Dabney State Recreation Area

I really like dabney and its my preferred local disc golf course. I just wish that they’d do some better upkeep of the grass. It’s too easy to lose a disc out there. Otherwise, it’s great.

River Floating Review! We love going river floating down on Sandy River. Dabney State Recreation Park is where we launch off at and we end our floating trip down near Lewis and Clark State Park. It is a very family oriented area and some of the river height is pretty shallow. Very beautiful scenery along the gorge. There’s lots of sandy area where you can walk barefoot in the river and along the shore. You will have to get out of the floats along certain shallow water, so that you don’t puncture your float. There’s still lots of rocky areas so it’s suggested to have water shoes for easier walking movement in the river. There’s a handful of rapids that are fun. There’s even wild blackberries along the shore. It’s free to park at the lower level (Lewis and Clark) and I think its $ 5 at the upper level (Dabney) to park. However, if you’re just getting dropped off at the upper level, they don’t make you pay to enter into the park. Overall, it’s my favorite place to go to cool off or just to hang out and escape the hot heat!

This place kicks azz for Frisby Golf and also for swimming in summer time. Beware: the blackberry bushes eat discs. Otherwise, you’re golden.

Fun disc golf course, great scenery. Lots of walking trails, picnic areas, and ducks in the pond! Can’t wait to return!

In one way, I’m sad that we can’t bring our dogs, but in another, it’s nice not to have to worry at all about who is or isn’t cleaning up after their dogs.
There’s some nice walking trails and river access here. Today we went there and saved some juvenile trout from drying out after they beached themselves. I could have spent all day with these little fish knocking into my legs in the water today. It’s peaceful (at least in spring before it fills up with underdressed adolescents.
The wildlife is beautiful here on a quiet spring day. All sorts of beautiful bird song, chipmunks, squirrels, and salmon and trout frenzying the shore of the river.

Easy to get to and easy to access, Dabney is a perfect place for a family gathering or place for kids to play on a hot summer day. It’s got a lot of shallow areas for small kids. The beach is a little rocky and there’s not a lot of shade near the water, but the picnic area is nice and has BBQ stands.
Also a great place to put in for a river float. It’s 3 miles to Lewis and Clark and takes appx. 3 hours.
Try and enjoy it this summer!

sweet spot to start your float down the sandy. A lot of family’s but a great spot to jump in even for a swim.

My boyfriend and I decided to take a day trip down to Oregon on a whim and brought the discs and our hiking shoes because we had heard wonderful things about Dabney Park from one of our friends who used to live in the area.
Its an absolutely beautiful park that is kept extremely tidy and the people we randomly stumbled upon were extremely nice as well! There are tons of beautiful views at this park and I can’t wait to go back and play.
The two downfalls I found with the park were the $ 5 parking fee (but after visiting the park I assume they put that money right back into it, so forgivable :)) The second downfall is that at the disc golf course it wasn’t very easy to navigate and we spent a lot of time wondering around looking for our next destination. It was lovely and I will be back. You should definitely go too!

My family does not use this park in the way it was intended. I’m sure this place is a hot spot on those idyllic summer days when you grab a group of friends, some beverages and gently float down the Sandy River on your tube. However, all of our visits have been in the winter or spring when we have the park almost entirely to ourselves.
What draws us to this park is the quiet setting and small groves of bamboo. Rather than be in rural Oregon, it has a way of transporting you so you feel like you are tromping through the jungles of China. So I’m exaggerating a bit here, but my kids view this place as one of their favorite natural playgrounds.
Is there a sound as soothing as raindrops falling on a river?
During the off season, it feels a bit silly to pay the $ 5 day use fee, but hey money towards our parks is always money well spent. There are a few paved trails, but we always enjoy hiking down to the river banks and just walking along the river.
They recently installed a disc golf course, but there isn’t a lot of other entertainment value at this park except for the fun and imagination you bring with you. We typically see some fisherman along the banks and no animals are permitted in the park. I really adore the Columbia Gorge on those quiet winter days.

Dabney State Recreation Area sits on the meandering Sandy River just up the Historic Columbia River Highway from Troutdale. It’s a decent little park with parking a boat launch, and presumably some picnic areas and trails. For my purposes, it’s the place to put in for a leisurely float down the Sandy to Lewis & Clark Park.
The paved parking is packed during warm weekend days, and the $ 5 day use fee obviously doesn’t deter many people from using this area as a staging ground for a sweet Sandy floatilla. There’s a nice little boat ramp that leads to a sandy area where you can put in for your float, and the ramp itself has a good area to drop gear and inflate prior to putting in.
I can’t comment on much of the rest of the park other than the parking and the launch situation, but it looks in passing to be pretty cool. If the parking fills up, don’t park out front on the Hwy (you’ll get a ticket), go about 100 yards up the road and take a side road up to the left — park there.
For summer swimming or floating, this park has exactly what you’ll need. Nice, mellow water, good water access, and all the basic services.