Columbia Loop

C o l u m b i a 4 R i v Mayger e r Longview C10 Quincy ugged timberlands with fast-flowing erickson Dike rd 432 Rstreams and lush bottomlands of the Beaver falls rd 433 mighty Columbia River will greet you on Clatskanie 30 this northernmost loop of the Birding Trail. C9 Rainier Starting on the west bank of the Willamette Subject River near Portland’s Forest Park, you’ll pass to winter closure from suburbs into farmlands, then turn 47 northwest through forested mountains to the C11 timber town of Vernonia. There you’ll join the C12 lushly forested Nehalem River as it carries the 202 rains of the northern Coast Range through Mist moss and ferns back to the ocean. Here you 30 47 can find Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Steller’s Jay, American Dipper, “Pacific” Winter Wren, and other Northwest rainforest specialties. C8 After climbing out of this valley to pass over Clatskanie Mountain, where Sooty Grouse, Mountain Quail, and Gray Jay occur, you’ll descend nearly to sea level in the bottomlands

Vernonia C13 of the mighty Columbia River, home to large C6 St. Helens flocks of wintering waterfowl and raptors Scappoose vernonia Hwy e r v that hunt the agricultural lands. Traveling i C7 R m a l e upstream along the Columbia, you’ll return h e Warren C14 Ridgeﬁ eld N to the Willamette River at Sauvie Island, C5 30 home to wintering swan and Snow Goose

47 C flocks, and a staging ground for Sandhill C15 o l u m Crane flocks in migration.

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C4 R Loop sponsorship available

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nehalem Hwy C16

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Sauvie Island Vancouver

wilson river Hwy C3 Banks

W i North Plains ll 30 am ett e Ri ver 47 Skyline Blvd. cornelius Pass rd C2

cornell rd C1 Hillsboro Forest Grove 8 cornell rd. 219 Henry Hagg 6 8 217 Lake 205 6 Beaverton 43

Scoggins valley rd

Boring Gaston river rd Spring Hill rd Lake Oswego Damascus Bald Peak rd laurel rd Scholls ferry rd Tigard Clackamas 224 212 210 T ua lat in r 219 Rive 43 Sandy 99W 205

Tualatin rd Stafford rd Galdstone roy rogers rd Scholls-Sherwood rd Tualatin Bald Peak rd 211 rd 47 ood 205 rw She Tualatin West Linn 219 Sherwood 211 Springwater rd mountain rd 99E

Yamhill Boones ferry rd Stafford rd Oregon City

213 240 99W Wilsonville Estacada Carlton Newberg 219 Dundee locust St 99E Willam et Knights Bridge rd te Ri arndt rd ver Canby Spangler rd

Beaver creek rd Mola champoeg rd lla R iv er Aurora 211 St. Paul french Prairie rd

99E i

meridian rd

d d 219 u P 213 211 214 Molalla 211

Woodburn molalla forest rd

99W

Salem 22 Dallas

commercial rd river rd

Falls City Independence Monmouth 51

liberty rd monmouth Hwy

99W er 223 Riv ette er m iv a te R ll Luckiamu i Buena vista rd

corvallis rd W Buena Vista Ferry maple grove rd Talbot rd Pedee Airlie airlie rd

Buena vista rd

Kings Valley maxﬁ eld creek rd Springhill Dr

camp adair rd

Hoskins

Kings valley HwyKings valley Albany

223 99W Blodgett 20 Oak creek Dr walnut Blvd Wren

20 Corvallis 53rd st 53rd Philomath er iv 34 s R Mary’

mary’s Peak rd

99W

Decker rd Greenberry

34 v i

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Bellfountain rd W

Alsea Bruce rd

34 Bellfountain

South fork rd

Alpine 99W Monroe

alpine rd

Harrisburg 99W

Junction City

36 Cheshire

Coburg 99

camp adair rd

Eugene

126 126 126 126 99 Springfeild Veneta 126 C1. Audubon Wildlife C2. Rock Creek Greenway Oregon grape, and willows in the side Sanctuary and Forest Park From Hwy 26 W of Beaverton, exit on sloughs. In spring, listen for Pacific- 185th Ave. Turn N on 185th; take first L slope Flycatcher and look for Wilson’s From I-5 in Portland, exit onto Fremont and MacGillivray’s Warbler in the Bridge and stay in far R lane as you onto Rock Creek Blvd. Go W 1 mi and park on street; trailhead is to L. understory. Red-breasted Sapsucker pass over the bridge, then take Vaughn and Pileated Woodpecker also occur. A St exit. Continue on Vaughn St to the This greenway, along with the Emma vault toilet is 0.1 mi S of the trailhead second stop light (NW 25th). Turn L Jones Nature Preserve one block E, along the trail. onto 25th and follow to 4-way stop at hosts diverse wildlife for an urban site. NW Lovejoy. Turn R on Lovejoy (which A regional trail (paved with boardwalk AVO turns into Cornell Rd) and follow up hill in places) leads S along a creek with Sponsorship available for 1.5 mi to reach the Sanctuary. Park restored wetlands. Great Blue Heron at the Audubon Nature Store on R, 0.25 nests along the greenway just S of C6. Vernonia Lake mi past the second tunnel on Cornell US Hwy 26. Farther S is good for

