Recreation
Adjacent to the confluence of the Bull Run and Sandy rivers, 14-acre (5.7 ha) Dodge Park offers tree-shaded picnic areas, a swimming hole, a sandy beach, and a boat ramp for launching rafts, kayaks, and driftboats on the Sandy River. The Portland Water Bureau owns and maintains the park, established in the early 20th century. Originally called Bull Run Park, it was renamed for Frank Dodge, superintendent of the water bureau from 1897 to 1914. Until supplanted by automobile highways, the electric trolley to Bull Run carried passengers to and from the park until 1930. The water bureau estimates that at least 30,000 people visited the park in 1926. As of 2010, the bureau has plans to restore and improve the park as time and money allow.
Although most of the Bull Run River watershed is closed to the public, whitewater enthusiasts sometimes run the lower 2.5-mile (4.0 km) stretch from the Bull Run Road bridge to the Sandy River. The put-in place for the run is just below the powerhouse, and the take-out is at Dodge Park. The run features a permanent slalom course near the put-in, six class 3 rapids in the first 2 miles (3 km), and a short stretch of class 2 water at the end of the run.
Fishing is limited to the lower reaches of the river. Hatchery Chinook salmon and summer and winter Steelhead are sometimes caught near the confluence with the Sandy River, and catch-and-release fishing for wild trout is allowed from the mouth of the river to the edge of the Bull Run watershed reserve.
Access to the Bull Run Watershed Management Unit is generally limited to government employees and guests on official business, and security guards keep watch on its three gated entrances. However, the water bureau offers public tours in the summer and fall, and hikers may use the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs along the eastern edge of the watershed near Mount Hood. The bureau has been averaging about 85 group tours a year.
Read more about this topic: Bull Run River (Oregon)
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