SE ~ West Linn Anyone?

Here's a resource that I just discovered for trails in the West Linn area.  I haven't been on any of these trails except some in Mary S. Young park, but as I get there, I will post reviews.
Trail Maps for the City of West Linn

SW ~ Magness Memorial Tree Farm

Date visited: January 21, 2013
Agency: World Forestry Center
Path Surface: Paved loop and dirt
Elevation gain/loss: Unknown, but several steep sections on the trail in the northwest part of the property
Distance: Variable depending on the route. Several trails and length options. See map and description below.
Ratings: Setting ++++ Calorie-burning ++++ when hiking in the northwest portion of the park
Directions: 31195 SW Ladd Hill Rd, Sherwood, OR.  From I-5, take Wilsonville exit 283, turn right on Wilsonville Rd.  After 4.1 miles, turn right on Edminston Rd. for 1.3 miles, then right on Ladd Hill Rd.  The gated parking lot is on the left.

We did not have high expectations for this site but we were pleasantly surprised.  On this cold winter day, we hiked for several miles all by ourselves and enjoyed the bird variety we saw.  Of course, it helped that it was a bright sunny day....

From the parking lot, we walked on the paved Nagel Trail to take a look at the rental cabins, but when we crossed the creek on the bridge, we felt like we were really out in the woods.  We stayed on the pavement for awhile, enjoying a large group of ruby-crowned kinglets near the springs, but then we started wandering.

We didn't have a site map with us and what appeared to be a map brochure on-site was frozen to its box.  Reviewing the map linked below, I can reconstruct that we left the pavement and walked the footpath to near Corral Creek Rd, then followed the path north.  We took the loop detour in the northwest section of the property, where we gained quite a bit of elevation.  I did not have my GPS with us to get an elevation reading so that will require another trip.

We continued northeast, eventually leaving the property from its northeast corner.  There was a bridge and what appeared to be logging road there, but a foot path continued, eventually following a creek for perhaps a mile and a half.  There are boardwalks and footbridges on this path that follows and crosses the creek. Eventually the path curls west, passing through a cedar grove, to end at Heater Rd.  We turned around to head back; the logging road leads back to the parking lot.

Our route took us slightly more than 4 miles.

Map of the trails on the property.

SW ~ Tryon Creek State Park - Summer

The Terry Riley suspension bridge

Date visited: August 14, 2012
Agency: Oregon State Parks and Recreation Dept.
Path Surface: Dirt, gravel. All-accessible trail and bike path are paved.
Elevation gain/loss: Variable, but there's some short steep hills on some of the trails.
Distance: Variable depending on the route. Several trails and length options.
Ratings: Setting ++++ Calorie-burning ++++ for perimeter of the park route
Directions: From I-5, take the Terwilliger Blvd exit and go 2.3 miles south to the park entrance.

The weather is warmer, the trails are dustier and it's almost five years since our last report on Tryon Creek State Park. Today, we reversed our route from that visit. Many more people were using the trails, and we had to walk a quarter of a mile before birdsong could be heard over the excited voices of many children in the vicinity of the Nature Center. Nevertheless, we spent several lengthy periods of solitude and almost-quiet.

A few wildflowers remain, but mostly green and brown are the colors of the day. Pick your trails and enjoy!

SW ~ Graham Oaks Nature Park

Date visited: March 7, 2012
Path Surface: Asphalt, gravel
Elevation gain/loss: +/- 10 feet
Distance: 3+ miles
Ratings: Setting + Calorie-burning ++
Directions: From I-5, take exit 283 (Wilsonville Rd), go west about 1.5 miles to the small parking area north of the road.
Agency: Metro

Restoration has to start somewhere, but it is a stretch to call this a nature park now. Houses and a school crowd the edges of the park. Only one small portion of a path passes through trees of any size. But if you are in need of an wide open view and a short walk with plenty of company, Graham Oaks will work for you.

A paved path, the Tonquin Trail, slices through the middle of the park, and unlike other Metro properties, dogs are allowed on the pavement. Trails of varying lengths branch from the pavement. One, the Arrowhead Creek trail, will be the most interesting to spring and fall birders (although the best area we found was outside the park). In winter, the small pond seen from the Wetlands Overlook will attract some waterfowl. The Legacy Creek trail passes through a typical west side forest, and on our walk, osoberry, nettles and wild rose were just beginning to show green leaves. The creek itself whispers out of sight in a nearby gully.

Many small trees have been planted and it will be fun to share your pictures of the park with your grandchildren in 50 years, when some of those trees return an agricultural field to a forest.

Posts at trail junctions show maps.

SW ~ Cooper Mountain Nature Park

Sometimes our springs are inexplicably similar to our winters, but weather can make our familiar places new again.

See the full description here.