PHOTO BY: S t e ph anie Hazen PHOTO BY: On E side of Vernonia along Hwy 47, Rd. Transit: Take TriMet Bus 15 to songbirds. Restrooms are along the Sandhill Crane 0.1 mi W of the Nehalem River bridge. 23rd/Lovejoy and walk (or bike with trail at Orchard Park. Bicycle access via the Vernonia Linear caution) 1.5 mi W on Lovejoy, which (gravel) may have Greater Yellowlegs, Trail Extension, which connects to the turns into Cornell. Or, take TriMet Bus ACEFGOP Solitary Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Banks-Vernonia State Trail. GPS 45° 15 to Thurman and 29th, walk down Sponsorship available and Pectoral Sandpiper in migration. 51.421’ N, 123° 10.471’ W. steps of Thurman St Bridge, and walk 1 mi up the trail from Lower Macleay C3. Killin Wetland EFGQ This former log pond is now a popular Park through Balch Creek Canyon to From Hwy 26, turn off on Hwy 6 toward Sponsor: Oregon Field local fishing spot. The lake provides Upper Macleay Park, which borders the Banks / Tillamook. Drive 5.8 mi to Ornithologists a rest stop for migrant waterbirds, Audubon Sanctuary. GPS 45˚ 31.60’ Cedar Canyon Rd and turn R. After 1.3 and breeding habitat for Pied-billed N, 122˚ 43.82’ W. mi, park at the intersection with Killin C4. L.L. “Stub” Stewart Grebe. Bird deciduous woods along the walking trail that encircles the lake The headquarters of Audubon Society of Rd; wetlands on both sides of Cedar State Park Canyon Rd. to find nesting Rufous Hummingbird, Portland (503-292-6855) stocks many From MP 46.5 of US Hwy 26, W of Warbling Vireo, Cedar Waxwing, and resources for your birding adventure. A Also known as Cedar Canyon Marsh, Banks, go N 4 mi on Hwy 47. GPS 45° Black-headed Grosbeak. A day-use foot trail leads through the Sanctuary this is a peat soil marsh bordered by 44.200’ N, 123° 11.541’ W. Bicycle fee is required for visits of 20 min or where a creek flows through second- willows, deciduous woods, conifers, access via Banks-Vernonia State Trail. more. growth mixed forest, with a small stand brushrows, and farmland. American Oregon’s newest state park as of 2009, of old-growth. Feeders provide close- Bitterns are the star of the show. this former logging site is being ABCDEFGOQ up views of Rufous Hummingbird, A spring visit will almost surely restored to a more diverse forest setting. Sponsorship available Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Red- reward you with several “ga-lunk”ing More than 17 mi of trail traverse the C7. Scapponia County breasted Nuthatch and Band-tailed to each other across the marsh. park, including a 3.5 mi section of the Pigeon, with Varied Thrush in winter. Virginia Rail, Sora, Cinnamon Teal, Banks-Vernonia State Trail. Douglas-fir Park Pileated Woodpecker often nests in Hooded Merganser, Gadwall, Wilson’s forest and undergrowth host Rufous From Vernonia, go N on Hwy 47 for the area. The Sanctuary adjoins Forest Snipe, Marsh Wren, and Common Hummingbird, Steller’s Jay, Brown 5 mi and turn R 0.5 mi past the hamlet Park, a wooded park that extends Creeper, Winter Wren, and Varied of Pittsburg. Go SE on Scappoose- for more than 6 mi from downtown Yellowthroat can also be found. Check the trees for Red-breasted Sapsucker, Thrush. State-of-the art campgrounds Vernonia Rd and turn R into park Portland, in the Tualatin Mountains. include RV sites and horse facilities, as entrance at MP 5.4. Access the park from multiple points Black-headed Grosbeak, and Western well as hike-in tent sites, making this a From Scappoose, go W on off of Skyline Blvd, to the NW of the Wood-Pewee. Overhead, watch for good base for wider explorations. Scappoose-Vernonia Rd for 14.5 mi Audubon Sanctuary. Vaux’s Swift and five species of swallows. Mudflats 0.5 mi up Killin Rd and turn L into park entrance at MP 5.4. ABCDO Bicycle access along Scappoose- ACEFGO Washington County Sponsor: Vernonia road is not advised due to Sponsor: Audubon Visitors Association Society of Portland many curves with narrow shoulders. A former logging road (gravel), shown C5. Beaver Creek as Columbia Forest Rd on some maps, Trailhead, Banks- parallels this road and links from Vernonia State Trail Scappoose to the Banks-Vernonia State MP 62.8 on Hwy 47, 10 mi N of Hwy Trail in Vernonia. GPS: 45° 50.614’ N, 26. Park in gravel pullout on E side of 123° 05.637 W. highway. This small campground is along the This day-use site access the central East Fork of the Nehalem River. Here part of the paved Banks-Vernonia the river is a meandering stream, State Trail, via a wooden footbridge shaded by mature Douglas-fir, western that’s wide enough for a wheelchair red-cedar, and big-leaf maple. Watch Pileated but steep on one end. Once across for American Dipper and Common Woodpecker the bridge, explore the riparian mixed Merganser along the creek. In spring PHOTO BY: forest, with an understory