What You Will Do
See the largest waterfall in the Northwestern United States. Explore Portland's downtown waterfront, urban wildlife, and beautiful bridges from the water. The Willamette river is a beautiful and calm waterway with a storied history and amazing nature up and down her banks!
Portland River Tours distinguishes itself as the premier river tour experience in Portland, Oregon.
We empathize passenger comfort and convenience, Portland River Tours provides spacious and well-equipped boats, accommodating various types of tours from family outings to corporate events.
We prioritize environmental sustainability, operating tours with eco-friendly practices and supporting local conservation initiatives.
We have a strong commitment to customer satisfaction and exceptional service.
Portland River Tours ensures every tour is a memorable and enjoyable experience on Portland's scenic waterways.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Itinerary
Meeting Point
We meet on the public boat docks in Willamette Park. Please enter into the park, park your vehicle, and walk down to the boat dock / boat ramp area.
Our boat will arrive by water.
1
Portland
Portland is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous county in Oregon. As of 2020, Portland had a population of 652,503, making it the 26th-most populated city in the United States, the sixth-most populous on the West Coast, and the second-most populous in the Pacific Northwest, after Seattle. Approximately 2.5 million people live in the Portland metropolitan statistical area, making it the 25th most populous in the United States. About half of Oregon's population resides within the Portland metropolitan area.
2
Elk Rock Island
Elk Rock Island is an island on the Willamette River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The 12- to 13-acre (4.9- to 5.3-ha) island, formed 40 million years ago by a volcano, was given to Portland by Peter Kerr in 1940. The city of Milwaukie took ownership of the park in April 2016. The island is accessible via Spring Park.
3
Willamette Falls
The Willamette Falls is a horseshoe-shaped block waterfall caused by a basalt shelf in the river bottom. The 42-foot-high and 1,500-foot-wide falls occurs 26 river miles upstream from the Willamette's confluence with the Columbia River. It's the largest waterfall by water volume in the Northwest and the 18th largest by volume. Around the falls are the locks, which are the oldest continuously operating multi-lift lock and canal system in the United States.
4
Tilikum Crossing
Tilikum Crossing, Bridge of the People is a cable-stayed bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was designed by TriMet, the Portland metropolitan area's regional transit authority, for its MAX Orange Line light rail passenger trains. The bridge also serves city buses and the Portland Streetcar, as well as bicycles, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles. Private cars and trucks are not permitted on the bridge. It is the first major bridge in the U.S. that was designed to allow access to transit vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians but not cars.
5
Hawthorne Bridge
The Hawthorne Bridge is a truss bridge with a vertical lift that spans the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, joining Hawthorne Boulevard and Madison Street. It is the oldest vertical-lift bridge in operation in the United States and the oldest highway bridge in Portland. It is also the busiest bicycle and transit bridge in Oregon, with over 8,000 cyclists and 800 TriMet buses (carrying about 17,400 riders) daily. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 2012.
6
Oregon City
Known in recent decades as the site of several large paper mills on the Willamette River, the city played a significant role in the early history of the Oregon Country. It was established by Hudson's Bay Company's Dr. John McLoughlin in 1829 near the confluence of the Clackamas River with the Willamette to take advantage of the power of Willamette Falls to run a lumber mill. During the 1840s and 1850s, it was the destination for those wanting to file land claims after traveling the Oregon Trail as the last stop on the trail.
It was the capital of the Oregon Territory from its establishment in 1848 until 1851 and rivaled Portland for early supremacy in the area. In 1846, the city's newspaper, the Oregon Spectator, was the first American newspaper to be published west of the Rocky Mountains. Oregon City was the site of the Beaver Coins Mint, producing the short-lived independent Oregon Territory currency in 1849.
7
Willamette Park
Willamette Park is a city park of about 26 acres (11 ha) in south Portland, in the U.S. state of Oregon. Located at Southwest Macadam Avenue and Nebraska Street, the park includes a boat dock and ramp, paved and unpaved paths, picnic areas, restrooms, a dog off-leash area, a playground, a soccer field, and tennis courts.
