Description
Kelley Point Park is a unique regional asset located at the confluence of the Columbia River, Willamette River, and the Columbia Slough. These rivers, combined with more than 90 acres of native black cottonwood forest, make Kelley Point Park a true refuge for wildlife and people in Portland.
Today, salmon and other fish continue to be an important resource for this area and its inhabitants. The slow-moving water in the Columbia Slough makes this a vital resting place for native Chinook and coho salmon, as well as steelhead trout. Kelley Point Park provides crucial habitat for other animals too, including turtles, salamanders, freshwater mussels, beavers, osprey, coyotes, bald eagles, deer, and more.
Kelley Point Park is a natural departure point to hike or bike Portland’s 40-Mile Loop trail, launch a canoe or kayak, or explore the shores of the Columbia Slough, the Columbia River, or the Willamette River. Multiple picnic areas, two bathroom buildings, and a paved path are all open to the public to help you explore this beautiful park. Help protect this vital natural area by staying on trails, keeping dogs on leashes, and putting trash in the cans provided.
No swimming or entering the water at Kelley Point Park
You will see “no swimming” signs posted throughout the park. There are no lifeguards on site, and we strongly recommend that you not swim at Kelley Point Park because of the unsafe and unpredictable conditions of the water. There have been numerous drownings over the past few decades at this park. Even if the rivers appear to be calm, the currents are very powerful.
Kelley Point Park is named after New Englander Hall Jackson Kelley (1790-1894). The park was owned by the Port of Portland for much of the 20th century, and to keep the Willamette and Columbia Rivers open to barge transport, the Port covered the flood prone peninsula with tons of dredge material from the bottoms of these rivers. Kelley Point Park officially became a Portland park in 1984.
The confluence of the Willamette and Columbia River has long been a place of cultural and spiritual significance for Indigenous peoples of the area. The City of Portland is currently partnering with regional jurisdictions, community groups, and private organizations and leading a process to develop a formal, meaningful acknowledgement of our region’s traditional inhabitants. If you have questions about this process, you can email: Tribal.relations@portlandoregon.gov.