Tigard Heritage Loop Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Rotary Plaza Trailhead
- End Point: Tigard Heritage Trail North Portal
- Hike Type: Loop
- Distance: 3.2 miles
- Elevation gain: 65 feet
- High Point: 195 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: All year
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Yes, on the Fanno Creek Trail
Contents |
Description
In 2013, the City of Tigard purchased a section of abandoned railroad paralleling Tigard Street and drew up plans to convert it into a paved universal access trail billed as an ‘outdoor museum.’ The trail opened in December 2019 with exhibits along the way, between Main Street and Tiedeman Avenue, honoring residents and settlers of the area from different ethnic communities. The trail itself is ¾ mile long, so for the return it’s suggested that you take the Fanno Creek Trail as it winds through Dirksen Nature Park and Woodard Park to end up at Main Street again.
The trail begins at Rotary Plaza on Main Street. The first exhibit tells the story of Harry Kuehne, an early resident originally from Austria. Also mentioned here is the man for whom Tigard is named, Wilson Tigard. Pass under the Highway 99 viaduct, with an active railroad line behind the fence on your right. New plantings line the path. Other displays tell the stories of Chinese-American, African-American, and Latina members of the community. You’ll pass Grant Street, which crosses Fanno Creek. Tall ponderosa pines rise to your right in a scrubland next to the railroad. There’s a history of early Japanese-American settlers as the trail (and Tigard Street) curves to the right. A brand new development us rising across the street. The environment becomes decidedly more industrial as you pass next to a lumber yard. You’ll reach the end of the trail where the railroad tracks cross Tiedeman Avenue. The display at this northern portal honors BaXawádas Louis Kenoyer, the last speaker of the Tualatin dialect of the Kalapuyan language.
Return down the trail about 40 yards and take the connector to the sidewalk below. Follow the sidewalk to the four-way junction of Tiedeman and Tigard Street. Go left a the junction along Tigard Street and cross Fanno Creek on a footbridge near a beautiful old farmhouse.
Cross Tigard Street and enter Dirksen Nature Park on the Fanno Creek Trail. A rustic buck and rail fence borders a restored oak savanna on the right, while a riparian bottomland of hawthorn, ash, and sedge verges Fanno Creek on your left. Soon you'll reach a restroom and an enchanting new playground (2019), which includes a "living willow" tunnel and stump houses. For a diversion into the woods, turn right here and pass the covered picnic area and restrooms to arrive at a signed junction. Go right here on a chip path for the Oak Savanna Overlook, and pass through a wood of mature Pacific ponderosa pines. At a meadow which blooms with summer wildflowers, the trail is bordered with a buck-and-rail fence. Go right at a junction for the overlook (turning left would take you out to the Dirksen Nature Park Trailhead off of Tigard Street), which exhibits small bronze sculptures of local wildlife.
Return the way you came to the junction near a large log above the restrooms, and go right for the Nature Trail Loop. The path takes you across a field to a junction at some exercise course stations. Head right for the Wetland Overlook, and enter a forest of cedar and Douglas-fir with invasive ivy and holly in the understory. Pass a bench, and turn right to the overlook platform in a swale of oaks and sedges. Head back to continue to the right on the loop, where you’ll pass under more ponderosas and reach a junction at a concrete foundation. Go left, and stay left at the sign for Gallo Avenue. The trail drops to a bench of larger Douglas-firs and cedars with a few young redwoods planted along Summer Creek. Pass the bridge leading to Fowler Middle School, and come out at the park’s main field. Keep to the edge of the field as you pass four large ponderosas (the last is an “octopus tree”), and walk behind the baseball diamond to reach the Fanno Creek Trail. Go right to cross Summer Creek to reach S.W. Tiedeman Avenue. Cross Tiedeman, and resume the trail past a nature mural before passing over Fanno Creek on a wide, sturdy pedestrian/bike bridge. You'll reach the oak and ponderosa pine-shaded lawns of Woodard Park. The trail passes the Woodard Park Trailhead near a playground, drinking fountain, and picnic tables. You’ll briefly walk through a mature oak/ponderosa wood before winding to the right through more parkland. Take a footbridge over Fanno Creek to reach Johnson Street.
Go left to follow Johnson Street. When you reach Grant Street, turn left towards Fanno Creek. As you approach the creek, you'll see the trail resuming to your right before the road bridge. Follow the paved path as it loops along with the creek near an apartment complex. The low concrete barrier was painted by aerosol artist Ashley Montague. Pass behind George Morlan Plumbing Supply, and take the LED-lit passage under busy Highway 99W to reach Tigard's Main Street at a spectacular mural of native wildlife by Jeremy Nichols. Make a left to walk up to the beginning of the Heritage Trail.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Dogs on leash
- Respect private property
Maps
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Tigard Heritage Loop Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Tigard Heritage Loop Hike
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- none
More Links
- Tigard Heritage Trail (City of Tigard)
- Tigard Street Heritage Trail (City of Tigard)
- Tigard’s Outdoor Museum (City of Tigard)
- “Tigard Street Heritage Trail is under construction” (The Times)
- Trails in Tigard (City of Tigard)
Page Contributors
- bobcat (creator)