Oaks Bottom Loop Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Sellwood Park Trailhead
- End point: Tadpole Pond
- Hike type: Loop
- Distance: 3.8 miles
- Elevation gain: 125 feet
- High point: 130 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: All
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Yes
- Oaks Bottom Accessibility Information (Access Recreation)
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Hike Description
The Oaks Bottom wetland, mainly fed by springs at the base of a Willamette River bluff, has become one of Portland's most beloved wildlife parks. The original acreage here was acquired by the City of Portland in 1959, and the northern section, once a landfill and then slated for industrial development was added in 1969. Unusually for a wildlife refuge, dogs are allowed here on leash, and the loop hike takes you along a small stretch of a major cycling trail, the Springwater Corridor. Waterbirds can be seen any time of the year, small passerines pass through on migration in the spring and fall, and beaver and nutria are active in the backwaters. To extend the hike, you can continue north on a network of trails above the Willamette until you reconnect with the Springwater to turn and make your return.
Near the parking lot, the trail leads down the bluff at a battery of information signs. There are views through the maples and grand firs to the Oaks Amusement Park and the tall buildings downtown. Fringe-cup, trillium, and fairy bells bloom on this slope in the spring. The graveled trail traverses down the slope to stone steps at the corner of a large field. Near here, you can see the railroad line and the busy Springwater Corridor bicycle/walking trail. There are a couple of options here: a wide track that leads along the base of the bluff or a footpath that stretches across the west side of the meadow below the railroad.
Turn right on the wide Bluff Trail at the foot of a steep slope. As you approach a line of cottonwoods, you'll begin to get glimpses of expansive Wapato Marsh, the large pond which is the centerpiece of the refuge and which sees varying shorelines throughout the year. Reach a junction with the South Meadow Trail and keep right.
This formerly muddy track saw a major refurbishment in 2012-2013. Railed boardwalks, two viewing platforms, and sturdy footbridges make for easy passage above the shoreline of the pond. Look for signs of beaver activity at the waterline, check out large numbers of great blue herons from Ross Island's rookery, and scope for various species of waterfowl. Mallards, buffleheads, pintails, and wigeons are common; in winter, flotillas of green-winged teals scud on the pond surface and wood ducks glide among the willows. If you see a large rodent, it's probably a nutria; muskrats and mink are also occasionally seen. Exotic Asian carp may be splashing in the shallows as well. A lucky sighting will be of the family of otters that sometimes comes in from the river to dine on carp. While salmon don't spawn at Oaks Bottom, the recently completed culvert project allows them to come in to the pond and rest during their migrations. In summer, the pond retreats; in the past, an unfortunate but beautiful sea of invasive purple loosestrife took over. This invasive plant is now under biological control with the introduction of weevil species that consume different parts of the plant. Cottonwoods dominate the shoreline, along with willow, red osier dogwood, and elderberry. Cedars have been planted all along the trail. Look up to get views of the huge wildlife mural on the walls of the Portland Memorial Mausoleum; more of the painting is visible in late fall after the leaves have dropped. Dedicated in 2009, at over 40,000 square feet, this is the largest hand-painted mural in the country.
Past the expanse of the pond, a carpet of invasive reed canarygrass dominates the riparian area. You'll see the recently reengineered creek snaking towards its outlet at the Willamette. Black-tailed deer can often be spotted grazing in this area. Big-leaf maples and red alders also shade the bluff to your right, and there are even a few madrones and oaks. At a junction with a foot trail, go left to thread through an ash woodland to the junction with the paved bike trail that comes down the bluff from the Oaks Bottom North Trailhead on Milwaukie Avenue.
