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25th annual Salmon Festival at Oxbow

Places and activities  ›  Places to go  ›  Oxbow Regional Park  ›  Salmon Festival at Oxbow

Celebrate 25 years of Salmon Festival and millions of years of salmon in the Sandy River.

Second weekend in October

Salmon have long been central to the culture and daily life of people in our region. Every fall the Chinook salmon make their way upstream, returning to spawn in the Sandy River. For the past 25 years, local residents have gathered on the banks of the Sandy at Metro's Oxbow Regional Park to welcome these Northwest icons home.

Activities

Enjoy a variety of activities, including interactive exhibits, nature walks, arts and crafts, outdoor recreation demonstrations, music and storytelling, horse-drawn wagon rides and a food court – all in the beautiful setting of an ancient forest on the banks of the Sandy River. Come for fun; come to learn!

The festival will take place regardless of the weather. Many of the activities at the festival are under cover, and gray skies often provide the best fish viewing.

Visit Wy-Kan-Ush-Pum Village

A cluster of teepees will serve as a backdrop for the Wy-Kan-Ush-Pum Village, hosted by representatives from the Warm Springs, Yakama, Umatilla and Nez Perce tribes. Wy-Kan-Ush-Pum means “salmon people” in Sahaptin, a language common to many of the native peoples of the Columbia River basin.

Join in a variety of traditional activities including storytelling, beading, weaving, fishnet tying, drumming, dancing, hide tanning, flint knapping and drum making. Discover the history of tribal fishing – from bone hooks to modern methods – and learn about the tribes' current efforts to restore salmon runs.

Study a school of fish

Be sure to visit the School of Fish at the river’s edge, a fun and educational part of the Salmon Festival with hands-on activities for children and adults. Experience the life cycle of salmon and climb into a life-sized salmon nest. Check out a large and realistic model of Mount Hood and the Sandy River watershed and watch as a stream is formed before your very eyes.

Work up an appetite on a self-guided salmon walk

Wind your way through the festival on wooded paths or hop on a horse-drawn wagon to get from place to place. Continue your discoveries on a self-guided salmon walk along the river.

If you enjoy eating salmon, you may wish to stop for samples from the salmon barbecue or for a meal at the festival’s food court. You can also learn important questions to ask to ensure that you purchase healthy and sustainable salmon in restaurants and stores.

2008 Salmon Festival partners

• Metro
• Portland General Electric
• Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission
• Portland Water Bureau
• Mt. Hood National Forest

2008 Salmon Festival sponsors

• Bureau of Land Management
• Western Rivers Conservancy
• Waste Management
• Portland Tribune and Community Newspapers
• AM 620 KPOJ

Need assistance?

Metro parks and greenspaces
503-797-1850 | 503-797-1849 fax
metroparks@oregonmetro.gov

Related Links

25 things you can do to protect salmon

Salmon need cold, clean and clear water to thrive – and so do humans. Find out what you can do at home, at work, at school and in your community to protect wild salmon habitat.

Oxbow Regional Park

Discover Oxbow Regional Park, a 1,200-acre natural area park located within the wild and scenic Sandy River Gorge.