columbia-river-beach-Dougs_BY2AFT_bekx1v Columbia River Swim Spots and Beaches Under 90 Minutes from Portland — Windsurfers can catch some air at Doug’s Beach State Park, just east of Lyle, Washington.

The Pacific is cold, the Sandy River is mobbed, local public pools have limited hours and long lines, and your secret mountain swimming hole is either not so secret anymore or still inaccessible after the fires of recent years. The giant Columbia River is here for you. Sure, I-84 and train tracks can complicate access. Industrial neighbors, container ships, and barges aren’t always the backdrop of your summer beach dreams. But you can find water lapping on sand or stones at many spots along the river’s run, from where it meets the Pacific all the way through the Columbia River Gorge and farther inland.

Here are some spots within an hour and a half of Portland, organized by river mile: Mile 0 is where the Columbia meets the Pacific Ocean at Cape Disappointment, and river mile 101 is where the Willamette joins the Columbia.

In some places, currents, debris, and nearby industrial activity or boat launches make swimming or even wading unwise. Always obey posted signs, and use the river at your own risk.

Jones Beach

River mile: 46
Closest town: Clatskanie, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Wave to the cows, horses, and deer on your way to this windswept expanse of sand popular with fishers. Bring a picnic blanket—the few picnic tables here look like they might have come from the set of The Road Warrior, as does the askew sign letting visitors know that ATVs are not allowed. —Margaret Seiler

Dibblee Beach

River mile: 65
Closest town: Rainier, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour, 5 minutes

Most of the signs at this Columbia County park aren’t about water safety or park etiquette—instead, they threaten huge fines for neglecting to pay the day-use parking fee. (OK, we get it!) That dubious welcome aside, this lengthy stretch of sand just west of downtown Rainier is, like Jones, popular with fishers. —MS

Prescott Beach

River mile: 71
Closest town: Prescott, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour

The Columbia County park day use fee is required here, too, but you won’t find all the menacing signs like at Dibblee. You will find scattered benches, picnic tables, and fire rings/grills. There’s a designated fishing area, and you’ll want to bring a designated driver so you can stop at the storied Goble Tavern on your way home. —MS

Trestle Beach

River mile: 83
Closest town: Columbia City, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 45 minutes

Not the most peaceful spot thanks to the Knife River facility dropping sand and other materials onto barges right in front of the beach, but still a sandy strand lined with trees and popular with dog owners and fishers. The gate to the parking area is locked promptly at the posted time (generally 5pm, but it changes to 7pm in the summer), so don’t get stuck. —MS

Pixie Park

River mile: 84
Closest town: Columbia City, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 45 minutes

You might think this park, on property owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution, was so named because it’s just so darn adorable, but it actually owes its moniker to a boat known as the Pixie. The Caples House Museum is nearby. —MS

reeder-beach-columbia-sauvie_1390363262_hpvblo Columbia River Swim Spots and Beaches Under 90 Minutes from Portland — Reeder Beach, one of Sauvie Island’s five beaches.

Sauvie Island

River mile: 94
Closest town: Portland, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 35 minutes

Sauvie Island is technically home to five beaches—Reeder, North Unit, Walton, Collins, and Warrior Point. One of the more popular of the five, Walton is a solid all-around family beach, and on hot days it can be hard to get a parking spot nearby. (Make sure to pick up a parking pass, required in all wildlife areas on Sauvie Island. As of 2025, weekends and holidays through Labor Day also require a free beach pass, which can be booked online two weeks in advance.) The beach offers soft sand, temperate water, and a picturesque view straight across to Washington. If you can handle a little nudity, the clothing-optional Collins Beach boasts clearer water and fewer crowds. —Katherine Chew Hamilton

shutterstock_1381856702_copy_i8qrdd Columbia River Swim Spots and Beaches Under 90 Minutes from Portland — Kelley Point: better for a picnic than a swim.

Kelley Point Park

River mile: 102
Closest town: Portland, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 20 minutes

Kelley Point is a beautiful place to ride your bike, sit on a log, have a picnic, and watch the ships go by, as the City of Portland technically prohibits park users from swimming or entering the water here due to “unsafe and unpredictable conditions.” Several people have drowned at the park, including two within one week in 2016, because of the high currents where the Willamette and Columbia meet. Given the number of trash barges we’ve seen floating along, staying out of the water sounds OK to us. —KCH

Wintler Community Park

River mile: 110
Closest town: Vancouver, Washington
Travel time from downtown: 18 minutes

This eastern terminus of the five-mile Columbia River Renaissance Trail from downtown Vancouver offers restrooms, picnic tables, a steep sandy beach, and a view of the action at PDX airport across the river. There’s a parking fee required from May 1 to September 30. —MS

