Parks & Cruising Places
COLLIN’S BEACH
on Sauvie Island
Per Portland blog website: “This sandy beach on Sauvie Island, north of downtown Portland, runs along the Columbia River and is partly clothing optional. It’s a very popular beach with all age groups, and it’s not unusual for the beaches to be packed during the heat of summer. In addition to the stretches of sandy beach, there are also volleyball courts toward the south end of the beach. Not everyone goes without a swimsuit. Collins Beach is regularly patrolled by the Columbia County Sheriff’s department. For directions to Collins Beach, check the map below or Oregon Clothing-Optional Beach Alliances. Original article written March 2008, updated August 2011.”
In Edmund White’s book States of Desire published in 1980, he cites on page 77, “A lot of gay life in the Northwest lived out of doors. In the summer Portland gay men ride horses, camp, and climb the Cascades, or sunbathe and frolic in the nude on Sauvie Island, thirteen miles east of Portland, where the Willamette flows into the Columbia. The island is a small farming community and also an animal shelter for wild turkeys, geese, deer, and elk.”
In her book, Secret Portland, Oregon: The Unique Guidebook to Portland's Hidden Sites, Sounds, & Tastes By Ann Carroll Burgess written in 2003, includes beaches such as Sauvie’s Island.
13615 NW Howell Park Rd, Portland, OR 97231
[25 miles northwest of US 30 park nr. end of Reeder Park]
The island is located northwest of Portland. Known for its agriculture and its beaches.
Approximately 34 miles from downtown Portland.
citations & references:
First listed in Damron Address Book/Address Guide 1987 under Cruisy Areas “BA” beach W. end nr. Last parking lot.
Listed in Damron Address Book/Address Guide 1988 under Cruisy Areas “BA” beach W. end nr. Last parking lot.
Listed in Damron Address Book/Address Guide 1989 under Cruisy Areas “BA” beach W. end nr. Last parking lot.
Listed in Damron Road Atlas 1994 Under: Cruisy areas
Listed in Damron Road Atlas 1995 Under: Cruisy areas
Listed in Fodor’s Gay Guide to the USA 1996 Under: Nude Beaches “Closer to the city, this nude beach is about 8 miles NW on US 30. Parking for the gay section is at the end of Reeder Road.”
Listed in Fodor’s Gay Guide to the USA 1997 Under: Action “At the end of Reeder Road in the last lot, when you reach the banks of the Columbia River, turn left and walk about 10 or 15 minutes until you start noticing the throngs of queers – the numbers can be very high on sunny weekends. Rooster rock and the gay beach at Sauvie’s island go back-and-forth in popularity, but Rooster Rock definitely has the cruisiest reputation.”
Listed in Damron’s Men’s Travel Guide 2000 Under: Cruisy Areas
Cited in THE GUIDE Magazine www.guidemag.com October 2005 in article PORTLAND Oregon’s little gem page 30 Oher cruising possibilities include the nude beaches at Rooster Rock, eastward along the Columbia River, and on Sauvie Island off US Route 30 to the northwest.
In the Just Out magazine November 2012 issue on page 39 “BEACHES” Sauvie Island [Collins Beach] Fully 100% legal nude beach.
Listed in Worldwide Guide to Naked Places 8th Edition 2012 “Sauvie Island Game Refuge (near Portland, OR). Used by gay and straight nudists. Directons: From Portland, take Highway 30 north to Sauvie Island Bridge. Take Reeder Rd. for about 4 miles past Social Secuirty Beach. Watch for two trails leading to the river.”
2015 - Sauvie Island - Collins Beach: The one-mile beach on the northeast side of Sauvie Island is reserved as clothing optional. The area is connected to the non-nude North Unit Beach, so be wary of gawkers and people who might be offended by your nudity. $ 10-day use fee per vehicle https://www.oregonlive.com/entertainment/2015/06/how_to_get_naked_in_oregon.html
2017 - https://www.wweek.com/culture/2017/09/08/things-every-gay-male-portland-transplant-should-know/