City Trails

Portland's Top Five Fall Foliage Walks

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 12:55:00 -0800

Almost leafless tree at the Lone Fir Cemetery, November 2012

Trees have played back-up to flowers all summer. Now the scenery is shifting from green treetops to brilliant reds, oranges and yellows and the leaves are dropping onto the ground, bringing trees back into view.

In addition to bright fall color, keep an eye out for the native licorice fern overhead in the bark of the bigleaf maples. Licorice fern dries up and disappears during the summer dry period and sprouts afresh every October! Don't forget to look down, too, to admire the carpet of leaves on the ground and to notice the return of the beautiful green mosses covering the ground, rocks and stumps.

Here's where to best admire the transition to autumn in Portland over the next couple of weeks:

Lone Fir Cemetery - 2115 SE Morrison St. Portland OR 97214 /503-797-1709

Lone Fir is Portland's oldest cemetery, and is brimming with beautiful trees including sugar maples, big-leaf maples, beech, chestnut, carpets of leaves, mossy graves, and plenty of paths for wandering. Circumambulate the whole cemetery in 20 minutes - or spend an hour or two strolling all the paths, the historic rose garden, the military statues and the beautiful graves. More photos can be seen here.

Portland Japanese Garden - 611 Southwest Kingston Avenue Portland, OR 97205 / 503-223-1321

Widely praised, Portland's Japanese Garden is beautiful in every season but autumn is perhaps the most dramatic and colorful. See Japanese maples, Enkianthus, and many other Asian trees and shrubs in fiery autumn color, set off against the subtle shades of our native conifer and bigleaf maple woodland setting. Gaze out across the city to see leaves changing color and dropping in neighborhoods all over the city. It is a shame to walk the garden in less than an hour and easy to spend two or more wandering the paths and pausing long enough to appreciate the tranquil atmosphere.

Elk Rock Garden, 11800 SW Military Lane, Portland OR 97219 / 503-636-5613

Maples, magnolias, oaks and any number of other deciduous trees are dropping leaves fast and furious. Some trees drop foliage early (like most ash); others late (like hornbeams, chestnut, oak and Styrax). Check in at the booth, make a little donation or buy a plant, and stroll the paths and lawns until you catch a view of the mighty Willamette, far below. Expect to spend at least an hour wandering - easily three if you walk up the madrone trails to look down over the river.

Hoyt Arboretum - 4000 Southwest Fairview Boulevard, Portland, OR 97221-2706 / 503-865-8733

Hoyt Arboretum ranges over 187 ridge-top acres and some 12 miles of trails. It contains a collections of trees, many of which go through autumn transformations including birches, maples, oaks, magnolias, witch hazels and more. It may take years to really explore Hoyt, but there's plenty to see in a one- or two-hour walk through the nearer trails. Or spend a few hours and venture further down your favorite trails.

Forest Park - NW 29th Ave & Upshur St to Newberry Rd, Portland OR 97219 / 503-823-PLAY (7529)

Forest Park contains over 5,000 acres, criss-crossed by trails running up, down and around, including the 30-mile Wildwood trail. The park is populated by hundreds of species of wildlife, as well as a wide range of deciduous and coniferous trees and shrubs and - of course - a wide range of native plants. Remember to look down (you'll see native banana slugs aplenty after rains) and to look up to spot luscious native licorice ferns and mosses dripping from overhead boughs of bigleaf maple. Pick any trail and you'll be rewarded with the subtle colors of our native deciduous trees: variations on yellow from the bigleaf maple, as well as yellows, reds and purples from the vine maple, yellow salmonberry, thimbleberry and devil's cane, and a beautiful tapestry of understory plants turning from green to gold and orange. A Forest Park hike can take anything from half an hour for a traipse up the trail at Mccleay Park to a full-day's hike into the deepest forest. Learn more about Forest Park's best trails here.

A Year in Nature

Fri, 22 Jun 2012 09:00:00 -0700

JANUARY
Scope out more than 90 species of birds at Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden.

FEBRUARY
Hundreds of raptors congregate on Sauvie Island.

MARCH
Trillium blooms in Tryon Creek State Natural Area signal spring.