NW ~ Banks Vernonia Trail-Banks to LL Stub Stewart Park

Date visited: February 19, 2011
Path Surface: Asphalt
Elevation gain/loss: Variable. 250 feet as described below.
Distance: Up to 21 miles one way
Ratings: Setting ++++ Calorie-burning ++++
Directions: Choose from several trailheads. We have gone to the Manning trailhead for so long we naturally gravitate there. If you've driven to the coast on Hwy 26, you've seen the sign for the turn off, just west of Banks.
Next time we will try the recently-opened Banks trailhead because there is more parking. Page 2 of this pdf brochure has a map of the trail and trailheads.

Sunshine in February seems more valuable than in, say, August and that got us out of the house and onto our bikes last Saturday. But really, sunny or rainy, this trail is a great place to get some exercise. Although we were on bikes today, many people were walking the trail.

We've been coming here for years, biking the various sections of the trail as they were completed. Today, we rode from the Manning trailhead northwest to the entrance road of Stub Stewart Park. This section includes crossing the Buxton trestle, an unusual thrill on a bike. We also rode to Banks to check out the new trailhead there, a big improvement from the abrupt end to the trail formerly in place.

From Banks, the trail has little elevation change, which continues as you pass the Manning trailhead. At about mile 5, the trail becomes a gentle but steady climb which doesn't quit as far as we rode. The surroundings likewise change from pasture to woods. We stopped several times to enjoy the scenery and the climb kept us warm in spite of a trail side skiff of snow in some shady spots.

We'll be checking out other sections of the trail in the future to see what changes have been made since our last visits to those sections several years ago.

SE ~ Powell Butte

Date visited: November 10, 2010
Agency: Portland Parks and Recreation
Path Surface: Some pavement, but mostly dirt
Elevation gain/loss: 300 ft
Distance: Variable and can include mileage on the Springwater Corridor.
Ratings: Setting +++ Calorie-burning ++++
Directions: East on Powell Blvd to 162nd Ave. Turn right and drive up the hill to a parking area.

On a clear day, not many places can beat the views at Powell Butte. Even on a cloudy day, little windows of opportunity can open. When we first got out of the car, we could see sunbeams on the snow-dusted foothills across the river in Washington. And it's a good place to see a microcosm of northwest Oregon, even on the wet weather days, in the open meadows and forested trails of this park.

The worst thing about Powell Butte is how easy it is to get lost; well, not lost really, but momentarily displaced. Some trails are marked, some trails are a mystery. We had two maps with us, neither of which was entirely accurate. One is shown here, but we had to backtrack on the Elderberry Trail to find our way to the outer loop of the park (or maybe we just can't read a map!) We ended up walking around 5 miles because of our backtracking, but anyone into higher miles can simply drop down to the Springwater Corridor.

I ate a late season blackberry which tasted like thick water, and we noticed some stinging nettle, especially on the south side of the park. But there's plenty of opportunity for bird life. Today our bird list included: song sparrows, mourning doves, flickers, three kestrels visible at once, crows, Bewick's and Pacific Wren, Stellar's jay, spotted towhee, a screeching red tail hawk, varied thrush, scrub jay, juncos, golden-crowned kinglets, and finally, a northern harrier cruising the area east of the Orchard Loop Trail.

NW ~ Wildwood Trail from Germantown Rd Loop

Date visited: November 8, 2010
Agency: City of Portland Parks and Recreation
Path Surface: Dirt and mud
Elevation gain/loss: 300 feet
Distance: Variable, we went about 5 miles
Ratings: Setting ++++ Calorie-burning ++++
Directions:Germantown Road is between US Highway (the road to St Helens) and Skyline Boulevard. The Wildwood Trail parking is at N 45 35.236, W 122 47.640. The slightly larger parking lot at Leif Erickson Drive is at N 45 35.345, W 122 47.423.

We started out with the hike described in Afoot & Afield Portland/Vancouver: A Comprehensive Hiking Guide and titled Northern Forest Park Loop. This involves walking generally southbound on the Wildwood Trail for about 2 miles to the (unmarked) Springville Road, turning left and returning north on Leif Erickson Dr. The latter two "roads" are closed, but you will recognize Springville Road because it is a wider "trail" than the other places you can drop down to Leif Erickson.

On our hike today, huge golden leaves from the maples zig zagged through the air giving up to gravity and the season. Leaves lined the trails and have already turned to trail mush in the middle of the path.

We chose to go on another quarter mile or so to the Hardesty Trail to form the bottom of our loop. Also, while the book describes a walk back to your car on Germantown Rd, there is now a trail, the Cannon Trail from Leif Erickson back up to the Wildwood trailhead. A map is available here, although it does not show the new Cannon Trail, which parallels Germantown Rd.

If you want to see pileated woodpeckers, this is prime territory. Not far into the hike we heard two, sounding like native tribes signaling each other. Woodpecker sign was all around us. When we had dropped down to Leif Erickson Dr, we finally saw one: the large wingbeats caught my attention. Many other forest birds were active throughout our walk today.

Next time, I think we will start on Leif Erickson. A bigger parking lot and we'll end with a downhill walk instead of a final uphill ascent to the car!

