Molalla River State Park — Attraction in Molalla

Molalla state park is almost like a secret park, mostly visited by local area residents, or people who grew up in the area and have returned for some summertime fun. Because it is quite a ways from a main road the park doesn't get a ton of "random" visitors. Mostly it sees people who know how to get there and are intentionally going there. Because of these circumstances it is fortunate for us, that more often than not, this park is not a super busy place. Don't get me wrong, the park can easily and quickly fill up with people depending on what time of the year it is and what time of the day it is. But that's not the normal setting at Molalla state park.  Even though it is technically a boat ramp/launch it is not a well maintained one, it has always given off an abandoned, unsafe, long-lost and forgotten vibe. Which scares me to use it but my husband grew up on the river and knows all the nooks and crannies that the Wilmette River tries to hide and thank goodness we've always had success launching and loading our boats and jet skis. We have seen others with less luck than us and it is never a pretty sight to watch a boat or a truck get ruined because the ramp is not clearly marked or even visible from land. Do to those conditions 99% of people come here to swim off the ramp, float around in tubes, launch their kayaks, peddle boats, or little fishing boats. There is always someone fishing off of the ramp and it seems like they are always catching something. There are numerous trails along the river that you can duck off and find that perfect spot to cast a line. There are also little ponds that are inside the park, I've witnessed a few fish being reeled in from those but personally I've always only had luck catching gigantic bullfrogs in there. There are public restrooms, picnic tables and a decent amount of parking. It's a nice place to go. I believe if the ramp was even in a sixteenth of the great condition that the Charbonneau marina is in, then the park would become very well-known and immediately over populated, in turn making it not such a great place to go, not a family(and pet) friendly amazing...

Nothing wrong with the park, just the people that bring dogs here. 98% of the dog owners ignore the "DOGS MUST BE LEASHED" signs, and treat this whole park as a off leash area. You will be charged by dogs, deal with rude owners, and more than likely step in poop they fail to clean.

Was here on 8/16/24 for less than an hour with. Saw 15+ dogs off leash out of the designated area. Many by the parking lot area so you don't even have a chance to get your dog(s) out safely. Off leash dogs on the skinny paths by the river with no owners around, had to wait for owners to catch up and leash their dog blocking the path. Fresh poop all over said trails. Owners ignoring multiple off leash dogs and blocking big/main pathways. Charged by a dog less than 200 feet from my car on the way out with zero acknowledgement by the owner.

Nice well kept park that is being destroyed by the selfish "my dog would never" crowd that calls the place home. Been coming here off and on for years. Between the off leash dogs and their owners attitudes, your better off going elsewhere if you want to feel safe and actually...

Im not really sure why this is called Molalla River park since the trails dont even go near the molalla river. Sure you have a view of the Willamette River for part of the trail but its not that great of a view. I'm also not sure why people have rated this park so high. The only thing they have is a big field thats good for running your dog. Other then that this is probably one of the worst state parks. The trail is poorly maintain with part of the loop going just across of field with no path. Also during the rainy months, which is most of the year, this field section is boggy so make sure to bring you rubber boots if you want to do the full loop. Flanking the trail is heavy scotch broom and Himalayan blackberry, which are both invasive non-native species that are to pleasant to look at. Also due to the heavy dog traffic and lack of native plant species there were no wildlife in this park. So if you are looking for a nature experience I would suggest going somewhere else. this park gets a solid...