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Sauvie Island
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
18 reviews for Sauvie Island
Wife and I went here for the first time this past weekend. Figured this would be the last weekend of nice weather before the rain starts. Pretty peaceful drive if you aren't in a hurry. This was our first time on a nude beach but we had a nice relaxing time. People with dogs weren't keeping them on leashes so that was a little annoying.
Also, we saw three kids walking down our stretch of the beach (under the age of 10) with no adults around. I mean, I know that some families believe in being naturists, and I can appreciate that, but why let the kids walk around by themselves? Kinda makes you uncomfortable.
Portland's very lucky to have a place like Sauvie: the drive to the beach is pleasant, if you're in the mood to take your time on the two-lane roads. There's no reason to be in a hurry, really -- it's a beautiful place to relax and rejuvenate.
The nude part at Collins Beach isn't as intimidating as it sounds. People are very easy going and laid back. If going au naturel isn't your thing, then stay to the south part of the beach where clothing is required.
Mosquitos can be problematic, so bring bug spray if you don't want to get eaten. Plus, plan ahead: no gas on the island, and the only places to get provisions are a ways from the beach (and outrageously priced, I might add). Be sure to bring your water from home because once you're out there, you're out there.
You won't find people selling hot dogs or that sort of thing, although I did spot an ice cream boat one time, which was kind of cool.
The weekends do tend to draw the crowds, so get there early, and don't chance it by not getting a parking permit -- I've seen tow trucks sitting in the parking area just waiting for new prey to arrive.
Here is the deal.
The smell of the water misting over the corn. The fresh u-pick berries. The pumpkin patches and rolling hills. After a visit at Sauvie Island you feel very refreshed. The best part- it's only 10 miles outside of Portland.
All I can say is, visit. Walk around and take in all in. It is Oregon at it's finest.
Went on a hike here today with the dogs. Saw a white tailed fawn and a black tailed deer. Also a cute little garter snake snoozing in the sun. A couple of other hikers were picking blackberries with their kids. One little boy kept saying goodbye to us as we walked past with the corgis. It would be nice if they had a trash can and if the trails were better marked but overall the place has a rustic charm. Also they were out of trail maps. You can do a 3 mile hike or a 6 to 7 mile hike. Make sure to stop at the grocery or a farm store and pick up a parking pass. Also we enjoyed stopping at the farm stores and getting some fresh produce, cheese, salsa, jam, bottles of soda and more.
A great quick escape from Portland to soak up the rejuvenating air and unwind. [see pic]
I never want to see male genitalia again.
Did I go to the right part of Sauvie Island? We definitely didn't pay for a parking permit--perhaps we should have. Perhaps if we had gone somewhere that required money, instead of following an unpaved road until it pretty much trailed off, we wouldn't have stumbled upon "Clothing Optional" beach. But we did, and what a joy it was!
I'm not an uptight Puritan. I realize "the body is a beautiful thing, and embrace what god gave you and blah blah blah." BUT why are nude beaches always full of the most unattractive people? It's just one of those mysteries in life. I could go on about the nude beach, but there is more to my story besides flabby bottoms.
The mosquitos were out of control. Like Vietnam bad. Like bring bug spray that's only legal in Mexico. Also, never go there on the weekend. If you do, don't leave at the magical hour of 5pm--or whatever time it is that everyone decides to leave. The line to get on the bridge back to Portland was redunkulous. I think we waited maybe 1.5 hours in line? Not moving? I had to pee in a field?
BUT it did lead us to pull over and discover the magical Kruger Berry Farm! But that's another yelp story for another time...
Sauvie Island,
Thank you for a nice beach with cold water to dip in during Portland hottest days of the year.
Thank you for making my back red.
Thank you for giving me a tanning opportunity so I won't be so pale like Casper.
Thank you for awesome Kruger's farm corn on the cob.
Thank you for being 10 miles away from P Town.
I'll see you again next year when I need another sun burning tanning session.
