The last kayak rental at Cook Family Park went back on Sept. 21. On Nov. 7, city staff will be at the same park accepting leaves from anyone who drives in. Between those dates, almost everything at the south end of SW 92nd Avenue is scheduled to change in about a week. A summer's worth of construction is due to finish. The river equipment goes into storage. Then the park takes on a second job, collecting yard debris and canned food on four Saturdays.
If Cook Park is your Saturday walk, your dog loop, or where you once put a kayak in, the end of October matters more than any other part of the fall calendar.
River rentals ended a month before the leaves came down
Tualatin Riverkeepers runs the River Rentals program at Cook Family Park. Its rentals page lists canoes, single and double kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, paddles and life jackets, with $30 boat rentals on Fridays. The 2026 season ended Sept. 21. The last two weekends were Sept. 13–14 and Sept. 20–21, and neither had Friday rentals.
With rentals over, the next step is moving the equipment out.
Two pieces of river gear head for winter storage
The first is the boarding dock at the boat launch. The city replaced the old timber dock in summer 2025 with a design approved by the Oregon State Marine Board. According to the City of Tigard's project page, the new dock "will be removed each winter and placed each spring" to protect its usable life. The city also says pulling it out each winter puts less wear on the dock and reduces sediment and erosion along the riverbank. The city hasn't posted a removal date for this winter. If the launch looks different on a December walk, this is the reason.
The second is new this year. On Sept. 1, Tualatin Riverkeepers Program Manager Mark Fitzsimons set up a free life-jacket loaner kiosk next to the Cook Park boat launch. As Tigard Life reported, the station is about eight feet tall and holds 12 Coast Guard-approved life jackets. Eagle Scout Gabe Robbins built it with four other scouts from Troop 419, and the project was a partnership between the Riverkeepers, the Nautical Safety Foundation and the troop. Tigard City Councilor Faraz Ghoddusi, members of city staff and the Tigard Rotary Club came out for the setup. Ghoddusi told Tigard Life:
"We're very excited. Not just with the opening of the new ramp, which increases accessibility to the river, but then also increasing the safety for everyone who's coming out."
The kiosk is portable for a practical reason. Tigard Life reported that water at Cook Park regularly rises to where the kiosk now stands, so the Riverkeepers plan to move it to higher ground in the off-season. They're also building a volunteer group to keep it stocked during river season. Fitzsimons said other launches in West Linn, Tualatin and King City are on the Riverkeepers' list for future kiosks. He called Cook Park "the prime area access, as far as use goes, to a national water trail."
Both pieces were built to be put away for the off-season. The dock comes out to cut wear and protect the bank, and the kiosk moves to stay above the water.
Construction is scheduled to wrap up as the river gear leaves
While the river was busy this summer, the lower part of the park was a work zone. Phase 2 of the Cook Family Park accessible dock project started July 13, 2026. It adds an ADA-compliant path and gangway leading down to a fully accessible dock with adaptive hardware and a kayak and paddleboard slip. The city's schedule calls for site preparation and the ADA pathway to be finished by the end of October 2026.
Since mid-July, that work has kept cars off the boat-launch access road and the lower parking lot. Only people on foot or bike could get through. A city notice from June 22 said the closure would run "through October 2026." The same notice said the east and west lots and the lots near the playground and sports fields would stay open. On the published schedule, the lower lot should reopen to cars about a week after this post goes up. That's still a target, not a confirmed reopening date.
The accessible dock itself won't arrive this fall unless things move quickly. The city says the gangway and dock design is still being finalized, with placement planned for "late fall or in spring of 2027." Phase 2 is funded by Parks System Development Charges and a grant from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.
Walkers near the east end have one more detour that should clear on the same timeline. The city's park listing shows the Pick's Landing Greenway Trail, which runs alongside Riverwood Lane and the river, closed from Aug. 3 through October 2026 for Copper Creek outfall work. The posted detour goes Riverwood Lane to Copper Creek Drive to Millen Drive.
