Destinations
Whether your choice is a canoe, kayak, or SUP, there are many wonderful places around Oregon in which to paddle. Depending on the region, the landscape and wildlife can be very different.
Click on a button within a region of the map below to find locations that offer some great paddling locations. The locations listed are suitable for all levels of paddling experience. Paddle locations are rated on a five-star scale with five stars being the best. Like any rating system, the scoring is subjective. When ranking, I took into account the scenic value, wildlife presence, motorboat traffic, amenities, and size of the body of water.
The Willamette River was a tough ranking. There are some parts I would rank a two and other parts I would rank a five. In the end, I felt there were far more fives than twos, so I scored it a four because of heavy powerboat traffic and some industrial pollution present on the river.
Oregon is blessed with many water trails, the most popular being the Willamette River Water Trail. Click on one of the links below for more information about several of the water trails in the state.
Use the map below to locate launch sites in Oregon and around the country. Clicking on a dot will zoom in for an expanded view.