APRIL
Camas lilies light up Lacamas Lake Park.

MAY
Three-mile seasonal loop trail opens at Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge.

JUNE
Salamanders are out in force at the Audubon Society Sanctuary in Forest Park.

JULY
Fledging peregrine falcons take to the air above Cathedral Park.

AUGUST
Sunsets at Rocky Butte are accompanied by hundreds of orange-winged Lorquin admiral butterflies.

SEPTEMBER
Vaux swifts take roost at Chapman Elementary School.

OCTOBER
Fall chinook salmon return to the Sandy River in Oxbow Regional Park.

NOVEMBER
Clear night skies above Powell Butte offer views of the Leonid meteor shower.

DECEMBER
Strawberry trees bear their white flowers (and sweet red fruit) in Hoyt Arboretum.

Express Escapes

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:00:00 -0700

Image: Michael Novak

Hoyt Arboretum

KEY: H – Hike | B – Bike | W – Water Route

Hoyt Arboretum | H

Blessed with right-off-the-MAX accessibility, this virtual arboreal biosphere, with its more than 6,000 plants, offers urban hiking at its finest. But don’t be fooled. Stretching 12 miles, the network of trails here is surprisingly vast. (Take the free trail maps at the visitor center, and don’t count on a cell signal.) And marathoners, take note: Forest Park’s famed 30-mile Wildwood Trail begins on arboretum grounds. Access: 4000 SW Fairview Blvd

Tryon Creek State
Natural Area | H

July temps inside Tryon Creek’s shade-drenched ravines seldom crack 80 degrees, making its 675 acres a go-to summer oasis. The showiest hike follows Maple Ridge Trail down a gentle decline toward Middle Creek and photo-ready High Bridge. Along the way enormous toadstools, old-growth cedar stumps, and late-blooming woodland flowers like fairy slippers and false Solomon’s seal vie for attention. Don’t forget to scan tree trunks for owl nests and bat boxes—numerous barred owls and little brown bats inhabit the park. Access: 11321 SW Terwilliger Blvd

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge | H

Image: Julie Reposa

The view from the Springwater Corridor

In 1988, heeding pleas from the Audubon Society, the 160-acre Willamette River floodplain here became Portland’s first urban wildlife refuge, making it “Intertwine 101” for local naturephiles. On one half of the three-mile loop you’ll encounter willowy vegetation, open meadows, shallow ponds, and waterfowl. (The year-round cast of avian all-stars here includes Anna’s hummingbirds, osprey, purple martins, and dozens of duck species.) And on the next half you’ll be joined by cyclists and joggers streaming down the Springwater Corridor as you catch glimpses of the Portland skyline through the trees. Near SE Sellwood Boulevard scope out the Portland Memorial Mausoleum’s enormous hand-painted mural depicting the refuge’s diverse wildlife. Access: SE Sellwood Boulevard and Seventh Avenue

FOREST PARK

Looking for outings in Forest Park? Visit The Ultimate Guide to Forest Park from our July 2011 issue, which features 22 of the best trails in the park and a printable map.

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Image: Michael Novak

PSU Native American Student Center

Secret Gardens

No time for a walk in the woods? These urban greenspaces provide bite-size nature escapes.

PSU Native American Student Center Even the most frazzled souls can reclaim their Zen among the calming mix of medicinal herbs, wild grasses, and reclaimed wood iconography evoking petroglyphs and salmon migrations. 710 SW Jackson St

Multnomah County Building Climb to the fifth floor and greet a choir of songbirds and an orange, pink, and purple perennial sea. To the west, sandwiched between the Willamette River and the fir-laden West Hills, Stumptown’s skyline has never looked earthier. 501 SE Hawthorne Blvd

Mark O. Hatfield U.S. Courthouse The “Law of Nature” creations by sculptor Tom Otterness provide company at this low-traffic, ninth-floor sculpture garden. Shade trees and views of leafy Chapman and Lownsdale Squares add welcome splashes of green. 1000 SW Third Ave

Post-trail Watering Hole

Aquariva This South Waterfront hotspot commands views of Ross Island and, on Sundays, a killer DIY Bloody Mary bar. The scenery is just as delicious during happy hours when veal and pork meatballs go for five bucks. 4650 SW Macadam Ave; aquarivaportland.com

