under “Tennis Courts-Private” for listings. In addition, some of the larger health clubs feature racquetball and squash courts.