8
George Rogers Park
George Rogers Park is Lake Oswego's first community park and one of its most diverse. Situated on the Willamette River, the park is the site of significant Native American activity over 10,000 years ago. In the early 19th century, the river landing at the mouth of Oswego Creek was a convenient camping place for explorers, fur traders, and pioneers. In the words of a Lake Oswego resident, it was "a stopping place, a sort of relay station for boats both large and small, plying up and down the river between Astoria and Champoeg."
9
Steel Bridge
The Steel Bridge is a through truss, double-deck vertical-lift bridge across the Willamette River in Portland, Oregon, United States, opened in 1912. Its lower deck carries railroad and bicycle/pedestrian traffic, while the upper deck carries road traffic (on the Pacific Highway West No. 1W, former Oregon Route 99W), and light rail (MAX), making the bridge one of the most multimodal in the world. It is the only double-deck bridge with independent lifts in the world and the second oldest vertical-lift bridge in North America, after the nearby Hawthorne Bridge. The bridge links the Rose Quarter and Lloyd District in the east to the Old Town Chinatown neighborhood in the west.
10
Clackamas River
The Clackamas River is located to the west of the Cascade Range and to the south of the Columbia River Gorge in northern Oregon. Flowing northwest from its sources high in the Cascade Mountains, the designated portion of the river, which is 47 miles (75.6 km) in length, runs from Big Spring (headwaters area) to Big Cliff, just south of the town of Estacada. This most picturesque region is entirely within the Mt. Hood National Forest and encompasses forested lands, wetlands, riparian areas and rock cliffs.
11
Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge
Portland Parks & Recreation's Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge is a 163-acre complex of meadows, woodlands, and wetlands in Portland on the east bank of the Willamette River, just north of the Sellwood Bridge.
12
Milwaukie
Milwaukie was settled in 1847 and formally platted in 1849 as a rival to the upriver Oregon City by Lot Whitcomb, who named it for Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At the time, the Wisconsin city was also frequently spelled "Milwaukie" before the current spelling was adopted
13
Oregon Museum of Science and Industry
The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI, /ˈɒmziː/ OM-zee) is a science and technology museum in Portland, Oregon, United States. It contains three auditoriums, including a large-screen theatre, planetarium, and exhibition halls with a variety of hands-on permanent exhibits focused on natural sciences, industry, and technology. Transient exhibits span a wider range of disciplines.
14
Clackamette Park
Clackamette Park is a public park in Oregon City, in the U.S. state of Oregon. The park has a boat ramp,[1] and served as a film location for Grimm
15
USS Blueback Submarine
USS Blueback (SS-581) is a Barbel-class submarine that served in the United States Navy from 1959 to 1990, and subsequently was made into an exhibit at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. She was the second Navy submarine to bear the name.
16
Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park is a 36.59-acre (148,100 m2) park located in downtown Portland, Oregon, along the Willamette River. After the 1974 removal of Harbor Drive, a major milestone in the freeway removal movement, the park was opened to the public in 1978. The park covers 13 tax lots and is owned by the City of Portland (Portland Parks and Recreation). The park was renamed in 1984 to honor Tom McCall, the Oregon governor who pledged his support for the beautification of the west bank of the Willamette River—harkening back to the City Beautiful plans at the turn of the century which envisioned parks and greenways along the river. The park is bordered by RiverPlace to the south, the Steel Bridge to the north, Naito Parkway to the west, and Willamette River to the east. In October 2012, Waterfront Park was voted one of America's ten greatest public spaces by the American Planning Association.
17
St. Johns Bridge
It is the tallest bridge in Portland, with two 400-foot-tall (120 m) towers and a 205-foot (62 m) navigational clearance
18
South Waterfront Park
The Tram is a popular destination for tourists, locals and people just looking to try something fun.
19
Sellwood
Neighborhood with a pleasant, small shopping area with dozens of antique shops.
20
799 S Nevada St
5 minutes
Return back to Meeting points
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