Revision as of 02:54, 27 December 2015

Waterfowl at the mouth of the Clackamas River, Clackamette Park (bobcat)

82nd Drive Bridge from Cross Park, Gladstone (bobcat)

Sea lion, Sportscraft Marina, Oregon City (bobcat)

• Start point: Clackamette Park Trailhead
• End Points: Washington Street Trailhead
• Trail Log:
• Hike Type: Loop
• Distance: 4.3 miles
• Elevation gain: 90 feet
• High Point: 55 feet
• Difficulty: Easy
• Seasons: All year
• Family Friendly: Yes
• Backpackable: No
• Crowded: On summer weekends

Description

This loop at the confluence of the Clackamas and Willamette Rivers takes you on both sides of the Clackamas, passing the old gravel mine at Clackamette Cove and a disused landfill soon to be revitalized with condos and river-view apartments. You'll cross the Clackamas via an old road bridge and loop back long the bluff in Gladstone. The walk is hemmed in by the loud and busy arteries of McLoughlin Boulevard and I-205, but waterfowl can be observed on the Cove and you can look for sea lions in the Willamette. Riverside cottonwoods shade a lot of this route and the area is very popular on warm, sunny days.

Walk from the parking lot to the Clackamas River, where there is often a large flock of gulls, ducks and geese begging for food. Then go right to walk under the Dr. John McLoughlin Memorial Bridge and turn right on a dirt road. On your left is the odd, defunct River Resources Museum, once a water treatment facility for the City of Gladstone, which owns the land here (Gladstone is evicting the current tenant in the hopes of selling the land back to Oregon City). Clackamette Cove, an old sand/gravel mining pit is to the left. Try to count the great blue herons posing silently around its shores. Reach the Main Street Extension and go left (There is no sidewalk on this street). After a few minutes, you'll pick up the paved Clackamas River Trail leading off to the left opposite a parking pullout. There are picnic tables and benches along the way as this trail leads above the cottonwood-lined cove with a Scots broom-dotted wasteland to the right (This area has been under negotiation for development as an urban renewal project for many years now). In addition to Scots broom, blackberry, teazel, young cottonwoods and tansy sprout on this blighted flat, some of this formerly the Rossman Landfill that obliterated a wetland. An osprey nest sits atop a tall pole. The trail reaches the Clackamas River and heads east. To the left, a narrow, Douglas-fir lined peninsula leads to the mouth of Clackamette Cove. Gladstone homes line the opposite shore on Clackamas Boulevard. Pass a fenced wastewater treatment plant for Gladstone and Oregon City on the right. A narrow concrete path leads down to the cobbled river edge. You can loop back to the main trail, which has turned from tarmac to concrete, on use trails (This loop may be under water during the winter/spring). Back on the main trail, pass a huge cottonwood and then walk under a multi-trunked, octopus-like grand fir.

Come to the Washington Street Trailhead, and go left to reach the 82nd Drive Bridge, now open only to pedestrians and bicycles. Look upstream to the rocky shore of the Clackamas and the noisy I-205 Bridge. The area on the Gladstone side is High Rocks Park, an extremely popular swimming hole in the summer when the waters are placid but still deep (Before the 82nd Drive Bridge was screened off, it was the jump off spot for local daredevils). On the opposite bank, reach Gladstone's Cross Park, named after Judge Harvey Cross, the founder of Gladstone. Take the trail leading down the bluff, and then go right past picnic tables under the cottonwoods and reach the end of the riverside trail where it switchbacks up twice to a parking area and restroom. Continue walking along Clackamas Boulevard to reach Chief Charles Ames Memorial Park, named after a former Gladstone Fire Chief. A paved trail leads along the buff to a gated pump station perched above the Clackamas River. Continue walking along Clackamas Boulevard until you reach Arlington Drive, where you go left and take the sidewalk. Pass behind a Walgreens and then a drive-up coffee place to cross the Clackamas River using the Dr. John McLoughlin Memorial Bridge.

At the end of the bridge, a gap between the bridge and a fence allows you to head down to the driveway for the River Resources Museum. Head back under the bridge to Clackamette Park. Reach the confluence of the Clackamas and Willamette Rivers, and begin to walk up the Willamette across a grassy, cottonwood-shaded meadow. Pass by an RV camp area and pick up a paved trail. Exit the park to reach Clackamette Drive opposite a Best Western motel. Walk on to Jon Storm Park, which has its own dock. Both here and at the the next dock, the Sportscraft Marina just beyond the I-205 Bridge, you may see basking sea lions on a sunny day.

Turn around at the docks, or if you want to continue your hike, take the path up from the Sportscraft Marina parking area to the sidewalk on McLoughin Boulevard. Walk to the Oregon City Bridge and then head in to the Municipal Elevator to begin the McLoughlin Promenade Hike.

Fees, Regulations, etc.

• Dogs on leash
• Parks closed 10:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.

Maps

• Maps: Hike Finder
• Clackamette Park (City of Oregon City)
• Parks and Facilities Map (City of Oregon City)

Trip Reports

• Search Trip Reports for Clackamette Loop Hike

Related Discussions / Q&A

• Search Trail Q&A for Clackamette Loop Hike

Guidebooks that cover this hike

• none

More Links

• Clackamette Park (City of Oregon City)
• Clackamette Cove Trail & River Access Trail (City of Oregon City)
• Friends of Clackamas Cove
• "Clackamette Cove waterfront project moving forward in Oregon City" (Portland Tribune)
• Parks & Recreation Information (City of Gladstone)
• High Rocks, Cross Park (Outdoor Project)
• History of Gladstone (Gladstone Historical Society)
• "After 23 years of free rent, Gladstone evicts tenant from oddball property" (Oregon Live)
• Jon Storm Park (City of Oregon City)

Page Contributors

• bobcat (creator)