Page 134 - Clackamas County Watertourism Strategic Plan. Final.v3

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR WATER-BASED TOURISM IN CLACKAMAS COUNTY, OREGON THE OPPORTUNITIES
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hold the whitewater competitions any closer to town; Estacada is on the flatwater section of the river; there is little or no accommodations in town;
Community
and it’s not safe to encourage driving between the festival site and downtown Estacada. These reasons are valid. The author has interviewed festival Involvement
organizers who seem receptive to trying to integrate the town with the festival, however there are several challenges that need to be worked out.
Meetings with festival organizers and town officials should occur to discuss how this integration can happen. The town has a lot to offer. They have
warm and dry indoor spaces, music venues, and restaurants. The town can discuss opportunities such as free camping and shuttle buses. The festival’s
competition cannot change locations however, perhaps the festival can expand in scope to include flatwater events and demos from company
representatives. Expanded activities can occur in town on Estacada’s waterfront and Timber Park. The Town can and should use the Upper Clackamas
Whitewater Festival as a foothold to expand the festival and slowly engage the town and attract visitors.

Connection with Milo McIver State Park: Milo McIver State Park receives over 400,000 visitors each year but most of them rarely enter the City of Estacada because the park
entrance is a 7mile drive over a bridge and down windy roads. Nonetheless the park and the city border each other, connected by water. Park visitors who fish and float on
Estacada Lake and Clackamas River are literally on the edge of the city. If there was a pedestrian bridge from the park to a walking trail on the city side, then visitors would be
able to access downtown Estacada conveniently. If the city was able to attract only 20% of the park’s annual visitation, then it would receive about 80,000 new visitors each
year. This would be a substantial boost to a community of only 2700 people. Although no economic impact analysis was done here, and the costs are unknown, connecting the
park to downtown Estacada may result in a positive net return on investment. It is recommended that a physical connection between the park and city be studied and
implemented.
West Linn:
The City of West Linn would benefit greatly from a comprehensive series of community meetings on water-based tourism. The recent closing of their paper mill, combined with
their extensive supply of waterfront assets, makes for good timing for a community wide discussion on the future of their water-based tourism assets. West Linn has five miles
of riverfront on the Willamette that includes a wide diversity of uses such as major industrial sites, remote parks, the Willamette Falls, conserved natural areas, public parks, and
private lands. In addition, they also have two miles of riverfront along the beautiful Tualatin River.
The results from this report suggest a few actions that the City should consider during these workshops. They include:
• Making physical connections between the historic center of West Linn (Willamette Falls Drive) and the Willamette River. During this research, the author arrived by boat
to Burnert Landing and Willamette Park. From here we walked to Willamette Falls Drive, enjoyed an evening there, and with special permission, stayed the night at the
boat ramp. This is not normally allowed but the experience was so enjoyable that it is recommended to consider opening this area to campers. Connecting Willamette
Falls Drive with the riverfront can open new tourism opportunities for main street shops and improve the boating experience for many river users. There are many
creative ways of connecting Willamette Falls Drive with the river including sales and promotions, thematic walking tours, concerts, and events. The details of these ideas
should be the focus of a community dialogue with the residents.
• Willamette Falls: Due to the recent and unfortunate closure of West Linn Paper Mill, there is a hotbed of conversation occurring throughout the City about what to do at
this site. Therefore, the author prefers to allow the community to continue the dialogue without being influenced by this report. The site, and its future use, is