Photo by Adam Sawyer
Parents, if I told you there was a 222 acre nature park with 5 miles of trails close to the city, would you be interested? “Sure. Why not? Put it on the list with the rest of them and we’ll get there eventually.” Ok, now envision that the park contains some of the most wildly diverse habitat you can find in one place near Portland. “What is it, Lacamas Creek Park? We’ve been there buddy.” Nope, good guess though. Now throw a world-class Interpretive Center in the mix—a building with classrooms, exhibits for the kids, a reference library, and a nature store. “The Audubon Society, no wait, Tryon Creek!” All fine guesses and great places to visit, but at this place you have a legitimate chance of encountering deer, as well as a throng of other wildlife. Oh and there’s a MAX stop right outside the park. “Okay okay, I give up. Where is this urban Shangri-La?”
It’s the Tualatin Hills Nature Park (THNP). Don’t feel bad if you haven’t been. My family and I visited for the first time recently, and it’s officially added to the ever-growing list of places we can’t believe we somehow overlooked, but will now visit frequently. The Nature Park Interpretive Center is so exquisite that your family could easily whittle away an afternoon perusing the library, checking out things under a microscope, or maybe even attending one of the classes offered.
If you manage to get past the Interpretive Center, roughly 5 miles of paved and unpaved trails await. There are numerous loop options of varying length that allow you to choose your own adventure. The Rangers describe the area as a “mosaic of habitats” with good reason. In about 4 miles worth of hiking you’ll be able to visit evergreen and deciduous forests, meadows, wetlands, ponds, and creeks. When we visited we were told to keep an eye out for wildlife, namely deer. I gave a casual smile and a nod, not expecting so much as a fleeting glimpse of a deer. After all, my 9 year old is not known for her stealth on the trail. Sure enough though, we encountered a family of three deer grazing on leaves about 10 feet off the trail, giving us the occasional glance. According to staff, somewhere between 5 and 10 deer regularly roam the Nature Park. This place will require at least one visit per season from the Sawyer family.
Photo by Adam Sawyer
To get there from Portland, take the 26 west towards Beaverton. Take exit 69A and merge onto the 217 south. Take exit 2A and turn right onto OR 8 / Canyon Road and drive for 2.5 miles. Turn right onto SW Millikan Way and drive another .5 mile. The THNP will be on the left. Alternately, take the light rail MAX blue line to Hillsboro and get off at the Merlo Road/SW 158th Ave station. Turn left, cross the tracks, and take the paved Oak Trail into the park.
-Adam Sawyer
Photo by Adam Sawyer
Photo by Adam Sawyer
