Powell Butte
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Hikes to this location:
- Powell Butte Summit Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Powell Butte-Johnson Creek Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Powell Butte Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Powell Butte West Loop Hike (TH | <— —> | LOG)
- Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
- Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
- Latitude, Longitude: 45.48739, -122.50327
- Elevation: 612 feet
Description
The view from the summit of Powell Butte includes Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams and Mount Rainier as well as Clackamas Butte and Mount Scott to the immediate south and Gresham Buttes to the east. Mount Jefferson and Olallie Butte can also be distinguished on a clear day. A mountain finder circle located at the summit points out all of the visible summits and lists all of their elevations and distances.
The summit area is also graced by an abandoned orchard, planted in the late 1800s: the trees are mostly walnuts, but there are also a few apples and pears. There are picnic tables and benches as well.
Powell Butte is a 10 million-year-old Boring volcano. It was formerly known as Camp Butte, but was renamed Powell Butte in the 1960s in honor of three Powell pioneers who homesteaded near here in the 1850s: Jackson Powell (considered the founder of Gresham), James Powell, and Dr. John Parker Powell. In the early 20th century, the Andereggs, a family of Swiss dairy farmers, leased the meadows on the old cinder cone to graze their cows. The dairy was first named Mountain View Dairy but the name was subsequently changed to Meadowland Dairy. During this time, the prominence was also known as Anderegg Hill.
In 1925, the Portland Water Bureau took over the property but continued to allow the Anderenggs to graze cows in the open meadows. Two large water tanks (reservoirs) were constructed on the north slope, below the current parking lot. The underground 50 million-gallon Reservoir #1 was built just to the north of the summit area in 1980. The Anderegg family halted farming in the area in the late 1980s, and the Powell Butte Nature Park was opened to the public in 1990. In 2014, Reservoir #2, also 50 million gallons, was completed just west of Reservoir #1. At the same time, some new trails were added to the park, others were rerouted, and several trails were renamed. A new visitor center was constructed near the Powell Butte Trailhead, and other new buildings include a caretaker's house and a large shed and yard.
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Contributors
- Stevefromdodge (creator)
- bobcat