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Print Friendly MapThe Warrenton Waterfront Trail runs for nearly 5 miles through the small city of Warrenton, located near where the mighty Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean in northwestern Oregon. Portions of the trail run along Warrenton's two waterfronts: the Columbia River in the north and the much smaller Skipanon River, a tributary of the Columbia, in Warrenton's downtown to the south.
A mix of on-road route and rail-trail bridges the gap between the two waterfront portions. Navigating the sometimes confusing on-road portion is worth the trouble, as trail users are rewarded with stunning views of the massive Astoria-Megler Bridge, the large ships passing underneath it, and the pilot boats and helicopters guiding them through this treacherous stretch of the Columbia.
At the trail's southern end, the connecting Skipanon River Loop Trail offers an opportunity for a hike on a more rustic trail on both banks of the Skipanon River.
Parking for the Warrenton Waterfront Trail is available at trailheads at the northern and southern ends of the trail. In the north, park at Seafarers' Park on Lake Drive along the Columbia River. In the south, park at Skipanon River Park on SE 3rd Street along the Skipanon River. Additional parking is available at Eben H. Carruthers Memorial Park on Fort Stevens Highway (State Route 104).
Compared to trails that get all star rating, albeit a short 4 miles this trail is well maintained and has sufficient width to pass the two abreast walkers. Over half the trail is on a dike next to the Columbia River and its daily ship and commercial fishing boat traffic. Additionally there is a well maintained bathroom facility halfway between Warrenton and Hammond at a dog park. Before the dog park coming from Warrenton there is a very short section of on road riding, but the shoulder is 4 foot wide. The town of Warrenton/Hammind do a wonderful job of maintaining the trail One thing to be aware of is there are several elk herds that use the trail area and in the fall during elk rutting season you might need to detour our wait them out.
Very hard to navigate and had to ride on the highway. Saw 2 otters and a deer but just ok ride.
The parts along the river are nice, but 10x nicer in Astoria.
After being diverted onto a highway with heavy tucks instead of sidewalks (or ANYwhere) to ride, I left and rode my favorite -Fort Stevens.
Won't try that again!
At the end of a long road trip I wasn't ready to quite cross into WA state and ended up finding Eben H Carruthers Memorial Park. It was a weekday, not a lot of cars and I was able to easily park.
I ended up walking my dog along the Warrenton Waterfront Trail until I ultimately ended up Seafarers Park/Hammond Mooring Basin (I believe). This was much further than I intended to go and just goes to show how much I was enjoying the walk.
I explored the park and watched the container ship move through before beginning my return walk back to Carruthers. I was also able to get some fresh water from a fisherman while I was there for my dog (poorly prepared on my part).
The part of the trail that ends up on NW Warrenton Dr is a real bummer (between Carruthers and Seafarers). It was hot and there was no sidewalk and really just not that fun with the traffic, but the start and the end of the trail were well worth it.
"The Warrenton Waterfront Trail is tough to find. The trail map implies that there is a trail that follows the old railroad right-of-way, but some of the trail actually runs on the street, which is narrow and has fast moving traffic. The railroad right-of-way runs along the street but is over grown and gated off.
At a park, the trail turns to run along the Columbia River, which it does for about a mile, but then throws you back on the road again (the railroad right-of-way was not maintained and has been encroached upon by private owners). We also found many of the trail marker signs to be knocked down (and sitting in a gutter). This makes you wonder if the locals are resistant to the trail. The bottom line is this could be a nice trail but it needs lots of work."
"What a thrilling ride we had along the Columbia River. We stopped to admire an eagle perched on a piling about a 100 yards out in the river. And we passed thru Carrethurs Park (how generous a man was he to give such a beautiful place for of us to enjoy for ever more), then we went down a beautiful tree sheltered path to suddenly have a momma and two baby deer take a walk accross the trail ahead of us. What a thrill!
As we continued on we enjoyed the show of more birds gathering along another edge as we neared the water. It was a wonderful leisurely ride that we very much enjoyed. Since that ride we have learned of this trail becoming paved and connecting to a larger system in the Fort Stevens State Park system. You will soon be able to ride 26 miles around Warrenton and out to the beach and along the rivers edges.
I can hardly wait for my next ride!"
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