Ascending the licorice fern boulder slope in the Columbia Botanical Gardens, St. Helens (bobcat)

Madrone canopy, Columbia Botanical Gardens (bobcat)

Woods violet (Viola glabella), Columbia Botanical Gardens (bobcat)

The loop through the Columbia Botanical Gardens in St. Helens (bobcat) Courtesy: Google Maps

• Start point: Columbia Nature Trailhead
• End point: Cvetich Camas Field
• Hike type: Loop with spur
• Distance: 1.1 miles
• Elevation gain: 45 feet
• High point: 125 feet
• Difficulty: Easy
• Seasons: All year
• Family Friendly: Yes
• Backpackable: No
• Crowded: No

Hike Description

This small nature park fills the space of an abandoned quarry. The forest of maple and Douglas-fir has regrown here around seasonal ponds dense with willow. You’ll be able to see a camas prairie on an upland above the quarry and also loop around on Belton Road to get views of the Columbia River. The property was donated in 1976 by the Brownlow and Cvetich families, with the Cvetich Trust still owning the camas scabland. Make sure you obey all No Trespassing signs.

Switchback down twice from the parking pullout to reach a swampy bottomland, actually part of the old quarry. Ivy climbs over everything here and carpets the forest floor. A willow thicket flourishes in the quarry pond, which has a healthy population of bullfrogs. Trillium, Solomon plume, woods violet, and salal bloom here in the spring. The graveled trail makes a sharp turn left before you see a user trail leading up a boulder, licorice fern-draped slope.

Hiking up here, you’ll pass a pinnacle of rock and a viewpoint over the bottomland. The trail then enters a camas scabland, heavily infested with Scots broom and fringed by oak trees, but which blooms pale purple in April. This is outside the park but part of the Cvetich Trust. Don’t wander too far, or you’ll be trampling the camas, but far enough to appreciate the expanse, which extends to Lemont Street.

Drop down past the pinnacle again and bear right on a bench, keeping right to exit the Douglas-fir/maple woods to reach an open area below a quarry face. Bearing left and then right you’ll soon connect again with the main bottomland trail where many trillium bloom. Hike under ivy-draped maples to reach a driveway where the trail reenters the woods and soon comes to the end of Belton Road.

Turn left and follow the road, getting views of the Columbia River and a glimpse of the top of Mount Saint Helens. After the road curves left, you’ll see Dalton Lake down to the right. You’ll pass the Elks Lodge property on the right before arriving at your vehicle.

Fees, Regulations, etc.

• Open sunrise to sunset
• Respect private property

Maps

• Maps: Hike Finder
• City of St. Helens Trail Map (City of St. Helens)

Trip Reports

• Search Trip Reports for Columbia Botanical Gardens Loop Hike

Related Discussions / Q&A

• Search Trail Q&A for Columbia Botanical Gardens Loop Hike

Guidebooks that cover this hike

• none

More Links

• Trail – Columbia Botanical Gardens (City of St. Helens)
• Columbia Nature Trail (All Trails)
• Columbia Botanical Gardens (Wild Columbia County)
• “Newly detailed trails map says to take a hike” (Columbia County Spotlight)
• Obituary for Charles Cvetich (Columbia Funeral Home & Cremation Center)

Contributors

• bobcat (creator)