CS2027 dates

Kite spot on water · United States

Kalama

Riders have kited it in N, NW. Best in N.

Show on the map46.0129, -122.8529
Works in
N, NW
Best
N
Nearest airport
PDXPortland International Airport, 51 km

Forecast and webcams

Before you go

Forecasts often disagree. When Windguru, ALADIN and Windy agree, it is worth going.

Tips for this spot

  • Offshore wind carries you away from land. Do not ride it without a rescue boat.
  • When a storm is coming, get out of the water and land the kite at once. Gusts before a storm are violent and a kite overhead is the highest point around.
  • New spot: ask locals about shallows, currents and where people launch.

On site

Wind and riding area

NNNENEENEEESESESSESSSWSWWSWWWNWNWNNWNESW

bestworksno reports

Direction the wind blows from. Based on riders' experience, not a forecast.

Pparking

From riders

What you need to know

Watch out for

  • Gusty wind near shore and strong squalls in the shipping channel with large vessel trafficcommunity map
  • Strong river current even right along the shore, making board recovery difficultcommunity map
  • Pedestrians on walking paths near the launch areacommunity map

Where to launch

  • Launch from the grass between two walking pathscommunity map

Parking

  • Car park about 400 m from the spot.OpenStreetMap

Getting there

  • About a 35-40 minute drive via I-5 from Portland (30 min from the first I-5 exit in Vancouver); heavy traffic from Portland during rush hourcommunity map

Rules and respect

  • When launching between the trails, wait for pedestrians to pass to keep the spot open to kiting.community map

Conditions

  • Water is less choppy than at Jones and HR, likely thanks to the large island west of the launch; smooth water can be found in the wake behind big shipscommunity map
  • Wind blows almost side-shore; it is gusty near the beach and smooths out and picks up by 3-4 mph in the shipping channelcommunity map

Riders' tips

  • Works with a NW 6-13 mph forecast for Kelso/Kalama and a sunny day in Portland; outgoing tide flowing with the river current gives an extra boostcommunity map
  • The windonthewater.com sensor is not right by the river; actual wind speed on the river is closer to the gusts reported on the sensorcommunity map
In riders' own words
  • „indicators are a prediction along the lines of "Northwest wind 6 to 13 mph" ... The more North the wind is the more consistent“
  • „The more North the wind is the more consistent and less gusty it is.“
  • „launching off the grass between the two walking paths.“
  • „OpenStreetMap way/1184893584“
  • „OpenStreetMap way/1544578372“
  • „about 35-40 minutes drive up I-5 from Portland (30 minutes from the first I-5 exit in Vancouver).“
  • „The current is strong... still very prevalent right next to shore, though, so it doesn't have the easy board retrieval“
  • „when I went out into the shipping channel where the wind is stronger I would get lofted 50% of the time when a gust came through.“
  • „launching off the grass between the two walking paths. Wait for passersby, obviously“
  • „Wait for passersby, obviously, as I'd prefer to keep this site a viable kite location.“
  • „The water was surprisingly less choppy than I'm used to seeing at Jones and HR... big island to the west of the launch breaks the wind“
  • „it gets more gusty towards shore and smooths out and strengthens (3-4 mph probably) as you go into the shipping channel... pretty close to parallel with the shoreline“
  • „Note that the sensor there is not right on the river... River wind speed is closer to the gusts on the sensor in the screenshot.“

Photos from the area

A bulk carrier anchored in the Columbia River
A bulk carrier anchored in the Columbia River · 633 m from the spot
Bobjgalindo, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Wind by month

When it blows

Average wind speed 10 m above ground from NASA POWER (MERRA-2, 2001–2025). The model works on a grid of roughly 50 km; on hills and by the water the wind is often stronger and gustier.

windiest monthsaverage wind in knots, NASA POWER; below the month in m/s

Values by month
January4.3 knots · 2.2 m/s
February3.8 knots · 2.0 m/s
March3.8 knots · 2.0 m/s
April3.5 knots · 1.8 m/s
May3.2 knots · 1.6 m/s
June3.3 knots · 1.7 m/s
July3.4 knots · 1.7 m/s
August3.3 knots · 1.7 m/s
September3.2 knots · 1.6 m/s
October3.5 knots · 1.8 m/s
November4.0 knots · 2.1 m/s
December4.2 knots · 2.2 m/s

Nearby

More spots within 60 km

Been there?

Add what you know

Parking changed, a new ban, a new obstacle in the water? Tell us, we will check it and update the page.

Sources: Community map “USA NW Kite Spots” (Google My Maps). Wind NASA POWER, airports OurAirports, photos Wikimedia Commons (author and licence with each photo). As of 17 October 2026. These are riders' reports; local rules change, so look around before you ride and follow local signs.

A week on the water

Kite safari in the Red Sea

8 days on a yacht from Hurghada to the islands of the northern Red Sea. Next departure 7-14 November 2026, the 2027 dates are coming soon.

See the safari

The safari is organised by Mohamed of Paradise Kitesurf Red Sea. I've known him for years and we work together.