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Riverfront Park
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116 Marion St. NE
Riverfront Park is a 23 acre park located in downtown Salem by the Willamette River. Riverfront has an amphitheater, play equipment, a covered Pavilion and large grassy areas. This beautiful park is home to Salem's Riverfront Carousel which opened in June 2001, A.C. Gilbert Discovery Village and the EcoEarth Globe which was officially opened June 30, 2003.
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Facilities:
Amphitheater
Restrooms
Play Equipment
Picnic Tables
3 mutt-mitt dispensers
Pavilion
Bike Racks
Jogging/walking/biking path
Eco Earth Globe Photo
Boat Dock Opening photos
Park map PDF format
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Riverfront Park History
Riverfront Park is home to a number of annual events in Salem, including the World Beat Festival, the 4th of July Celebration, as well as a number of walks, runs and other events. This beautiful park is home to Salem's Riverfront Carousel, which opened in June 2001, A.C. Gilbert Discovery Village, which was founded in 1989, and the EcoEarth Globe, which was unveiled in 2003. The rolling lawns were once an asphalt wasteland studded with warehouses. In the 1980’s the city bought the land from Boise Cascade and started clearing it. The first phase of Riverfront was completed and the park opened in October 1996.
The Eco Earth Globe is located at the south portion of the park. The sphere was originally a large pressurized tank used by Boise Cascade until that portion of the mill was demolished in 1982. The tank held acids that were used to “cook” wood chips into pulp. It took five years of work transforming the old tank into a piece of art that now includes tiles depicting the entire globe. There are about 86,000 tiles on the ball.
The overlook and floating boat dock was added to the park and completed in 2005. Not only is the dock home to the Willamette River Queen, but it can also accommodate canoes and kayaks while offering a beautiful view of the Willamette River.
The newest addition to the park came in October 2005, when the Salem Rotary Club, as their centennial project, raised funds and built an open-air pavilion in the park.
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Eco Earth Globe
A new boat dock and ramp, an improved ADA access walkway, an overlook at the edge of the
river and riverbank improvements were completed in Spring of 2005. Urban Renewal funding,
with assistance from the Oregon State Marine Board, made the project possible. The new
facilities will provide much-needed recreation improvements on the Willamette River Water Trail
. April 2, 2005 the north boat dock area was officially welcomed to the park. Many citizens
stopped by to enjoy the festivities. Mayor Taylor, Councilor Randall, Councilor Clem, Salem
Parks and Recreation Board President, Melinda Yost, Salmon in the City represented by Krina
Lemons, Trey Carskadon represented the Oregon Marine Board (who supplied funding for the
project), the Willamette River Power Squadron and the Coast Guard Auxiliary (answered
questions on river and boating safety) were all on hand to make the day more special.
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Citizens gathered for the festivities
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A friend of parks posing with the one that didn't get away. The salmon is part of the Salmon in the City effort.
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Trey Carskadon addressing the role of the Oregon State Marine Board
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Councilor Randall, Councilor Clem, Mayor Taylor, Trey Carskadon, and Melinda Yost, President of the Salem Parks and Recreation Board join forces to cut the ribbon and welcome the new addition.
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New Bike Racks Installed
The Salem Bicycle Club, www.salembicycleclub.org/, was formed in 1969 for the purpose of
promoting recreational bicycle tours in the local area. Over the years, bicycle advocacy for
improved biking conditions has been a priority as well. Since formation of the Salem Bicycle
Club, it has grown to more than 400 members. The club is affiliated with the League of 
American Bicyclists and the Bicycle
Transportation Alliance.
The club's ride schedule includes weekly rides
each weekend throughout the year and, during
the summer, weekday evening rides and
overnight rides. The club annually sponsors
three event rides that draw cyclists from
throughout the Northwest. These rides are the
Monster Cookie Ride, the Watermelon Ride, and
the Peach of a Century. The Salem Bicycle Club
funds various projects by contributing one dollar
per rider from the registration fees for the rides.
In August 2005, the Salem Bicycle Club has
generously donated two bicycle racks at Salem's Riverfront Carousel, located at Riverfront
Park with monies from the Peach of a Century event.
The bicycle racks were created and installed by Merrill Denny of Creative Metal Works in
Dayton, who has also installed numerous sculptured bicycle racks throughout the city. These
bicycle racks offer a great incentive for biking to the Carousel.
ThePavilion is Completed!
The Salem Rotary Club, as a centennial project, completed an op en air Pavilion at the park.
A dedication was held on October 11, 2005. As part of their project, The Salem Rotary
Foundation sold bricks around the new Pavilion. For rental information, call 503-588-6261.
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