Broughton Beach

River mile: 110
Closest town: Portland, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 18 minutes

By Salty’s, the Sextant, and the airport, this Metro-managed beach always has something odd happening: an unexplained intact melon just sitting there, a man with a guitar sitting alone on the hood of his car playing a song you swear you heard in a dream. Oh, and there’s a giant, windswept sandy beach with room for you, me, and everyone we know. Metro requires a day-use parking fee, and if you get hooked on the bike path that runs along Marine Drive you might want to invest in the annual pass. (The pass also works at Metro’s Chinook Landing Marine Park, about nine miles east of Broughton, but that park is primarily a boat launch site and not really a beach. Chinook Landing has an archery range, too.) —MS

Cottonwood-Seiler-Mat2022__1__kkusd5 Columbia River Swim Spots and Beaches Under 90 Minutes from Portland — One of the spots at Cottonwood Beach is lined with several grounded historical boats.

Cottonwood Beach

River mile: 123
Closest town: Washougal, Washington
Travel time from downtown: 30 minutes

One of the Lewis-and-Clarkier spots on this list, Cottonwood Beach has plenty of interpretive signs about the Corps of Discovery’s stop here and the Indigenous groups that long called the area home, along with several historical watercraft. Get there early on a summer day to claim one of the little private patches of sand down the hill from nicely distanced picnic tables. Multiple signs remind visitors that there’s no alcohol allowed (with an added sign proclaiming “NO TOLERANCE” in case it was unclear), so make a post-beach stop at the 54˚40″ brewery taproom for a Half Cocked IPA and perhaps some pizza. —MS

shutterstock_1201448287_copy_i27rin Columbia River Swim Spots and Beaches Under 90 Minutes from Portland — Clothes or no clothes? The choice is yours at Rooster Rock.

Rooster Rock State Park

River mile: 129
Closest town: Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 30 minutes

Rooster Rock, divided into family-friendly and clothing-optional areas, is far enough away to feel like an escape from the city while easily fitting into a half-day trip. When temperatures rise, people cram onto a small sandy peninsula, beer cans crack open, Bluetooth speakers blast reggaeton, and you might catch people floating by on swan-shaped inflatables. The clothing-optional area brings its own party vibe. There are restrooms and picnic tables for enjoying a feast with a view of the water—note that if you’re planning on bringing a cooler to the sandy beach, you’re in for a bit of a walk. The water may have its fair share of floating debris, but the picturesque scenery and carefree vibes make up for it. —KCH

Viento State Park

River mile: 161
Closest town: Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour

Dodge some of the Hood River crowds and score some shade by taking a dip a few miles west of town at Viento State Park, also popular with windsurfers (viento means wind, after all), where you can also camp—the tent sites up the hill are farther from the water but are a bit calmer than the ones you’ll find between the railroad tracks and I-84. —MS

Hood_River_Waterfront_Rock_Wall_3357__1__vqjfy0 Columbia River Swim Spots and Beaches Under 90 Minutes from Portland — If the beach gets boring, there’s a climbing wall and playground just steps away at Hood River Waterfront Park.

Hood River Waterfront Park

River mile: 169
Closest town: Hood River, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour, 10 minutes

This plush spot offers a roped-in section for swimming, a sandy crescent for sunbathing, a bird’s-eye view on the kiteboarders and windsurfers weaving their way across the river, clean restrooms, and a notch-above-the-ordinary playground with a rock climbing wall. No need to pack a picnic, either—you can easily walk to any of several great lunch spots, including Pfriem Family Brewers, Solstice Wood-Fire Pizza, or Ferment Brewing Company. —Julia Silverman

Mayer State Park

River mile: 181
Closest town: Mosier, Oregon
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour, 20 minutes

While this area is better known for the Gorge views offered uphill at the Rowena Crest Overlook, down at river level Mayer State Park provides a rocky beach and duck-packed coves to explore, plus a boat launch and lifejackets to borrow. A day-use fee (or an annual state parks pass) is required to park. —MS

IMG_4276_zwmpvp Columbia River Swim Spots and Beaches Under 90 Minutes from Portland — Splashing around at Doug’s Beach, on a rare day with no windsurfers.

Doug’s Beach

River mile: 184
Closest town: Lyle, Washington
Travel time from downtown: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Just east of Lyle, Washington, Doug’s Beach State Park offers a shaded beach and picnic tables. You’ll need a Discover Pass to park here along SR-14 (the lot is well patrolled, so don’t risk going without), and be very careful crossing the tracks. —MS

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