Français

Hamilton Island / Columbia River kitesurf, wingfoil and windsurf spot

United States · Oregon

Spot currently openIntermediate levelAltitude 514 m 45.63 | -121.94

Overview

Hamilton Island is a kitesurfing spot on the Columbia River in the Columbia River Gorge, between Hood River and Cascade Locks, Oregon. This spot is in the western gorge section, where the river is bordered by dense forests and imposing mountains. Hamilton Island creates a sheltered zone in the river, offering slightly more protected conditions. Westerly thermal winds are reliable in this gorge section, channeled through the natural corridor.

Suggest an edit

Spot forecast for Hamilton Island / Columbia River

Sunrise 07:31 · Sunset 18:13

Open-Meteo

Premium weather models. Get the professional models (ECMWF, GFS, ICON, MeteoSwiss…) and a 16-day forecast. Without a subscription: Open-Meteo over 5 days.

Go Premium

< 7 kn7–12 kn13–20 kn21–30 kn31–40 kn41+ kn Gusts Your minimum: 7 kn

Forecasts provided by Open-Meteo

Hamilton Island / Columbia River: when to go?

Rideable days and hours computed for a minimum wind of 7 knots · log in to set your own (foil, twin-tip…)

Season · peak

298h

in July · 28.5 rideable days

The season runs from April to September, peaking in July: 24 rideable days a month and 298 hours of usable wind, at 19 °C. The low point is February, at 6.5 days.

Rideable days per month

0 10 20 30 January: 7 rideable days J February: 6.5 rideable days6.5 d F March: 12.5 rideable days M April: 19.5 rideable days A May: 22.5 rideable days M June: 26 rideable days J July: 28.5 rideable days28.5 d J August: 24 rideable days A September: 22 rideable days S October: 12 rideable days O November: 9.5 rideable days N December: 10.5 rideable days D 0 10 20 30 January: 7 rideable days J February: 6.5 rideable days6.5 d F March: 12.5 rideable days M April: 19.5 rideable days A May: 22.5 rideable days M June: 26 rideable days J July: 28.5 rideable days28.5 d J August: 24 rideable days A September: 22 rideable days S October: 12 rideable days O November: 9.5 rideable days N December: 10.5 rideable days D

Wind strength when it is rideable

7-12 knots · 98%13-20 knots · 2%21-30 knots · under 1%

When the spot works, wind sits mostly between 7 and 12 knots — 98% of rideable hours. Big-kite territory. The coldest month is January, at 2 °C. The wettest month is December, with 428 mm.

Monthly averages: Hamilton Island / Columbia River
Monthly averages — Hamilton Island / Columbia River — averaged over 2 years of records — Weather data by Open-Meteo.com — How it is calculated
Month Rideable days Usable wind Temperature Rain
January 7.0 48 h 2 °C 332 mm
February 6.5 46 h 4 °C 208 mm
March 12.5 82 h 9 °C 148 mm
April 19.5 177 h 12 °C 60 mm
May 22.5 253 h 15 °C 54 mm
June 26.0 259 h 20 °C 31 mm
July 28.5 298 h 24 °C 1 mm
August 24.0 214 h 24 °C 16 mm
September 22.0 190 h 21 °C 16 mm
October 12.0 91 h 13 °C 127 mm
November 9.5 57 h 7 °C 252 mm
December 10.5 48 h 5 °C 428 mm

Photo gallery of Hamilton Island / Columbia River

This spot is waiting for its first images

Ridden here? One photo or video, and the spot comes alive for everyone discovering it.

Technical details of Hamilton Island / Columbia River spot

N: Not rideable NNE: Not rideable NE: Not rideable ENE: Not rideable E: Not rideable ESE: Not rideable SE: Not rideable SSE: Not rideable S: Not rideable SSW: Not rideable SW: Rideable WSW: Not rideable W: Rideable WNW: Rideable NW: Not rideable NNW: Not rideable N E S W

The spot works with winds from SW, W, WNW.

Rideable Not rideable
Spot opening date · Required level
Spot opening date
Open all year round
Required level
Intermediate
On the water

Fresh water from the Columbia River, cool (12-17°C in summer). 3/2 to 4/3 wetsuit recommended. Constant river current at 3-5 km/h westward. Short chop typical of the Gorge. Westerly thermal winds at 18-30 knots in summer. The island creates a calmer water zone on the leeward side, useful for breaks and rest. The river is relatively wide in this section.

Hazards

Constant river current that can carry riders downstream. Barges and commercial traffic on the Columbia River: constant vigilance. Thermal winds can ramp up quickly to 35+ knots. Possible rocks around Hamilton Island. Railroad tracks along the shores. Cold water that can cause hypothermia. Accelerated current zones around the island. More isolated section than Hood River with fewer nearby rescue options.

Something out of date? Suggest an edit

Live

FW1302 Cascade Locks6.3 kmsource noaa

Readings reserved for Premium members

Readings from FW1302 Cascade Locks weather station are reserved for Premium members.

  • Real-time readings
  • Last 48 hours history
  • Custom alerts
  • Extended weather forecasts
Discover Premium

Already a Premium member? Log in

Additional stations

  • Bonneville Dam2.4 km

    Readings reserved for Premium members

    source noaa

  • CASCDW4.2 km

    Readings reserved for Premium members

    source noaa

All the details of your session on windtracker.app

Webcams near Hamilton Island / Columbia River

Webcams provided by Windy.com

Nearby spots

All spots: Oregon

Comments 0

No comments yet.

    Log in to comment

    Suggest a photo

    Accepted formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC. 10 MB at most per photo.

    Suggest a video

    Your video suggestion will be reviewed by our team before being published. Thank you for your contribution!

    Paste the URL of your video from YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, etc.

    Suggest sports for this spot

    Select the sports you think are practiced at this spot:

    Your proposal will be reviewed by our team before publication.

    Sports practiced

    Select all sports available at this spot

    Menu

    Explore

    Log in Sign up Français