Northern Stars

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:00:00 -0700

Lacamas Lake

KEY: H – Hike | B – Bike | W – Water Route

Lake River to Bachelor Island | W

Lewis and Clark passed this lush atoll in both 1805 and 1806, naming it Cathlapotle Island and noting a village with long plankhouses on the mainland behind it. Today that’s Ridgefield, Washington, and it’s where you’ll start a 10-mile birdathon by slipping into Lake River and drifting downstream toward Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge and numerous great blue heron rookeries. Mind the currents and shipping traffic in the Columbia River, and don’t miss the entrance to Bachelor Island Slough, your return route, at the southern tip. Access: Boat ramp at the west end of Division Street, Ridgefield

Lacamas Lake Park | H, B

The 312 acres here pack in conifer groves, fetching waterfalls, fir-fringed Round Lake, and, in spring, tiers of rocky meadows electrified by scores of camas lilies. Mountain bikers fawn over challenging patches of rooty singletrack and lung-burning chugs up dirt roads. Birders favor the adjoining Washougal River Greenway for a 1.5-mile tour of avian-rich wetlands. Need a skinny-tire cruise? The Lacamas Heritage Trail stretches 3.5 miles alongside Lacamas Lake, offering chance encounters with herons, doublecrested cormorants, and bald eagles. Access: 2700 SE Everett St, Camas

Salmon Creek Greenway | H, B

Departing from Salmon Creek Park in North Vancouver, this easy three-mile, paved path borders some of the most impressive wetland habitat on either side of the Columbia. Near the two-mile point, the trail funnels though an archway of trees abutting a steep, fern-blanketed embankment. The slightly elevated course here delivers eye-level views of darting songbirds and hang-gliding snowy egrets. Patient souls may also glimpse bashful river otters inspecting the shoreline. On the return ride, soak up inspiring views of Mount Hood beaming in the distance. Access: Salmon Creek Park, 1112 NE 117th St, Vancouver. $3 day use fee; bike visitors excepted. Note: Drivers can avoid fees by parking at the W 36th Avenue trailhead.

POST-TRAIL WATERING HOLE

Burgerville As if you needed another excuse to pull over for a cherry chocolate shake—B’ville’s flagship Vancouver location is the only one that offers beer and wine (Northwest labels, of course) to sip while you nosh on your Walla Walla onion rings. 13309 NE Highway 99, Vancouver; burgerville.com

While you’re out

Three half-hour nature fixes

Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway Trail The western tip near Fruit Valley Road skirts a small lake, the Stewart Glen wetlands, shaded forests, and idyllic farmland. To the east, near Andersen Road, follow a sunny power line corridor to ponds and wetlands. Stewart Glen Trailhead: NW Bernie Drive and Fruit Valley Road, Vancouver

Whipple Creek Beneath a gorgeous forest canopy a winding loop intersects soothing streams and leads past remnants of a historic sawmill and waterwheel. 17202 NW 21st Ave, Ridgefield

Columbia Springs Hidden beneath bustling Glenn Jackson Bridge on I-205, this pocket-size forest harbors two large ponds, a pair of bird blinds, and a trout hatchery. 12208 SE Evergreen Hwy, Vancouver

Image: Michael Novak

Read This Now

Wild in the City: Exploring the Intertwine

Mike Houck, executive director of the Urban Greenspaces Institute and one of Portland’s most vocal conservationists, lands yet another victory for the metro area’s natural places as coeditor of this comprehensive update to the original Wild in the City volume, released in 2000. Detailing more than 75 local parks and trails, complete with easy-to-read maps, directions, flora and fauna notes from naturalists like the Portland Audubon Society’s Bob Sallinger, and essays from writers such as Ursula K. Le Guin, it’s as much indispensable field guide as it is quirky coffee-table reader.

