At the bottom of the page are some links that will help you track a ship's location.
Portland Seawall:
There are many views from the bridges and Eastbank Esplanade. These will not be cargo ships, but instead the Rose Festival Fleet (June) or a rare cruise ship.
Louis Dreyfus Elevator (CLD/O'Dock):
View from the Steel Bridge and west bank of the Willamette. Afternoon/evening best. Also good for night shots.
Irving Elevator (IRVING):
View from the Broadway Bridge and west bank of the Willamette. Afternoon/evening best. Also good for night shots.
GLACIER (GLACR):
View from the Broadway Bridge and west bank of the Willamette. Afternoon/evening best. Also good for night shots due to Fremont Bridge ramps in background.
ASH GROVE (ASHGR):
Good view of the stern end from walkway on east bank of Willamette. Find the viewpoint by parking near the McDonald's that you will see as you first drop down to Swan Island. The walkway can be reached by foot, on the other side of the FedEx truck yard. With a longer lens, its also possible to photograph the bow end of ships from viewpoints to the south (upriver) on the west bank of the Willamette.
Terminal 2:
Viewpoints from the walkway on the east bank of Willamette. See above note. Morning is best.
Swan Island:
Most of the views are looking down from the bluff/University of Portland. Walk along the south side of the bluff for the different viewpoints. Morning is best. In the afternoon, you can try going up NW Saltzman Road, to the west of the river. If you use a telephoto lens and look between tree branches, you can see the berths along the west side of Swan Island. There aren't many good spots on Swan Island itself; however you can get some ships/tugs from the public boat launch area.
St. John's Bridge:
Ships at all the terminals and berths listed above will pass under the St. John's Bridge. Viewpoints include Cathedral Park (east bank) - mornings best. On the west bank, afternoon and evening shots can be had from a location downriver from the bridge. This involves parking at an unposted area just north of the bridge and walking along the guardrail until you see the clearing. From that spot, it is possible to include Mt. Hood on a clear day. Finally, there are lots of options for taking photos from the bridge itself. You can park in the neighborhood on the east side or park on the west side in an unposted area partway down the ramp leading up from the south. The photo below shows a ship at the BP terminal.
Terminal 4 (411):
There is a viewpoint from the west bank that involves parking at an unposted area adjacent to one of the industrial driveways. Walk along the guardrail to the south (upriver) until you reach a series of clearings with a shot across river to Terminal 4. This is near milepost 8 of Hwy 30. You can get Mt. St. Helens in on the shot as well. Its also possible to get a view from the streets high up on the hillside in Linnton, but you have to look between houses and tree branches. Afternoons/evenings have the best light.
International Slip (IT SLIP), SIMPLOT:
On Route 30, west side of Willamette River, travelling north, look for the turnoff to NW Marina Way, north of the Linnton area. Soon after turning off onto Marina Way, look for a gravel area to park, near railroad tracks, also near powerlines. You will see a road blocked by a traffic gate, heading over toward the river, under the powerlines. Follow that road on foot. When you reach the heavy vegetation near the river, turn to the north and look for a cleared footpath through the vegetation. This will take you to the riverbank. From there, you can see the International Slip upriver (pictured) and the Simplot dock downriver.
Terminal 5 (including COL and BULK):
A stern view can be had for ships at COL from Kelly Pt. Park. Park your car in the closest lot (nearest the entrance) and take the trails over to the Willamette River. Mornings are probably best from this angle. If you walk downriver from this location, the berths farther upriver start to open up (such as CARGO) although the angle remains difficult and you will need a longer lens. There are likely good views to be had across the river at Sauvie Island but no easy beach access for the public.
601:
Park at the farthest lot from the entrance of Kelly Pt. Park and take the trails north to the south bank of the Columbia. You can walk right underneath the car ramp for berth 601 of Terminal 6. The remainder of the berths at Terminal 6 require a completely different approach...see a few sections down.
