Revision as of 16:55, 21 June 2018

The River of Life, Riverfront Park, Corvallis (bobcat)

1st Street, Riverfront Park, Corvallis (bobcat)

Nootka rose (Rosa nutkana), Shawala Point (bobcat)

Marys River near Shawala Point, Corvallis (bobcat)

The walk along the Willamette River in Corvallis (bobcat) Courtesy: Google Maps

• Start point: North Riverfront Trailhead
• End Point: Shawala Point
• Trail Log:
• Hike Type: In and out
• Distance: 2.2 miles
• Elevation gain: 20 feet
• High Point: 235 feet
• Difficulty: Easy
• Seasons: All year
• Family Friendly: Yes
• Backpackable: No
• Crowded: Yes

Description

Corvallis’ Riverfront Commemorative Park was dedicated in 2002; the 12-foot wide walkway, planted with thousands of trees and shrubs, replaced a blighted landscape of abandoned industrial buildings and parking lots. Back in 1845, Joseph C. Avery claimed 640 acres on the Marys River at the south end of the current riverfront area. It was Avery who changed the town’s name from Marysville to Corvallis in 1853, the new name coming from the Latin words for ‘heart of the valley.’ For the rest of the nineteenth century, this was an industrial waterfront, the steep banks fronted by buildings on pilings and steamship docks. As the age of the automobile replaced the reign of the steamer in the Willamette Valley, everything fell into slow decay. Now, thanks to the park, 1st Street has become vibrant once again, with new hotels, brew pubs, and restaurants facing the park and the river.

There’s free parking in numerous spots between the North Riverfront Trailhead and South Riverfront Trailhead, but this description begins at the north end of the riverfront.

From the trailhead, you can head upstream a little way past a grove of locust trees to another parking area and boat launch to get views downstream. Then return to the trailhead at 1st and Tyler, and pick up the wide paved path heading south. You’ll get few clear views of the river after the maples on the steep bluff leaf out, but you’ll be able to enjoy the plantings along the path. You may also notice a footpath that parallels the main trail as far as the Harrison Street Bridge. Next, you’ll walk under the Van Buren Street Bridge, the site of a ferry from 1848 to 1913, when the bridge, Corvallis’ first (and the only bridge for 50 years until the Harrison Street Bridge was constructed in 1964) was installed. A plaque here remembers the first steamer landing, the ‘’Canemah’’, at Marysville in 1851.

Soon, you’ll reach the first of three small plazas. This one memorializes Helen M. Berg, the first female and longest-serving mayor of Corvallis. A set of fountains plays here in the summer on a map of the 19th century Willamette River channels showing the location of Marysville. Basalt columns provide seating near the ‘’River of Life’’ sculpture by Louise McDowell. Look up to see the rotating kingfishers on the striped poles. A block later, reach the shady Monroe Plaza with its ‘’River Otters’’ bronze. The third plaza, Howland Plaza, is at Madison Avenue. The basalt and granite ‘’Heart of the Valley’’ sculpture commemorates Corvallis’ name. An interpretive sign details the early settler history of the Corvallis waterfront.

Continuing south, look across 1st Avenue to the trompe-l'œil façade on the Old World Deli. Pass the Courtyard Marriott Hotel and an interpretive sign telling about changes in the river channel. To your right, you’ll see a large public parking area, the South Riverfront Trailhead. At the next two junctions, keep left to pass under the Highway 34 Bridge and enter the Marys River Flat. This area was once a regular summer camp for the Chepenefa (Marys River) band of the Kalapuya. Due to seasonal flooding, early settlers did not build here until the construction of the McCready Brothers Sawmill in 1909. The mill shut down in 1955 and, in 1993, this grassy expanse shaded by cottonwoods became Shawala Point Park, named after William Hartless, a.k.a Shawala, our main source of historical and cultural information about his band, the Chepenefa.

Before the paved trail curves to the right, you’ll see a path that descends past blooming camas to the confluence of the Willamette and Marys Rivers at Shawala Point. Looking carefully, you’ll notice that this path was once a road that led to the ferry that once plied the mouth of the Marys. Note also the abundance of poison oak in this area! The main trail continue up the Marys River. At a junction, you can left to take a pedestrian/bike bridge to get a view to the confluence. You can hook around past the skate park under the Highway 34 Bridge to return to your car via city streets or Riverfront Park. Another option is to continue walking west below the busy highway to Pioneer Park and then follow the paved Corvallis-Philomath Bike Path.

Fees, Regulations, etc.

• Dogs on leash; designated off-leash area near the South Riverfront Trailhead.
• Public restrooms, interpretive signs, skate park

Maps

• Maps: Hike Finder
• Town Graphics: Experience Corvallis Map

Trip Reports

• Search Trip Reports for Corvallis Riverfront Hike

Related Discussions / Q&A

• Search Trail Q&A for Corvallis Riverfront Hike

Guidebooks that cover this hike

• Oregon: The Creaky Knees Guide by Seabury Blair, Jr.
• Oregon Townscape Walks by Tyler Burgess
• Off-Street Paved Bike Paths in Oregon by Rick Bronson
• Wild in the Willamette edited by Lorraine Anderson with Abby Phillips Metzger
• The Willamette River Field Guide by Travis Williams
• Canine Oregon by Lizann Dunegan

More Links

• Riverfront Commemorative Park (City of Corvallis)
• Riverfront Commemorative Park Plazas (City of Corvallis)
• Riverfront Park (The Right Trail)
• Corvallis Riverfront Trail (All Trails)
• Riverfront Commemorative Park in Corvallis, Oregon (Visit Corvallis)
• “Corvallis dedicates Riverfront Park” (Gazette-Times)
• Corvallis, Oregon (Wikipedia)

Page Contributors

• bobcat (creator)