Trip Report
Sea Kayak - Columbia River: Bonneville to Washougal
A long but fun trip through beautiful scenery and sometimes lively conditions. Highlights included views of Beacon Rock, Multnomah Falls, Phoca Rock, Cape Horn and Rooster Rock.
Will Greenough
- Tue, Aug 5, 2025
- Sea Kayak - Columbia River: Bonneville to Washougal
- Columbia River: Bonneville to Washougal
- Sea Kayaking
- Successful
-
- Road suitable for all vehicles
-
No issues with parking or access at either the put-in (Hamilton Island Boat Ramp) or take-out (Washougal Waterfront Park). There is no fee for either location and there are bathroom facilities at both.
The ramp at the put in is steep and has some holes/drop offs between the ramp and dock - care is needed with footing when taking boats off of cars here.
The take out at Washougal Waterfront Park entails a relatively steep carry with mostly good footing from the rock beach up to the cars.
The car shuttle takes about half an hour.
We launched on time just before 10am after leaving a car at the take-out. One participant fell while moving a boat on the ramp, but fortunately was not badly injured - no first aid was necessary (incident report to follow). The water temperature was just below 70 degrees, allowing us the luxury of paddling without immersion clothing.
The wind was much stronger than forecast - probably around 10kt. With the wind against the stronger current in this first stretch, we had a lively paddle with steep waves and plenty of whitecaps. Riding the current, we made quick progress past Ives and Pierce Islands and made a quick detour into the ramp and dock below Beacon Rock to check out the view.
Leaving Beacon Rock we headed back down river, stopping at a beach just east of Franz Lake for a break. We found that hugging the shore while heading for the break beach reduced our speed considerably even though the water was much calmer due to being out of the main river current.
After break we got back out into the rougher water of the main current, enjoying the spectacular scenery along the Oregon side while making our way to a lunch stop at a rocky beach near Multnomah Falls. After lunch, we waited for a barge to pass coming down river before heading out again into the main river current crossing again to the Washington side past Phoca Rock and under the cliffs of Cape Horn where we took another short break.
Leaving Reed Island, we immediately were back into civilization, with lots of jet skis, water skiers, wake boats and throngs at the beaches. We stayed on the Washington side of the channel paddling back to Washougal as there was another barge coming downstream. The current was still favorable for this stretch allowing for an average 4kt speed back to the take out.
We carried the gear and boats up the hill to the parking lot and then left one person with the gear while we retrieved the cars from the launch point (this takes about an hour for the round trip). This was a great but strenuous day on the water.
After break we again followed the main current back across to Tunnel Point on the Oregon side before crossing again to a beach near the west end of Reed Island for our last break. The wind had moderated quite a bit to a light breeze since leaving Cape Horn, so the water conditions were much calmer.
Total distance: 20.3nm
Average moving speed: 3.8kt (current assisted)