Maps courtesy of Google and Navtech. Blue is the Deschutes River. Yellow are major roads. White are minor roads. Brown are footbridges.

McKay Park is just downstream of the Colorado Avenue Dam. It has a smooth, mostly sand beach and was home to the Pole Pedal Paddle start in past years. On-street parking means a short haul across the grass down to the water.

This put-in has the most current of any of the launch spots, but isn't really that bad. Watch out for partially submerged rocks after you launch. McKay is very popular during the summer months for inner tubers and rafters starting their float down to Mirror Pond. Unless you want to work on your collision avoidance skills, mornings and evenings are usually the best times for working out on this part of the river on a hot day.

During low water months (traditionally mid-October to mid-April) I avoid paddling the stretch from McKay Park to the large rock in the middle of the river upstream from the Columbia Park footbridge. There are so many rocks in this section it's easy to bang up your hull or rudder. The rest of the year when the water is higher tends to be fine; just watch out for a couple of sneaky rocks that are right below the surface.

If you're paddling from one of the lower put-ins, you can vary your workout by taking out at McKay, and portaging your boat to the launch spot on the other side of the Colorado Dam.

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