So late October is when the summer's construction is scheduled to finish, right as the river season shuts down.
Then the park takes on its November job
Once the dock is out and the lot is back, Cook Family Park becomes the site of Tigard's free Leaf Disposal and Food Drive. The city describes the location as "the end of 92nd Avenue just off of Durham Road near Tigard High School." The 2026 dates are:
- Saturday, Nov. 7
- Saturday, Nov. 21
- Saturday, Dec. 5
- Saturday, Dec. 12
Drop-off runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The first date comes one week after the construction closure is scheduled to end, so the timing lines up with the lower lot reopening.
The city's handling rules are short, and they'll save you a second trip:
- What's accepted: leaves, small yard debris and clippings, loose or bagged.
- Bags: paper bags from local hardware stores are preferred.
- Plastic: fine for hauling, but you'll have to empty the bags before city staff accept the leaves.
- Cost: free. The city recommends donating two non-perishable food items.
- Where the food goes: donations are passed on to area residents through Tigard's St. Vincent de Paul food distribution facility.
The plastic-bag rule makes the biggest difference in a full car. If you bring contractor bags, you'll be emptying them by hand at the drop-off. Paper bags go straight in. For questions, the city lists Rob Block, Wastewater Operations Supervisor, at 503-718-2607.
The four dates are also spaced in a useful way. Nov. 7 comes early in leaf drop, and Dec. 12 comes after most of the street trees are bare. Two weeks separate the first pair, and the last two are back to back a week apart. A yard with large maples might need two or three of these trips. A yard with one tree might only need the December run.
The park stays open the whole time
Cook Park is open daily from dawn to dusk. The city's park listing includes play structures for ages 2 to 12, hard and soft trails, the Tupling Butterfly Garden, five picnic shelters, and soccer and ball fields. Shelter reservations run from the first Saturday in April through the last Sunday in September, so the shelters are first come, first served until spring. On a dry November afternoon, you can have a picnic table without booking anything.
What fills the Saturdays before leaf season
The first leaf Saturday is still two weeks away, and the weekend right after this post publishes has two dated Tigard events a few miles north of the river.
On Saturday, Oct. 24, Tigard Parks & Recreation holds its Howl O'Ween Canine Costume Contest from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Potso Dog Park, 7960 SW Hunziker St. That afternoon, Winona Grange hosts its free Harvest Festival from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Grange Hall, 8340 SW Seneca St. Tigard Life lists crafts, pumpkin decorating, a costume parade and a cake walk. The morning and afternoon times don't overlap, so one family can make it to both.
After the leaf Saturdays get going, the downtown calendar gets busier. Explore Tualatin Valley's holiday listing gives the Downtown Tigard Holiday Tree Lighting as Dec. 6 at 6:30 p.m., with special activities from downtown businesses. That falls between the Dec. 5 and Dec. 12 drop-offs. You could take leaves to Cook Park on Saturday morning and be on Main Street for the lighting Sunday evening.
Your fall at Cook Park, in order
Here's the season as a schedule:
- Now through the end of October: the lower lot and boat-launch road stay closed to cars. Park in the east, west, playground or sports-field lots. The Pick's Landing Greenway Trail detour stays in place.
- End of October, as scheduled: the ADA path is finished, and the lower lot and access road reopen to vehicles.
- Sometime this winter: the boarding dock comes out of the water, and the life-jacket kiosk moves to higher ground.
- Nov. 7, Nov. 21, Dec. 5, Dec. 12: leaf drop-off from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Bring two cans for St. Vincent de Paul.
- Late fall 2026 or spring 2027: the new accessible dock and gangway are installed.
Fall yard cleanup is often the first step toward getting a Tigard home ready to list in spring. Hauling leaves to Cook Park on Nov. 7 is a good time to also start a list of which fixes are worth making before photos and which can wait. If you'd like a second opinion on that list, or names of vendors who can handle the bigger jobs before spring, Shey Gladstone is happy to walk through it with you, without any pressure to decide on a timeline. Let's Connect.