Love,
Olivia
Beautiful. We woke up today and said, "Let's go somewhere!" Off to Sauvie Island we went. Stopped at Sam's Cracker Barrel, right over the bridge, to get our $3.50 parking pass. Sam was very nice and showed us places we might like to see on the map outside the store. We had Oola with us, so we went to the beach on Reeder Road. Dogs need to be leashed and we are not law breakers (not to mention she's not trained and doesn't listen to us and would run off and stowaway on a Russian freighter and tour the world having rousing drunken adventures and we would never see her again), so our walk was short because it's a long, pretty, but monotonous beach. I can imagine it gets really crowded on the weekends and in the summer.
We were going to see the lake, but you have to drive on an unpaved road and we weren't up for that, so we turned around. We did say hi to the horses, which freaked Oola out and she growled and raised her hackles and was generally rude to them.
Sauvie is absolutely beautiful. One of my coworkers lives out there and treks in to downtown. I can understand why he does this, it would be a lovely place to live.
We probably wont go back because we can't let Oola off leash there, but it was a great day trip. If we had out of town guests I would definitely take them there for a day at the "beach."
Can you write a review of a geographical location? I feel strange doing it, but my enthusiasm has taken over.
I've been going here with my family my whole life, and I love it. Love It. The trick is to space out your visits so that you get that whole bucolic feeling all over again every time you cross the bridge. My sister and I have a routine down - berry picking, beach strolling, a picnic, and then swimming. Then we go home and sing along to the radio at top volume.
And about that bridge - I'm a huge fan of the new one! The orange rusty color looks beautiful against a blue sky and it feels lighter and more open than the old government-issue one. I was worried, having been gone for awhile, about this new bridge business. But I needn't have been.
Don't forget to buy a parking permit (super cheap)!
OK - we all agree that Portland is weird and funny and loves itself that way. But where else can you go for a walk on a sunny- but still chilly - February day and see naked people setting up for a volleyball game on the beach?!! Just feeling the breeze at Sauvie Island's famous "clothing optional" Collins beach. It's not South Beach but....We say, "more power to them!" Plenty of other sun-loving folks out on other parts of the beach with their kids and dogs and picnics and winter coats and hats!! Stunning white volcanoes everywhere you looked. A lovely place for a walk by the river. If you time it right, you can watch a parade of container ships leaving PDX to hit Astoria with the tide.
Remember to buy your parking pass at the store right over the bridge ($3/d;$11/yr)
Sauvie Island is like a little slice of farm-living not so far off of the Portland grid. I loved venturing out here in late summer/early fall to catch a mini-hike and cruise the wares at Kruger's farm.
This is a fun spot to enjoy and I plan on going back to check it out in the spring time. The locals are also very friendly, which was much appreciated ( we didn't know about the parking permit, and a guy actually stopped his truck to tell us not to park w/out one).
A cold December day? Perfect for a trip with the dawg to Sauvie Island. Any day really, year-round, would be excellent for the mellow winding roads, scenic scapes, wildlife areas, and easily accessible river beaches along the Columbia.
During the spring, summer, and fall there are various family friendly activities.. the pumpkin patch, the corn maze; Kruger Farms, etc. But I think the winter is nicest - not a lot of people running around, and empty beaches. However there were several occasions where many a camo-clad goose hunter was seen, complete with guns and dogs, but they only go into specified areas for ahuntin.
You have to buy a parking permit at the grocery store once you cross the bridge, and the website gives other locations for buying one. $3.50ish for a day, or $11 for the year. The grocery store is also a spot to pick up a drink or a corndog that tastes at least 2.25 days old. Pack up a lunch and the dog for an afternoon of running up and down the beach.