Southbound

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:00:00 -0700

Photo: Courtesy Metro

Clackamas’s Mount Talbert Nature Park

KEY: H – Hike | B – Bike | W – Water Route

Trolley Trail | B

Completed in June, this six-mile multiuse path fulfills a long-held dream of Metro park planners: a near car-free route connecting Milwaukie to Gladstone, just outside of Oregon City. Following the historic right-of-way of the Portland Traction Company, a streetcar line that ceased operation here in 1968, it’s a decidedly urban adventure. (SE McLoughlin remains in earshot.) But the trail’s northern end provides ready access to Spring Park Natural Area, where a seasonal land bridge connects to Elk Rock Island in the Willamette River. Near the Trolley’s five-mile mark, Stringfield Family Park also showcases salmon habitat restoration along Boardman Creek. Access: Jefferson Street Boat Ramp, Milwaukie Riverfront Park

Upper Willamette Narrows | W

Near West Linn’s Willamette Park, the Willamette River tapers into a series of water-carved passages between basalt walls and timbered islands owned by Metro and the Nature Conservancy, making for one of the prettiest paddles near Portland. About a mile upstream from the park, you’ll spy Little Rock Island, home to one of Oregon’s rarest flowers, the white rock larkspur. In the channel between the island and the west bank, the sounds of paddle strokes and calls from cedar waxwings will be your only companions. Turn around after four miles, at the overhead power lines upstream. When water levels are high, the swift, narrow channel through the fractures of Rock Island provides a kick on the paddle back to Willamette Park. Access: Bernert Landing Boat Ramp, 12th and Volpp Streets

Mount Talbert | H

Mount Talbert towers over I-205 and nearby Clackamas Town Center with green ramparts of sky-tickling conifers and shady oaks. Some 75 species of birds amass within this canopied fortress, while deer tracks and raccoon prints reveal a stealthy land-bound populace. Four miles of trails access impressive wildflower displays and a breath-sapping ascent of the 750-foot summit, an especially attractive destination in cooler months when radiant fall foliage appears. Access: From SE Sunnybrook Boulevard, turn south on 97th Avenue and continue till it becomes Mather Road. Look for the park entrance on the left.

Post-trail Watering Hole

Milwaukie Kitchen and Wine Look to the wall-size chalkboard on the left for daily sandwich offerings like ham with white cheddar and a fried egg on a flaky croissant. Order Full Sail and Bridgeport beers by the bottle or, if you need to gas up to hit the Trolley Trail, cups of Ristretto Roasters coffee. 10610 SE Main St, Milwaukie; milwaukiekitchen.com

While you’re out

Three half-hour nature fixes

Courtesy: Kathy Haynie

Camassia Natural Area Thanks to stewardship from the Nature Conservancy, you’ll find 26 acres of restored oak savannas, craggy bluffs with stellar Mount Hood views, and a plethora of wildflowers.Behind West Linn High School, 5464 West A St, West Linn

Canemah Bluff Natural Area Hidden in Oregon City’s Canemah neighborhood, these high bluffs guard rare Oregon white oak–madrone environments and woodlands. The Canemah City Park offers parking, but to feel like a local enter from the secret-feeling stairs at Third Avenue and Apperson Street. 815 Fourth Ave, Oregon City

Reed College Canyon Stately Reed College has a true wild side: a 28-acre watershed formed around Reed Lake right outside the school’s walls. Campus critters range from belted kingfishers to bald eagles and even river otters and coyotes. From SE César E. Chávez Boulevard, turn west onto Steele Street. Turn left onto 28th Avenue and park in the west lot.

All-Nighters

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:00:00 -0700

Photo: Courtesy Michael Cogliantry

The Sandy River in Oxbow Regional Park

Oxbow Regional Park

Metro parks naturalist Dan Daly describes Oxbow Regional Park as a sliver of Washington’s Olympic National Park, right in Portland’s backyard. Situated at a double bend in the Sandy River, a mere 24 miles east of downtown, Oxbow has it all: 1,000 acres encompassing a federally designated Wild and Scenic River alive with frothy rapids, beaver colonies, migrating salmon, an old-growth rain forest, and an alpine meadow frequented by Roosevelt elk, blacktail deer, and black bear.

PRICE POINTS: Campsites $20; first come, first served; parking $5

PACK IT: A life vest (if you’re not a strong swimmer, and especially for the kids)

LEAVE IT: Your dog (Oxbow is pet-free.)

