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Columbia
Slough
Watershed Council |
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7040
NE 47th Ave.,
Portland, OR 97218-1212
Phone: (503) 281-1132
Fax: (503) 281-5187
Email Us
  
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Almost
two centuries after the Lewis and Clark expedition,
it is still easy to imagine you are on your own "corps
of discovery," traveling by canoe or kayak,
even in the midst of the industrial landscape.
The narrow, tree-lined Upper Slough evokes an air of mystery as you glide silently
beneath a mixed alder, cottonwood, red-osier dogwood and willow canopy. The brushy
banks are especially attractive to Wood Duck, Black-crowned Night Heron and the
secretive Green Heron.
Canoeing the Slough
While it is easily navigable
by canoe, culverts and other barriers must be negotiated
if you plan to paddle the entire Upper Slough. East
of the 142rd Avenue levee, canoeing is best on the
south "arm" of the Slough. Downstream the preferred
route is along the north "arm." Two floating docks
off Airport Way provide the easiest access to the
Upper Slough.
The Lower Slough is a wider, obstacle-free waterway
with expansive vistas and open water, lined with
black cottonwoods and ash - ideal perching and nesting
habitat for Osprey, Bald Eagle and Great Blue Heron
and welcome shade on a hot summer paddle. Daily tides
mean a will timed trip allows for paddling with the
current; the alternative is a muddy take-out and
paddling against a stiff current at ebb tide. Kelley
Point Park, St. Johns Landfill and Smith and Bybee
Lakes Wildlife Area provide easily accessible launch
sites. A new launch is planned near Northeast Denver
Avenue.
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