Things to Do in Canby

Normally, tree houses are hideaways where kids can relax with a comic book, hang out with friends, or pretend they didn’t hear their mothers assigning them chores. At Splat Action Paintball Park, however, they're a refuge from incoming pellets fired from semi-automatic paintball guns, not to mention a safe space to strategize next moves. The same goes for the bunkers, foxholes, and towers also populating the park's 47 wooded acres, which boast 15 playing fields speckled with streams, trails, and trees.

Teams comprised of players aged 10 and up clash on these fields under the supervision of veteran referees, participating in frequent scenario games or weekend walk-on games. Target ranges help sharpen each player's shot before games begin, and a covered picnic area accommodates spectators who are admitted into the park for free.

North Clackamas Aquatic Park's 400,000 gallons of 86-degree H2O stream down two twisty tube slides and splash swimmers in three swimming pools housed within this waterlogged indoor playground. During Big Surf! recreational hours, divers plunge into 13-foot-deep water as swimmers on rental tubes crest the wave pool's 4-foot surf, whereas competitive swimmers hone skills in the 25-yard, six-lane lap pool. A drop slide sends adventurous aquanauts plunging, as climbers head the other direction on a 29-foot rock wall with three routes for scalers of all skill levels. As adults unwind in the hot tub, pint-size splashers flit about interactive fountains, coast down the Sammie the Seal slide into a kiddie pool, or organize their fellow tots into a filibuster until chaperones acquiesce to snack demands at the Waves Cafe. Swimming lessons, complimentary life jackets, and inflatable submarines are also available to help guests swim safely.

Trails End Golf Center encompasses 45 hitting stalls and two grass tee areas from which golfers can blast golf balls across its 20-acre expanse, earning it a spot among Golf Range Magazine's top 100 ranges in 2011. Each hitting stall is fully covered and heated so that practice can continue in any weather, especially when it's hailing free golf balls. When game improvement hits a roadblock, golfers can enlist the help of manager and head pro Jason Kelp, who lends his expertise to help players of all skill levels—including beginners and children—better enjoy the game through lower scores and more frequent opportunities to domesticate wild golf carts.

Old-growth douglas firs, wetlands, and 43 bunkers populate Stone Creek Golf Club's award-winning, par 72 layout designed by Peter Jacobsen and Jim Hardy. The 165-acre course’s front nine holes are straighter laced, and the back nine’s tree-lined fairways of fescue grass challenge swingers with elevation changes and distractingly beautiful views of Mount Hood, the same "Hood" made popular in mainstream rap music. Players can hone their aim at the hitting stations of extensive practice greens, which include a full swing area with target greens at a variety of distances, before returning to face hole nine's six sand traps.

After sending dozens of dimpled balls soaring through the air, golfers can pop in at the Stone Creek Deli for a hot dog and foamy swigs of beer. Links magazine named Stone Creek Golf Club a Top 10 Green Course for using pesticides sparingly and only irrigating stretches of grass currently in use, inviting ground-nesting birds to build their two-story colonial mansions in the fallow areas.

Course at a Glance

• 18-hole, par 72 course

• See the scorecard

• Length of 6,873 yards from the farthest set of tees

• Course rating of 72.4

• Slope rating of 125 on fescue grass

• 6,000 yards of practice greens

Though beautiful views and impeccable maintenance are typically found at long, difficult courses, the staff at Lake Oswego Golf Course believes that beginning and intermediate players should also be able to enjoy a top-notch course while learning the game. At 2,517 yards in total, the 18-hole, par-3 layout removes the physical stress of extreme length. Players can learn to hone in their game while golfing against the backdrop of Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams. Individual holes range between 74 and 179 yards, creating a hole-in-one opportunity on every tee box—provided a golfer can avoid Lost Dog Creek, outstretched tree boughs, and lost center fielders searching for fly balls.

Lake Oswego Golf Course's rates fluctuate throughout the week.

Housed at the bottom of the roaring Willamette Falls, which comprises the confluence of Willamette and Clackamas Rivers, eNRG Kayaking's on-water shop and docks serve as the home base for instructional excursions in kayaking, rapids rafting, and standup paddleboarding. Head instructor Sam Drevo also helps those more experienced in watersports to attain a swift-water rescue certification or an ACA instructor certification, required credentials to shake hands with most river deities. Sam watches over all levels of kayakers with experience earned through years of competing, including a ranking as the world's sixth-best freestyle kayaker in 1998 and a first-place win at the Ford Gorge Games' Outdoor World Championships in 2001.

When Sam is not leading tours around the falls or down segments of either river, he guides extended expeditions to other northwestern and foreign waterways. His 16 international aquatic excursions have taken paddlers to rivers on four continents, through countries such as Canada, Costa Rica, Thailand, Laos, China, India, and Botswana. Sam and his staff aim to protect the rivers through eco-friendly exploration and sell a range of kayak models to help others to similarly respect the ecosystem or sneak up and tickle unsuspecting bass.