HEADS UP: The rain-swollen Sandy washed away nine campsites this winter. With just 59 spots left, plan to arrive early.

NO SPLASH ZONE: In the mornings, the river’s shadow-cloaked and too chilly for a dip—wait till afternoon. Instead hike Alder Ridge, a 1.5-mile loop that tours a high meadow where you might spot grazing elk.

GOOSE BUMPS: On summer weekends follow the crackle of campfire to the makeshift park amphitheater (the old one washed downriver with the campsites) to listen to ghost stories courtesy of professional yarn weavers.

DON’T MISS: The Ancient Forest Trail, a one-mile loop that tours a stand of 800-year-old conifers home to families of flying squirrels

PLAN AHEAD: Sign up for outdoor classes on the first and last Saturday of July, when park naturalists teach fire-making skills and lead tours of a ghost forest that was entombed when Mount Hood last erupted.

Photo: Courtesy Bruce Forster

Government Island delivers explorer-like biodiversity along 15 miles of shoreline.

Government Island State Recreation Area

Lewis and Clark once named this 2,000-plus acre forested archipelago best accessed by canoe “Diamond Island.” Officially designated as an Important Bird Area by the Audubon Society in 2003, the island, which is leased to Oregon Parks and Recreation Department by the Port of Portland, delivers explorer-like biodiversity along its 15 miles of wooded shoreline. Scores of bald eagles, falcons, western meadowlarks, and a great blue heron rookery all thrive here. Proof that this place is still a natural gem.

PRICE POINTS: Free camping; first-come, first served

DO SOUTH: Amenities like permanent docks plus picnic tables and composting toilets draw powerboating crowds to the north side. On the undeveloped south shore, however, civilization still feels a century or two away.

HEADS UP: Sandy Beach, on the north side of the island, usually fills to capacity on sunny weekends.
Ride-share: Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe’s Jantzen Beach store offers kayak rentals ($50 per day; aldercreek.com; 503-285-0464). From there it’s a four-mile, upriver paddle to the island, recommended for experienced boaters only.

PACK IT: Backpacking stove (unless you have space to pack in your own cord of firewood)

FORGET IT: Slip ’n’ Slide (seen on the north side last summer)

GOOSE BUMPS: Sunset viewings of blacktail deer swimming between the islands

Trail City

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:00:00 -0700

This composite map of The Intertwine plots the parks, trails, and natural areas within the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area. Special thanks to Randy Morris and David Banis of Portland State University’s Center for Spatial Analysis and Research.

YOU’D BE HARD PRESSED to find a finer example of Aristotle’s idea that the “whole is greater than its parts” than Portland’s greenspaces: within about a 20-mile radius of downtown, we can tap roughly 1,250 miles of bicycle and pedestrian trails, and close to 40,000 acres of protected parks and natural areas.

Essentially, we live in a superpark.

Sure, individually, our dozens of natural areas (while beautiful) don’t exactly match the untrammeled grandeur of, say, northeastern Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness. Roads, cars, and buildings are never far away. But when viewed as a contiguous network of greenspaces, Portland’s playgrounds start to rival national park status, a fact that has spurred the development of the five-year-old Portland nonprofit the Intertwine Alliance.

Dreamed up in 2007 by then–Metro President David Bragdon, the alliance is a bistate coalition of more than 60 parks departments and agencies that aims to rebrand our parks as one symbiotic experience. In other words, quit thinking of the Columbia River as a divide between two cities and states. It’s the center of one connected region.

Why? In part because the intersection of fragile ecosystems and glassy condos makes Portland as distinctive as Yellowstone. Here, you’re never more than a few heron flaps from the wonders of both the natural and the modern world. Peregrine falcons roost under the Fremont Bridge. Coyotes sneak onto MAX trains. Salmon flock to creeks beneath Pittock Mansion. We ride shotgun with Mother Nature every day, yet our favorite brewpub is always just a few miles away. This summer, the Intertwine Alliance hopes to foster this connectivity by adding its logo—a rose-like pinwheel with four blades swirling in a circle—to trails like Fanno Creek in Beaverton and Tigard.

