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

Just upstream of the Galveston Avenue Bridge on the south end of Drake Park is a large sandy beach (this used to be the Pole Pedal Paddle finish as well as a popular dog area before a leash law went into effect).

Park on the street as close to the beach as you can get (parking can get crowded on nice days). The water is shallow so you'll need to get your feet wet getting the stern of your boat into deeper water if it has a rudder. This is my favorite spot for launching a surfski and one of the few places on the river where you can launch a scull (the main hazards to rowers include low clearance bridges, shallow spots, and running into ducks).

There's an island in the center of the river that birds use for nesting. Try not to paddle between the island and the shore of river left to avoid disturbing the birds (the water is extremely shallow in that area anyway and isn't very good for fitness paddling - the center channel and side closest to #5 have deeper water.

The west side of the Galveston Avenue Bridge has the most clearance for passing under. Depending on your boat you may need to duck.

back to where to paddle