Oregon / Washington favorite spots to boat

[mjirving]

Tip asked about favorite boating spots in another thread, so I'm starting a new one just for this topic as I'm interested in any other Tige locals that want to chime in.

I live in Tigard (Portland) and store my boat in Newberg where I work. We spend most of our time on the Willamette River between Newberg and Wilsonville launching at Roger's Landing.

Great boat launch and awesome river. It can get crowded, but the shore is great at killing wakes and it's protected from wind so you can ski on glass a lot of the time. It's a great spot!

We also camp / boat at Lake Billy Chinook by Bend. It's a mini Lake Shasta like lake for Oregon. Great weather, but also very popular. Mornings can't be beat there. (Glass in the canyons as the sun's coming up)

Odell Lake down south. (Perfect lake for glass in the morning and ocean like winds in the afternoon for windsurfing if you're into that.

Lake Mayfield in Washington about an hour up from the Oregon border is a nice lake with a great campground, but can get crowded and "wakey" in the afternoon with lots of boats.

We're going to Prineville Reservoir this summer and think it'll be a great spot.

Lake Merwin just north of the border is ok, but it's long and windy in the afternoon. Not one of my favorites.

Any other Oregon / Washington hot spots out there?

Mike

[2kims]

You'll find us on the WILL.R. putting in at I5. Great place. Merwin and Yale Res. are good before 11am. one of our favorites is Ft. Spokane. a good place to camp and great water ( get the group camp ground it has grass). Army corp of eng has neat grassy campgrounds along the Snake near tri-cities.

[b/w05]

Mike,

When are going to Prineville? We'll be there July 26 - 30th Good place! Detroit is OK,, gets rough though. Hagg Lake is 12 minutes from our house so that's our regular. Ohwyhee Reservoir is heaven!!!!!! except for the 10 hr drive, 100+ degree weather, glass and NO boats. As 2kims said Willamette is fun to go & just cruise downtown area. Sauvies Island area is good water also.

Mark

[Wake Havasu]

So you have a Tige in Tigard.

Cool!

[Wake Havasu]

Originally posted by jilly
As 2kims said Willamette is fun to go & just cruise downtown area. Sauvies Island area is good water also.

Mark

Which downtown do you cruise up there in Oregon on the Willamette?

I live way down south in La Quinta, CA near Palm Springs.

[mjirving]

Downtown Portland. Nothing like doing your wake board tricks in front of the skyscrapers and waterfront park. (You just have to dodge the chemicals and runoff after it rains!)

Yeah, we go to Detroit Lake once in a blue moon, but it's way too crowded and too windy.

Even though Hagg is close, I've never boated there because the Willamette is too good!

We'll be in Prineville toward the end of August.

Mike

[Tip]

Mike,
Thanks for the info. I'm looking forward to checking things out this summer.

Tip

[b/w05]

wake havasu,

We like to float around downtown Portland. Waterfront park always has something going on that's right next to the river. Blues festival, rose parade carnival, cinco de mayo, dragon boat races, Gunderson makes huge barges and every few months they launch them, that's pretty cool to watch.... We've also gone up river to the Oregon City Falls and then thru the locks. Then down river to Sauvies Island and the Columbia. A friend of mine has a 22' Maxum that he likes to spend his time on the Columbia at Government Island, been there with my Centurion, it was to low & too small for the river. I'll have to try it with my Tige', maybe go up to the Bonniville Dam?? We put on 150 hrs this last year on the 22i

Mark