It will take more than clever branding to prioritize and manage the myriad open space projects in the Intertwine, as the network itself is known. After all, the notion of a grand park scheme isn’t exactly new. The celebrated urban planner John Olmsted envisioned such a scenario for Portland more than a century ago.

Yet, over the past two years, major gaps in the Intertwine have been plugged. In 2010, the 21-mile Banks-Vernonia State Trail was finally completed. Last year, the Springwater Corridor was extended clear to Boring, more than 21 miles from Portland. And in June, the Trolley Trail opened, turning a historic streetcar path into a multimodal trail from Milwaukie to Gladstone. Still more projects—like the North Portland Greenway, which will link the Steel Bridge to the St. Johns Bridge, and the continuation of the Springwater Corridor to Estacada—are in the works.

Park acreage keeps piling up, too. Metro’s natural areas team has added more than 750 acres of new open space in Multnomah County since 2010, a year that also saw the acquisition of 1,100-acre Chehalem Ridge near Forest Grove; Metro’s largest open space purchase with voter-approved bond funds to date.

Best of all, with more than a thousand miles of trails already at our disposal, we don’t have to wait to get out and explore. In the following guide, we lay out the essential Intertwine experiences. Whether you have only an hour to spare or want to plot a full-blown weekend campout, these trails and parks satisfy most any nature craving. And odds are you won’t even have to miss your favorite happy hour.

Welcome to the Intertwine.

To learn more about The Intertwine Alliance, visit theintertwine.org.

Sublime Southwest

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:00:00 -0700

Photo: Courtesy Jason Harris

Hillsboro’s Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve

KEY: H – Hike | B – Bike | W – Water Route

Tualatin Hills Nature Park | H, B

Just steps away from the Merlo Road MAX station, this 222-acre Beaverton gem provides entry to a complex ecosystem of wetlands, lily ponds, streams, and groves of oak and pine. In fact, nearly every kind of Willamette Valley habitat is represented here. The woodsy confluence attracts a cadre of noisy denizens like Pacific wrens, Swainson’s thrushes, and Cooper’s hawks. The presence of paved trails, like the Vine Maple Trail, along with easy access to the adjoining Westside Regional Trail, also makes it a haven for relaxed bike cruises beneath a cooling forest canopy. Access: 15655 SW Millikan Way, Beaverton

Cooper Mountain Nature Park | H

Unique trailside features like a bird’s nest–themed iron sculpture, swiveling “listening posts” that zero in on melodic chatter, and a nature-scape playground make this Metro’s most engaging natural area. The hiking’s not bad, either. A web of gravel-strewn trails (all of which can be explored in a morning or afternoon) tours restored woodland habitats and oak savannas, delivering vistas of distant, vineyard-dotted hillsides. Keep an eye peeled for the resident bobcat, who’s routinely spotted prowling the open meadows for stray bird eggs and unwary gray squirrels. Access: 18892 SW Kemmer Rd, Beaverton

Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve | H

Set in the floodplain of the Tualatin River, Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve stands as a kind of aquatic time-share for the 130 or so winged species trading seasonal space here. Overhead, waves of cinnamon teals, tundra swans, ruddy ducks, and other water lovers appear as if coordinated by air traffic control. And while most make quite a commotion, nothing tops the ear-deafening squawks from a large heron rookery visible from a patch of cottonwoods at the center of the preserve. In the unlikely event you’re skunked on bird sightings, try the visitor center, where a high-powered camera donated by nearby Intel zooms in on the feathery action at the north end of the wetlands. Access: 2600 SW Hillsboro Hwy, Hillsboro

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Photo: Courtesy E. Michael Kipp

While you’re out
Three half-hour nature fixes

Tualatin National Wildlife Refuge The 200 species of birds, 50 kinds of mammals, and 25 kinds of reptiles cavorting about all but guarantee surprises—like a great horned owl staring down from a cedar tree. 19255 SW Pacific Hwy, Sherwood

Orchard Park Stands of Doug firs and a disc golf course deliver sanity for untold numbers of Silicon Forest workers. To blow off more steam, follow the Rock Creek Trail, which visits a heron colony and connects a total of 10 parks. 20900 NW Amberwood Dr, Hillsboro

