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Visiting Sauvie Island Wildlife Area's Beaches

Starting on Friday July 4 until Labor Day (Sept. 1, 2025) visitors will need a free Sauvie Island Beaches Pass as well as a Wildlife Area Parking Permit to park at the beaches on weekends and holidays.

Only vehicles with the Pass and Permit will be able to park at the Walton Beach, Collins Beach, Willow Bar and North Unit parking areas. Vehicles travelling to the beaches will be required to go through a check station at Reeder and Rentenaar Road to confirm possession on some days. Parking along roads or other areas is prohibited and violators may be towed.

A limited number of Beaches Passes will be available for each summer weekend day and holiday. Passes go on sale two weeks prior to the weekend on Thursday mornings at 7 a.m. 

Visitors should purchase the Parking Permit and get a Beaches Pass for the day they want to visit. One Parking Permit and Beaches Pass per vehicle is required and customers are limited to one Beaches Pass per date.

As availability is limited, visitors are encouraged to obtain a Beaches Pass before making the trip to Sauvie Island. Cell phone coverage can also be limited on the island. Getting a Sauvie Island Beaches Pass does not guarantee a parking spot at the beach where you want to park; typically Walton Beach is the most popular parking area.

Vehicles parking in other areas of Sauvie Island Wildlife Area are only required to have the Wildlife Area Parking Permit. The Beaches Pass is not required.

 

How to purchase

Both Beaches Passes and Wildlife Area Parking Permits can be purchased online or by visiting a license sale agent. Customers are limited to one Beaches Pass per date.

To purchase online:

  • Go to MyODFW.com and click Buy License.
  • Use "Check Out as a Guest" or create an account for easier future purchasing.
  • Select the free Sauvie Island Beaches Pass for the date you want to visit; purchase a daily or annual Wildlife Area Parking Permit ($10/$30) if needed.
  • When Checking Out as a Guest, be sure to provide an email so a PDF of the documents can be emailed to you.
  • Display the Parking Permit and Beaches Pass on your car when parked: Print out the documents at home or at a license agent OR write your ODFW ID number on a piece of paper and put it on your car dash. (ODFW staff and law enforcement patrolling the area are able to look up your ODFW ID number to confirm possession of the pass and permit.)

Check station in effect some weekend hours

During some weekends and hours, vehicles entering the beach area north of Rentenaar Road will need to show both a valid Wildlife Area Parking Permit and the Sauvie Island Beaches Pass at the East Side Check Station on Reeder Road. These can be displayed in one of several ways:

  • Printing a copy of both documents.
  • Screenshot (or show your phone screen) of both documents: Show the PDF sent to your email after purchase, or login to your MyODFW.com account and show documents from your Recreational Portfolio.
  • Display documents in the MyODFW phone app (account required).
On hot summer weekends and holidays, vehicles at Sauvie Island's beaches can outnumber parking spaces by a large margin, leading to traffic jams and safety issues.

Why is ODFW making this change?

During hot summer weather, many people flock to Sauvie Island Wildlife Area's beaches to swim in the Columbia River. On weekends and holidays, vehicles can outnumber parking spaces by a large margin, leading to traffic jams and safety issues.

The over-capacity of visitors threatens public safety and wildlife habitat. Visitors who can't find a parking spot park on dry grass along roads, creating a fire risk. Emergency vehicles have been unable to quickly reach the beaches due to traffic jams and double parking.

The level of traffic and parking problems also damages riparian wildlife habitat along the beaches of Sauvie Island Wildlife Area, which is set aside primarily as wildlife habitat for migratory birds. Finally, it impacts residents of Sauvie Island, who report visitors parking on their property and jamming roads, leaving them unable to travel or leave the island on weekends.

The new pilot program is launching during summer 2025 to manage overcrowding issues, improve the user experience and protect public safety and wildlife.

ODFW is working with Columbia County to obtain an initial 30-day permit for a traffic control check station on Reeder Road. The Columbia County Board of Commissioners supports this effort to address ongoing parking challenges and will continue partnering with ODFW to evaluate the program's effectiveness.

ODFW welcomes feedback on how to improve the Sauvie Island beaches parking program, please leave your feedback below.

To learn more about Sauvie Island Wildlife Area, see our Visitor Guide.

Need a spot to cool down? Find out about cooling centers in Columbia County and Multnomah County.

Find other spots to swim in rivers in the Portland area.

Give feedback about the new limited entry parking system for Sauvie Island's beaches