Wilderness Park Loop Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Clark Street Trailhead
- End point: Camassia High Meadow
- Hike type: Two loops
- Distance: 2.2 miles
- Elevation gain: 390 feet
- High point: 595 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: All year
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: No
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Description
Some surprisingly large Douglas-firs tower above the trails of this 51-acre remnant of native forest on the upland slopes of West Linn. The hike involves two loops, one above and one below Clark Street. In the spring, typical forest floor flowers bloom, and using the second loop described, there is a way to connect from here to the "back door" of the Nature Conservancy's Camassia property, covered in the Camassia Natural Area Loop Hike.
A trail heads up from the west end of the parking area through a carpet of ivy. Salal, sword fern, and holly flourish under the Douglas-firs, grand firs, and maples. At a junction, keep left, passing a small spring, The trail heads gently down and, to do a peripheral loop, keep left at trail junctions. Reach a gated paved parking area that is no longer used. At the far end is a little painted board showing the trails and distances. Head up a trail from here and keep left at trail junctions. There are some bigger Douglas-firs here. The trail continues straight down and up out of a gulley to intersect with Clark Street, but after an English laurel/holly copse, go right to make a loop. Rise again now, keeping straight at junctions. The trail traverses and drops to a junction, where you go right. Drop down a steep set of steps and swing to the right past a chain barrier to the parking lot.
For the second loop, cross Clark Street and pick up a trail. Quickly come to a junction, where you go left through a carpet of Pacific waterleaf and blooming violet, trillium, toothwort, candy flower, and vanilla leaf in the spring. Pass through a thimbleberry thicket and drop down a slope. Keep right at the next junction, drop into a gully and then rise steeply on eroded steps past a large partially hollow Douglas-fir. You'll pass two connector trails that lead right up to Clark Street. Then you'll cross another gully and descend gradually to enter a vine maple thicket. Just before a footbridge, pass a trail leading left down to West Linn High School. From here, continue straight to a junction at a large, colorful signboard about the Camassia Natural Area. To reach Camassia, go left (no dogs allowed, though). You'll make a hillside traverse under oaks and Douglas-firs and through a thicket of Indian plum and snowberry. Reach the Camassia High Meadow, a scabland bench blooming with camas, blue-eyed Mary, and buttercup in the spring and rimmed with oak and an understory of poison oak. Descend the bench and continue on the chip trail to join the loop trail described in the Camassia Natural Area Loop Hike. (Make sure you turn right to follow the one-way Camassia loop counterclockwise.)
On the return, when you reach the signboard, go left and take the right-of-way that leads out to Windsor Terrace. Go right to reach Clark Street. When you reach Wilderness Park, pick up the chip trail on the east side of the street that will take you back to the trailhead.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Dogs on leash In Wilderness Park; no dogs permitted in the Camassia Natural Area
- There is a port-a-potty at the parking area.
Maps
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Wilderness Park Loop Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Wilderness Park Loop Hike
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- Take a Walk: Portland by Brian Barker
More Links
- Wilderness Park (West Linn Parks and Recreation)
- "Community members commit to cleaning up Wilderness Park" (West Linn Tidings)
- Wilderness Park-West Linn, Oregon USA (Waymarking)
- Wilderness Park, West Linn (iNaturalist)
Page Contributors
- bobcat (creator)