Lowami Hart Woods A former Camp Fire camp location, Lowami still inspires childlike fascination with the woods. Rocks in Johnson Creek provide a hopscotch course. Mossy logs sub in for balance beams. And abundant bug and bird sightings fill nature journals. 14895 SW Hart Rd, Beaverton

Post-trail Watering Hole

Cruise In Country Diner Grass-fed beef, tangy German potato salad, super-thick shakes, and a Willamette Valley-centric tap list. Why can’t every ’50s-themed burger joint do it like this? Gluten-free grazers are welcomed here with GF buns, chicken strips, and Widmer Omission beer. 9785 SW River Rh. Hillsboro; cruiseincountry.com

Afternoon Delights

Fri, 15 Jun 2012 09:00:00 -0700

Photo: Courtesy Mark Gamba

North Portland’s Smith and Bybee Wetlands

KEY: H – Hike, B – Bike, W – Water Route

4T Trail | H

This city-meets-wilderness circuit got its name from the modes of travel you’ll use: MAX trains, hiking trails, trollies (a.k.a. the Portland Streetcar), and the Portland Aerial Tram. Start downtown by boarding the westbound MAX to Washington Park. Newly added trail signs lead hikers over Highway 26, to a switchbacking climb up the rugged West Hills to Council Crest, the city’s mightiest perch at 1,073 feet. The five-volcano panorama is worth the trip alone. Next, descend through a thickly wooded ravine to Marquam Nature Park, and begin the climb to Oregon Health & Science University. Your reward? A scenic (and, in this direction, free) glide down the Portland Aerial Tram. Return via the Portland Streetcar. Transit fare required. Access: Washington Park MAX station

Smith and Bybee Wetlands | W, H

Hidden amid the terminals and warehouses where the Willamette meets the Columbia, within minutes of downtown St. Johns, sit Smith and Bybee Lakes, the cornerstones of three square miles of restored marshland. The short Interlakes Trail cuts between the two, offering hikers access to bird blinds. But a boat is the real ticket to sampling the wealth of wildlife, from egrets to blacktail deer and muskrats. As the water levels lower this month, look for an abundant population of western painted turtles sunbathing on logs. Access: From I-5 exit 307, go west on N Marine Drive for 2.2 miles to Smith Lake boat launch.

Warrior Rock Lighthouse Trail | H

Beach towels top the gear list needed to enjoy this six-mile, round-trip trek to the northern tip of Sauvie Island. Roughly three miles of sandy shores line the eastern edges of trail, but nothing is more scenic than the cape’s tip, where you’ll find a sun-bleached (and still-functioning) lighthouse and a deserted, coastal-quality beach. Daily $7 parking pass required; available at the Cracker Barrel Grocery. Access: End of NW Reeder Road

Photo: Courtesy Mark Gamba

Wildlife sighting along the Columbia Slough

Powell Butte | H, B

//// CONSTRUCTION ALERT! ////

A project to bury a 50-million-gallon water storage tank beneath Powell Butte means intermittent trailhead closures here through January 2013. But don’t let the Portland Water Bureau’s “big dig” deter an outing to this underappreciated east-side destination. For starters, fat-tire fans still have access to the 600-acre butte’s singletrack on the Elderberry and Blacktail Deer Trails. And thanks to thick groves of red cedars and large firs, the dump trucks and diggers stay mostly hidden. From Powell Butte’s upland meadow, you’ll score a range of Cascadian splendor, including clumps of lupines and views of four volcanoes. Access: Vivian Pump Station (14424 SE Center St) or the Springwater Corridor (just past SE 136th Ave)

Columbia Slough | W

Miles of flat water make the Columbia Slough catnip to budding paddlers. But even veteran boaters crave floats here to explore Big Four Corners Natural Area, a 200-acre expanse of wetlands rung by tufts of willows, black cottonwoods, and immense Oregon oaks, all virtually inaccessible by foot. During an hourlong paddle to Fairview Lake in Gresham it’s possible to reel in multiple sightings of red-legged frogs, otters, raccoons, and an army of birds. Access: Parking lot just south of NE 166th Avenue and NE Airport Way

