This is the only full boat ramp in Corvallis, on the Willamette River. It carries the name Crystal Lake Boat Ramp, but it is not on a lake. See the map for the general location. This access point is good, but it does put you into the river at a point with some flow, or much flow at times. It is possible for many people to paddle up stream here but some effort is needed. During the summer, there is some quiet water on the Corvallis side upstream from the launch ramp. This is at river mile 132.9 and operated by the City of Corvallis.

GPS Location - 44.55169, -123.25185

Crystal Lake Drive comes off of 3rd Street (Hwy 99W) in Corvallis at a full traffic light. Follow that street in to Fischer Lane that accesses the park area. This turn is easy to miss. Look for a large plain concrete building marked “OEM,” and turn just before that. There is lots of paved parking as this also serves the sports fields to the south.

This is a good quality concrete segment ramp. It has a slope around 6 to 7 degrees. During the summer, only, there is a good dock on the downstream side. This is attached to the three pilings seen in the winter photo above. The dock is removed when the water can get high. There is rip rap on the up stream side that can be submerged in the winter. Those same rocks cause an eddy rotating into the ramp. The eddy line out past the ramp can annoy small boats. The ramp photo is at a water level about 2-feet above normal summer flow.

Canoes paddle-boards and kayaks are easily launched at the foot of the ramp. Power boats need to watch for the end of the ramp (this needs detail?). In general the river works best for jet drives, but propeller boats are often seen.

A good starting spot to learn about this river is the Willamette Riverkeeper. There are a series of guide books available from the Riverkeeper.