Vancouver Upriver (VANU):
Kelly Pt. Park allows for viewing of all incoming and outgoing traffic to and from upriver on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. Park at the farthest lot from the entrance and take the trails north to the south bank of the Columbia. With a telephoto lens, you can photograph ships waiting to be docked in the upriver area, and on a clear day, you can line up Mt. Hood in the background, sometimes.
Termianl 6
Although the best view of berth 601 is described above, its difficult to see the remainder of Terminal 6 from Kelly Point. What you can do is continue the hike westward on Hayden Island (see following description). At the far west end of Hayden Island, look to the south, and there you have it, Terminal 6. This is a long walk, prepare for about 3-4 hours round trip. Its also an amazing collision of desolation, nature, and industry.
Vancouver Terminals
Take North Hayden Island Drive west past the Jantzen Beach Mall. Continue west until the road turns to gravel at a closed gate. Park there. Walk across a grassy field to the north shore of the island, then, on the beach, turn left and hike west, under the railroad bridge. There are many terminals to see across the river including the fabulous United Grain Corporation elevators. You also get a view of the Vancouver "upriver" ships waiting to be docked, which are actually downriver from this location.
Vancouver, lower river (VANL):
Frenchman's Bar park in Washington allows for close-up viewing of ships moored in the "lower" Vancouver anchorage. During summer months you will need to pay a small entrance fee. Mornings are best here. Sometimes a ship will be anchored a little farther upriver (south) and there is another parking area, with no fee, that gives you beach access to this area, see map. Mornings will have the best light.
Kalama United Harvest (KA EL):
You can get a view at the stern end of ships from the same side of the river (Washington). You will need to find your way to the north/south road that sits between Interstate 5 and the Columbia River. As you head south out of Kalama, you will notice parking areas with beach access, amidst the industrial zones. You may need to pay a small fee, read the signs. Currently you can get to a parking area near railroad tracks that is to the south of most everything that looks like a park, but north of the terminal. Look closely at the signs for public beach access.
Kalama Exporters (KALEX):
A view to the ships at this terminal can be had from the Oregon side, north of Goble, south of Neer City Road, south of milepost 41. Look for gravel pull out areas next to the northbound lane of Hwy 30. A much longer shot at the terminal is possible from the public marina in Kalama, but you will want a powerful lens on a bright day to catch this. There is also a second dock to the south of KALEX.
Kalama North (KAL N):
The stern of ships at this dock can be seen from Prescott Beach in Oregon. Look for the turn off to Prescott from Highway 30. The beach is to the north of Prescott. There is a day use fee, but the fee station is farther to the north than where you need to be to see the ships.
Longview, WA from Rainier, OR:
There is a city park in Rainier which gives you access to the west bank of the Columbia and a good view of the ships docked in Longview, south of the Longview/Rainier bridge. Afternoon is best light.
Longview/Rainier Bridge:
There are parking opportunities near the base of the bridge on the Longview side. You need to be careful about traffic on the bridge. There are great views of ships docked at Longview both to the north and south of the bridge. Also, any ship with business upriver from here (everything described above) will be going under the bridge.
Dibblee Point:
Ships awaiting port in Longview, north of the bridge, can be seen from Dibblee Point in Oregon. To get to Dibblee Point, you would look for the street(s) south of the bridge, on the Oregon side, that take you over toward the river. When you are as close to the river as you can get, near the bridge, then head north, under the bridge and be on the lookout for a railroad track crossing and sign for Dibblee Point. The roads here turn to gravel, with potholes, and you may be best off in a truck or SUV. Its possible to walk south along the beach to the US Gypsum terminal. Afternoon is best lighting for photographs.
Links:
Columbia River Pilots - check the "Dispatch Status" page
Vesseltracker - where I post my ship photos, delayed ship locations
Marinetraffic - real time ship locations
The Ship Report - all about ships on the Columbia
OpenStreetMap - free street maps
Email me: sfritz2994@aol.com