Photo: Courtesy Graham Ballantyne

Tanner Springs Park

Post-trail Watering Hole

The Old Gold The elk burger with cherry relish hooks many a happy hour–goer, as do the excellent taps, with überlocal picks like NoPo-based Occidental Brewing and $2 pours of Rainier. 2105 N Killingsworth St; theoldgoldpdx.com

While you’re out

Three half-hour nature fixes

Tanner Springs Park Fresh off the 4T trail? Consider riding the streetcar right to this unexpectedly serene urban wetland burrowed into the northern edge of the Pearl District. From the stadium-like benches, survey wavy grasses, small ponds, and the occasional osprey. NW 10th Avenue and Marshall Street

Leach Botanical Garden Tucked into a deep ravine hollowed out by Johnson Creek, Leach’s trails invite short, well-shaded strolls packed with local color—more than 2,000 specimens of shrubs, wildflowers, and other plants reside here. A mossy stone cottage and river rock cobbled fireplace add a Grimm fairy-tale vibe. 6704 SE 122nd Ave

Kelley Point Park Groves of black cottonwoods and sun-soaked meadows at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia Rivers provide a welcome break from Portland’s conifer-heavy forests. Any number of side trails offer a river-chilled breeze and sights of Caspian terns. Kelley Point Park Road (at the west end of N Marine Drive)

Heroes of the Intertwine

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Image: Thomas Cobb

Linda Robinson

The former PSU data analyst leads the East Portland Parks Coalition’s push to green up neighborhoods east of I-205. In addition to founding the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, she spearheaded Gateway Green, the 38 acres of state-owned “surplus right-of-way” at the intersection of I-84 and I-205. To transform the looked-over acres into a $6.5 million bike park, Robinson herded 24 government entities, advocate groups, and even churches to sign a “declaration of cooperation” in 2010.

Kelly Punteney

Landmarks during Punteney’s 30-plus years on the job with Vancouver-Clark Parks and Recreation Department include the Burnt Bridge Creek Greenway, a multiuse path referred to as a “green jewel in the heart of the city,” and the Columbia River Waterfront Renaissance Trail, which won a 2009 Ecotourism Award. In 2011 Punteney joined the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and is now focused on the state’s Centennial 2013 vision of park connectivity.

Mel Huie

As the regional trails coordinator for Metro, Huie has overseen the acquisition and protection of more than 11,000 acres of land in the Portland area. In 1992, he helped draft the Metropolitan Greenspaces Master Plan, complete with detailed maps and a goal to develop a 900-mile system of trails and greenways in the metro area. Huie also had a legendary knack for securing funds: in 2006 he roped in $4.3 million for the Three Bridges Project on the Springwater Corridor, one of the largest grants ever secured through Metro for a single trail.

City Trails

Portland's Top Five Fall Foliage Walks

A Year in Nature

Express Escapes

Hoyt Arboretum | H

Tryon Creek State Natural Area | H

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge | H

Secret Gardens

Post-trail Watering Hole

Northern Stars

Lake River to Bachelor Island | W

Lacamas Lake Park | H, B

Salmon Creek Greenway | H, B

POST-TRAIL WATERING HOLE

Read This Now

Wild in the City: Exploring the Intertwine

Southbound

Trolley Trail | B

Upper Willamette Narrows | W

Mount Talbert | H

Post-trail Watering Hole

All-Nighters

Oxbow Regional Park

Government Island State Recreation Area

Trail City

Sublime Southwest

Tualatin Hills Nature Park | H, B

Cooper Mountain Nature Park | H

Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve | H

While you’re outThree half-hour nature fixes

Post-trail Watering Hole

Afternoon Delights

4T Trail | H

Smith and Bybee Wetlands | W, H

Warrior Rock Lighthouse Trail | H

Powell Butte | H, B

Columbia Slough | W

Post-trail Watering Hole

Heroes of the Intertwine

Linda Robinson

Kelly Punteney

Mel Huie

Tryon Creek State
Natural Area | H

While you’re out
Three half-hour nature fixes