2026 Eugene–Springfield Pride Paddle

Event Basics:

LGBTQIA+ community and allies, join Oregon Paddle Sports and Willamette Riverkeeper as we celebrate Pride with an evening paddle on the Willamette River! We'll start at the Aspen Street Boat Ramp and paddle downstream to Alton Baker Park. Bring your own boat, borrow one of ours, or reserve a seat in a raft.

When and Where: Wednesday, July 15th, 5:00PM - 8:30PM | Aspen Street Boat Ramp to Alton Baker Park

If you are bringing your own boat, please drop your boat and gear off at the Aspen Street Boat Ramp (1387 Aspen Street, Springfield) with our staff by 4:45pm before driving down to the Alton Baker Park parking lot.

If you reserved a seat in a boat from our fleet, please meet Willamette Riverkeeper and Oregon Paddle Sports at Alton Baker Park at 5:00pm. We will gather in the upper parking lot nearest to Pre's Trail (immediate left after coming in from the park entrance on Country Club Road) – see map below.

Once everyone has arrived and parked their vehicles, we will organize shuttle groups from Alton Baker Park to the launch location at Aspen Street. We will be shuttling using Eugene Rec buses, but we may have to run more than one shuttle depending on the number of paddlers – please be patient with this process!

What to Bring:

• Water bottle to stay hydrated out on the river
• Sunscreen, sunglasses, and weather appropriate clothing
• Pride gear! Flags and flair strongly encouraged!
• If you're bringing your own boat: boat, paddle, and USCG-approved PFD

Additional Details:

• This is intended to be a laid-back group paddle geared towards individuals of all skill levels. We will have experienced safety paddlers present for the entire trip who are very familiar with the nuances of this river stretch.
• This route includes some straightforward class II rapids, and participants must follow the route indicated by safety paddlers throughout the trip. If you are not comfortable paddling in moving water, we recommend signing up for a seat in one of our rafts. The route is roughly 1.5 miles long, and we expect to be on the water for about an hour.
• Helmets are required for small watercraft (kayaks, canoe, SUPs). We will have a large number of helmets available for participants to borrow.
• If you are reserving a tandem boat, you must register with your paddling partner!
• If your plans change and you are no longer able to attend, please contact us as soon as possible to cancel your registration.

Questions? Email event organizers Luke Stuntz at lukestuntz@willametteriverkeeper.org or Chance Rey at Oregon Paddle Sports at chance@whitewaterdesigns.com.

Willamette Riverkeeper thanks our amazing partners on this event!