(On a funny note, my dog crapped right in the water - I'm considering this potty training, with rigorous at home toilet training ahead)
Visiting Sauvie Island is like taking a round trip to the Midwest in 1 hour. Sauvie Island is 10 miles north of Portland. The island's farming community reminded me of a drive through the Midwest plains. The roads are narrow and shared with bikers, and even more narrow and bumpy as you exit Multnomah County and enter Columbia County. Once over the bridge and onto Sauvie Island, if you stay on the same road, you will go to a dead end. There's fishing and some hiking trails at the dead end. But had we known there was no beach access, we would not have continued to the end of the road. This mix up probably stemmed from our difficulty in locating the tourist office. So we're sure if we ever found the tourist office, we would have known about the dead end. We recommend taking a right at the intersection and following the sign indicating "Beach." You can miss it easily, we did, so keep your eyes peeled! To go to the beach, you need a parking pass, which can be picked up at the Cafe and Market, you'll pass it as get closer to the beach (just follow the signs). You'll also get all the information on the nudie beaches on Sauvie Island, too! All in all, we look forward to visiting Sauvie Island's farms when it's harvest time. Sauvie Island is a great find, but go with some gas in your tank because there's no gas stations on the island!
Sauvie Island is one of my favorite things about Portland. The drive to the beach is beautiful no matter the season. The island is 2/3 working farms & 1/3 nature reserve. I love clothing optional Collins beach. Four years ago I would never have believed I would go to a nude beach (I don't even wear short sleeve shirts), but I went on my husband's insistence, after he had been with a friend. I loved being naked at the beach! The nicest part is the "gay" area at the north end of Collins clothing optional. I think the beach is beautiful, with a low horizon line & views of Mt St Helens & Mt. Adams. You get to watch huge freighters going up & down the mighty Columbia.
On the bad side...on hot weekend afternoons, it is crowded with straight people, gawkers, & party boys with boom boxes & cell phones. Why in such a beautiful setting is it too hard for people to pack out their garbage? Thank God there are folks that care about & keep the beach clean.
The best is a warm summer day, arriving at 10am, finding a great spot, laying out to read, listen to the Ipod, soak up the sun, go for a walk & then leave when the hordes arrive.
I love the new bridge.
Only 10 miles from Portland & a world away.
This is a wonderful place to take a leisurely drive on a peaceful afternoon. One day I want to return with some bikes and just spend the day cruising.
The two things i think of when i think Sauvies Island is naked people and apple picking. i haven't done any apple picking in years, but i get naked all the time. good for kids: Yes.
My HOME!! I love SI.... it is peaceful, serene, beautiful, wildernessy, fresh & a place I will always come back to. Unfortunately for all of you I want to keep this place all to myself- the LOOKY LOUS are ridiculous, bikers don't belong 5 wide "single file assholes!" plus don't get mad that I want to drive the fricken speed limit OK- it is beautiful but people do live here too! Please find another place to park your berry picking hippy mobile other than in the middle of the road for the wild blackberries - there is a U-pick a mile down the road.... sheesh! Anyway, if you do decide to visit just be respectful of the residents and don't act like this is just a vacation spot - there is no maid service so pick up your own GARBAGE please!!! THANK GOD FOR PRIVATE BEACHES! :-)
My impetus for checking out Sauvie Island was that on my first time flying into PDX (last week), I noticed it while gazing fondly out the airplane window at the lay of the land of my new hometown, and noticed how overwhelmingly GREEN it was. I had heard things about it over the 7 months that we've been here, so on a beautiful morning with my boy in tow, I went on a discovery mission. I have to say that Sauvie Island is pretty much outrageously beautiful. Pretty much idyllic. I drove around the 12 mile loop while the boy snoozed in his car seat, then decided that I didn't want to leave yet, so drove all the way out Sauvie Island Rd. I didn't quite get to the end of the line (by that point the boy had woken up and was protesting the fact that he was STILL in his car seat), but still got a great feel for the place. I stopped at Krugeger's on the way out, and while the owner explained that it was too early in the season for any of the produce to actually be local, I still bought a pint of strawberries that were WORLDS better than anything I've gotten recently at the supermarket. I can't wait to go back later in the summer for some fun fun U-Pick action! Plus I want to take my mom to the nature reserve the next time she's in town. Overall I HIGHLY recommend Sauvie as a marvelous place to decompress, or just to go driving, walking or biking on a pretty day. Fan-freakin-tastic.