Page 98 - Clackamas County Watertourism Strategic Plan. Final.v3

STRATEGIC PLAN FOR WATER-BASED TOURISM IN CLACKAMAS COUNTY, OREGON THE MARKET
5-56

“Deschutes River attracts 48.5% of all whitewater visitation in the
state. Clackamas County and the Clackamas River are only 84 miles
Columbia
away and attracts only 9% …. For flatwater, the largest draw is 30% of

Multnomah County attracting about 30% of the state’s total, while total
Clackamas County attracts 8.7%.... There are 2.4 million paddlers in flatwater
market
Multnomah County alone and they are physically connected to
Clackamas County by water”

Clackamas County attracts 9% of the total whitewater visitation in the state. This amounts to
approximately 261,000 user occasions and about 574,000 people. By comparison, Deschutes
County, and its namesake river, attracts 41% of the total state whitewater visitations or
approximately 1.18 million visitations and 2.6 million people (Table 4-13). Clackamas County
ranks third in the state, behind Linn County (Santiam River) by only .5% xxviii . Other popular Deschutes
48.5% of
locations include Josephine and Jackson Counties (Rouge River) and Wasco County (Deschutes
total
River). Wasco and Deschutes Counties benefit from the Deschutes River. If we combine
whitewater
visitations in these two counties, we see that the Deschutes River attracts 48.5% of all market
whitewater visitations in the state. Clackamas County and the Clackamas River are only 84
miles away from this huge market and a majority of boaters believe that the quality of the
whitewater in Clackamas County is as good or better than the Deschutes. The reason many of
these boaters don’t travel over the Mt Hood Pass to the Clackamas is not well understood.
The primary survey didn’t reveal the reason. Interviews with guide and outfitters didn’t
provide a clear answer. Strategies to attract this market should be developed after a thorough
understanding of why the Deschutes has such a strong attraction to boaters.

For flatwater paddlers, the Deschutes River is not nearly as attractive. Only 12.8% of the
state’s flatwater visitations occur in Deschutes County, and almost none in neighboring Wasco
County. For flatwater, the largest draw is Multnomah County attracting about 30% of the