PARKING: The Port of Astoria has agreed to let us park our trucks and trailers at the Port of Astoria Boatyard (behind Englund Marine.) This is a secure lot and is routinely patrolled. There will be a modest fee for this service, payable when you park your vehicle.
PULLOUT: We will use the ramp at the East Mooring Basin to pull out. This ramp is about 4 miles away from the parking area. We will need to be creative and helpful at the pullout.
Plan A - roughly 20 miles per day
| Day/Date | River Mile | Location | Comments |
| Saturday Aug 8 | 141 | Beacon Rock | Morning: Stage boats at Beacon Rock State Park (Washington) 12pm: Caravan vehicles and trailers 150 miles to Port of Astoria Boatyard (Oregon) 4pm: Bus participants back to Beacon Rock. |
|
Sunday Aug 9 |
141 to 117 | Beacon Rock to Bartlett's Landing | Moorage, picnic area. |
| Monday Aug 10 | 117 to 99 | Bartlett's landing to Quinn's Cove | Some moorage and plenty of beach camping. |
| Tuesday Aug 10 | 99 to 85 | Quinn's Cove to Sand Island | Moorage, docks, and camping at Sand Island. Right acorss the way is a full service marina and the town of St. Helens. |
| Wednesday Aug 11 | 85 to 68 | Sand Island to Rainer | Moorage. |
| Thursday Aug 12 | 68 to 50 | Rainer to Wallace Island | Primitive beach camping at Wallace Island |
| Friday Aug 13 | 50 to 30 | Wallace to Skamokawa | Moorage and camping |
| Saturday Aug 14 | 30 to15 | Skamokawa to East Basin | This is still the tricky part - 15 miles of tough sailing and the full effect of the tides. Plus the salmon fishermen will be out in force. |
Plan B- If weather permits, some longer sailing days and a shorter finish time.
| Day/Date | River Mile | Location | Comments |
| Saturday Aug 8 | 141 | Beacon Rock | Morning: Stage boats at Beacon Rock State Park (Washington) 12pm: Caravan vehicles and trailers 150 miles to Port of Astoria Boatyard (Oregon) 4pm: Bus participants back to Beacon Rock. |
|
Sunday Aug 9 |
141 to 99 | Beacon Rock to Caterpillar Island | This 42 mile leg is by far the most ambitious. Quinn's Cove, at Caterpillar Island, is owned by a friend and we will have some moorage and plenty of beach camping. |
| Monday Aug 10 | 99 to 85 | To Sand Island Marine Park at St Helens | Moorage, docks, and camping at Sand Island. Right acorss the way is a full service marina and the town of St. Helens. |
| Tuesday Aug 10 | 85 to 60 | Sand Island to Walker Island | This is a primitive beach campsite (our only one) and has no amenities. We will camp below the high watermark on the Oregon side so we are protected from the wakes of passing cargo ships. |
| Wednesday Aug 11 | 60 to 30 | Walker to Skamokawa | Camping and docks. |
| Thursday Aug 12 | 30 to 15 | Skamokawa to East Basin | This is the tricky part of the trip - there are no places to stop, camp or get aid after Skamokawa. Should Thursday's weather not cooperate, we can try again Friday and Saturday. |
The route will follow the well-established Columbia River Water Trail. There are several websites and print books available as resources.
The Columbia River flows East to West and is broken up by several dams. Bonneville is the lowest dam, roughly 150 miles from where the Columbia empties into the sea. The Columbia 150 will start as close to Bonneville Dam as practical.
The current varies from several knots near Bonneville to 2-3 knots near the mouth when the tide is coming in. The winds vary from zero to howling - often in the same day. Because the current never stops, but the wind does (or might,) the Columbia 150 will run with the current.
The prevailing direction of the wind in August is upriver - so expect a headwind the entire way. 30 miles between campsites will be challenging but doable.
The Columbia 150 will run through Oregon's largest population center (Portland) and there will be several opportunities for reprovisioning.
| Google Earth .KMZ files of the Columbia River Water Trail | |
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right click on this file and save it your computer. |
Research trip on the middle of the Columbia150
Research trip to the start of the Columbia150
Research trip to the end of the Columbia150
Comments on the route and expected conditions