Make a right turn here in bottomlands dominated by black cottonwood and Oregon ash. A small interpretive loop leads around Tadpole Pond, where three species of salamanders and three kinds of frog, including the invasive bullfrog, breed. Bird feeders on this loop attract small perching birds. A few camas bloom here in the spring. Go right when you return to the bike path, and reach an underpass below the railroad where you'll join the Springwater Corridor Trail. You can cross the Springwater, passing a Willamette River floodplain sign, and explore a little sculpture garden in the cottonwoods. Then you'll arrive at the riverbank across from East Island and Hardtack Island. Take an unofficial path leading north from here, staying as close as you can to the river bank. There is a network of trails under these cottonwoods and, despite the No Camping signs, you will likely pass a few tents. Nevertheless, you'll get pleasant views across to Ross Island and downriver before you rejoin the Springwater Corridor.
The Springwater itself runs straight as an arrow along the railroad. Note the poison oak sprouting on the verges. Bicycles whiz fast and free here, so keep to the right side of the track and always look before stepping out of line. After passing the 2.5 mile marker, you can note a couple of pylons with osprey nesting platforms - sometimes these are coopted by Canada geese. Also look for bald eagles on this stretch along the river, and scope out the pond for waterfowl from the fence line that divides the Springwater from the rail track. You'll also pass over the large culvert installed in 2018 to allow easier salmon passage to Wapato Marsh. Oaks Amusement Park appears on the right. Past the three-mile marker, reach a junction, and descend off the trail to the right; then turn left to go through an underpass below the railroad to pick up the South Meadow Trail, which cuts across the grassy sward with a myriad dipping swallows in the spring. In May and June, look for blooming camas, lupine, and checkermallow. Reach a junction, keep right and then, 35 yards later, head uphill from the stone steps to Sellwood Park.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Park hours: 5:00 a.m. - midnight
- Dogs on leash
- Stay on trails
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Oaks Bottom Trail Map (Friends of Oaks Bottom)
- Southeast Portland Bike/Walk Map (Portland Bureau of Transportation)
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Oaks Bottom Loop Hike
- GoalTechHikes Oaks Bottom Refuge - "A Gem in the City" 041418
- Four Ski Interludes, Part III: Skiing Oaks Bottom
- Oaks Bottom 7/27/06
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Oaks Bottom Loop Hike
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- Urban Trails: Portland by Eli Boschetto
- Discovering Portland Parks by Owen Wozniak
- Wild in the City: Exploring the Intertwine by Michael C. Houck and M.J. Cody (editors)
- 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Portland by Paul Gerald
- PDX Hiking 365 by Matt Reeder
- 100 Hikes: Northwest Oregon by William L. Sullivan
- Take a Walk: Portland by Brian Barker
- Nature Walks In and Around Portland by Karen & Terry Whitehill
- Peaceful Places: Portland by Paul Gerald
- Easy Portland Outdoors by Teresa Bergen
- Best Easy Day Hikes: Portland, Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
- Walk There! 50 Treks In and Around Portland and Vancouver edited by Laura O. Foster
- Walking Portland by Becky Ohlsen
- Trail Running: Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
- The Willamette River Field Guide by Travis Williams
- Oregon Hiking by Sean Patrick Hill
- Canine Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
- The Dog Lover's Companion to Oregon by Val Mallinson
More Links
- Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge (Portland Parks & Recreation)
- Sellwood Park (Portland Parks & Recreation)
- Friends of Oaks Bottom
- Oaks Bottom Habitat Restoration (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
- Oaks Bottom Enhancement Project (Friends of Oaks Bottom)
- Guide to Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge (SkyBluePortland)
- Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge (Our Big Little Adventures)
- Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge - Hiking (Roots Rated)
- Oaks Bottom (Oregon Encyclopedia)
- Oaks Bottom Loop Hike (All Trails)
- Walking with the Birds: Winter at Oaks Bottom (Trailkeepers of Oregon)
- Oaks Bottom Hike (Anthony Israel-Davis)
- "An easy hike through Oaks Bottom, Portland's urban wildlife refuge" (Oregon Live}
- "Huge mural will join heron overlooking Portland's Oaks Bottom" (Oregon Live)
- Unwanted Guests: A Few Invasive Plants at Oaks Bottom (Friends of Oaks Bottom)
- Ross Island/Oaks Bottom (Audubon)
- Oaks Bottom Bird List (City of Portland)
Contributors
- bobcat (creator)