SW ~ Cooper Mountain Nature Park 2010

Date visited: October 20, 2010
Agency: Metro/ THPRD
Path Surface: Mostly gravel
Elevation gain/loss: 330 feet
Distance: 2.9 miles as described, 3.5 miles of trails
Ratings: Setting ++++ Calorie-burning ++++
Directions: From Highway 217, take the Scholls Ferry Road exit and go west on Scholls Ferry. At Southwest 175th Avenue, turn right and go north, uphill, about 1.8 miles. Curve left on Kemmer Road. The park entrance is on the south side of Kemmer Road near its intersection with 190th. Or, from Southwest Farmington Road (Highway 10), turn south on 185th Avenue, which will become Gassner Road, turn left on 190th Avenue and left on Kemmer Road. NO PETS ARE ALLOWED.

Orange spray paint? Nope, that really is the color of the trees. Many more trees are decked out in their fall colors and are only slightly less dazzingly against the blue sky (likely one of the last for this autumn).

We originally described this site here following our July 2009 visit. It was much more "birdy" that day. Today's visit was quiet and mid-day. We saw robins, black-capped chickadees, scrub jays, song sparrows, Bewick's wrens, crows, juncos and heard a flicker and a couple of towhees. The best bird moments, however, were seeing both a ruby-crowned and golden-crowned kinglets.

The poison oak present on our original visit has only multiplied, turning a beautiful shade of red now, but just as poisonous!


There's a trail guide at the top, but you don't need to memorize it. Posts at every junction tell you where you are.

NE ~ Oxbow Park

Date visited: September 24, 2010
Agency: Metro
Path Surface: Dirt
Elevation gain/loss: 105 feet
Distance: 3.7 miles as we did it
Ratings: Setting ++++ Calorie-burning +++
Directions: From Interstate 84 east of Portland, take the Wood Village exit, left on Division and follow the signs.
Additional Information: $5 entrance fee and because this is a Metro park, NO DOGS are allowed.

We saw no ox, but two deer grazed on the brush right inside the entrance to this surprisingly quiet park on our early autumn visit. You might find, as we did, that the trails are nearly deserted.

East of Portland, the Sandy River makes two big U-shaped bends in an "oxbow." One circles Camp Collins and another loops around the campground and hiking trails of Oxbow Park. What this means for hikers is that you can do a loop trail and be next to the river much of the way.

On our easy hike today, the last few straggling turkey vultures of the season float lazily by. A few female common mergansers paddle in the river. Winter wren and Stellar's Jays compete for bird of the day. While there were a few people fishing and a few hearty souls in the campground, we saw only two other people on the trail today, and those were both working on trail maintenance. The lack of traffic was further emphasized by the number of spider trails I took full in the face.

A nice route through the park is described in 100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon & Southwest Washington, 3rd Edition, but really, you can just pick up a brochure at the entrance and wander the trails at your leisure. [Note: some of the trail markings have changed since the second edition of Sullivan's book was published. I haven't got the third edition. Yet.] Sneakers are probably okay on the trails, but there are a few spots where you might appreciate light hikers. Directions and a rough map are here.

SE ~ Mount Talbert

Date visited: April 29, 2008 and August 18, 2010
Agency: Metro
Path Surface: Dirt trail, some gravel, roots, rock and mud in the trail in some areas in winter and spring
Elevation gain/loss: 350 feet
Distance: 4.2 miles of looping trails
Ratings: Setting +++ Calorie-burning ++++
Directions: I-205 to Sunnybrook Road. South on 97th until it becomes Mather Rd. Look for the low sign marking the park on the left. 10695 SE Mather Rd.

Notes: Because this is a Metro property. NO DOGS are allowed in the park.

Be forewarned that the Park Loop Trail is not "officially" a loop. A portion of the loop is "closed." However, the only evidence seen of the trail closure on our August 2010 visit is a sign on the east side, but we saw several people on the well-worn trail.
Trail map (does not show the portion of the Park Loop Trail that is allegedly closed)

The Portland area was not always the calm, serene place it is now—at least geologically speaking. Here and there, volcanic buttes jump out of the surrounding plains. One of these, Mount Talbert, is the site of a new Metro park.

Though surrounded by houses, apartment complexes and roads, the park is amazingly unspoiled. We saw no ivy and many native plants. A very nice attribute is the oak savanna on the West Ridge Trail. Other features of the park include a prairie loop (though it doesn't look like much now), interpretive signs and a covered picnic area. Posts at each trail junction guide your path to the top, but those hiking to the summit might be disappointed by the lack of a view.

Our “nature report” for our April visit includes: birds - Cooper's Hawk, Downy Woodpecker, Steller's Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Winter Wren, American Robin, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's), Townsend's Warbler, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon), Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch; and flowers in bloom - Ethrythronium oreganum (fawn lily), Camassia quamash (camas), Cardmine nuttallii (oaks toothwart), Viola glabella (stream violet), and Synthyris reniformis (deer flower). Also of note: POISON OAK AND STINGING NETTLE near the trail!

In August, the bird activity is considerably less. Some wildflowers are still blooming.