of salal and listen for Northern Pygmy-Owl in Steve Dowlan 7 may find Ruffed and Sooty Grouse, 122° 53.618’ W. Prescott Beach County affording close-up views. Also look for Gray Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Park is at the end of Graham Rd, which Bald Eagle, Osprey, gulls, cormorants, Varied Thrush, and Red Crossbill in is 0.7 mi N of the Trojan site on US Hwy and waterfowl. The nearby tavern the older stands. Recent clearcuts may 30. Then follow signs 0.6 mi to park serves meals. A $3 parking fee applies have Mountain Quail, Western Bluebird entrance. for stops longer than 15 minutes. and White-crowned Sparrow. Ravens This former nuclear power plant site still patrol the skies. Note that access may CDF has a park with a pleasant lake, picnic Sponsorship available be closed due to active logging or fire shelters and restrooms maintained by danger. Gates can be locked without Portland General Electric. Peregrine C13. Columbia Botanical notice, so do not drive in. Take care not Falcons nested on the Trojan cooling to block access when you park outside Gardens and Dalton Lake, Gray Jay tower, which used to loom 500 ft above a gate. St. Helens PHOTO BY: the park before it was demolished in Kevin Smith 2006; the falcons are still seen now Botanical Gardens: In St. Helens LNS TS from US Hwy 30 near MP 29, turn NE Sponsorship available and then. A flock of domestic geese will daytime, or Northern Saw-whet Owl certainly greet you. However the best onto Liberty Rd. Go 0.4 mi to junction and Western Screech-Owl at night. C10. Erickson Dike Road birding is to the N of the park at the Carr with West St. then 0.1 mi further. Turn Late spring brings Pacific-slope (and Slough wetlands. Either hike along the L (NW) on 6th St. for 0.6 mi, and From US Hwy 30 in Clatskanie, go N possible Hammond’s) Flycatcher, dike that starts from the NE corner of a park on R side of road by sign for 0.1 mi on Nehalem Ave, then L on 5th plus Swainson’s Thrush and Hermit large reservoir N of the entrance road, Columbia Nature Trail. Dalton Lake: St, which becomes Beaver Falls Rd. Warbler, to mature forests in this part or drive N 0.7 mi on Hwy 30 to Graham Immediately after turning NE onto After 0.5 mi turn L on Depot St, then of the Coast Range. Rd. This road is elevated with good Liberty Rd from US Hwy 30, turn L on L again within 0.1 mi on Clatskanie views of the wetlands on either side Oregon St and go 0.3 mi to Columbia District Rd. After 0.3 mi this road forks; ABVDOTS of the road. Waterfowl are abundant in Humane Society, from which a trail turn L onto Erickson Dike Rd. This road Sponsorship available the winter. At the end of Graham Rd, leads to overlook. winds for 6 mi along side sloughs of check Prescott Beach County Park for the Columbia River (pavement ends This small nature park is a delightful C8. Big Eddy County Park wintering gulls and scaup flocks on after 2 mi). After birding the NE (dead- springtime stop, and a cool oasis in From Vernonia, go N on Hwy 47 for 8 the Columbia River, and Caspian Tern end) section of the road, return to the summer. A narrow footpath lined mi and turn L into park entrance. during spring and summer. This park Clatskanie by the same route. A loop with trillium, bleeding-heart, and other This small, well-shaded park on the charges a day-use fee of $2 per vehicle; by way of Collins Rd #1 and Hermo Rd wildflowers descends into a ravine with banks of the Nehalem River is popular entrance to the Trojan site is free. back to Beaver Falls Rd at the Quincy fern-covered basalt outcrops, then on weekends. The park was purchased Store is possible, but those roads are winds up the opposite slope. Dense in the early 1900s by the women of ABCD in very poor condition and offer little willows at the bottom are buzzing with Vernonia, to preserve a small piece of Sponsorship available birding interest. GPS: 46° 08.789’ N, Rufous Hummingbird by April. Orange- old growth forest. The isolated stand of 123° 13.414’ W. C12. Goble Marina crowned Warbler and other riparian trees eventually fell in a windstorm, but species can be expected later in the second-growth growth trees now host This road runs atop dikes along E side of US Hwy 30 between MP 40 nesting season. Nearby Dalton Lake a variety of woodpeckers and warblers. side sloughs of the Columbia River, and MP 41, at Goble Landing. hosts waterfowl, plus woodpeckers and Watch for American Dipper on rocks, with views of the main channel in The private marina at Goble Landing songbirds in the surrounding woods. and Common Mergansers and Belted places. Watch for wintering flocks of is worth a quick stop for snacks and to Follow a paved trail from the Columbia Kingfisher flying along the river. Lesser and Greater Scaup, gulls, and scan the river, and especially to check Humane Society, and hike dirt path cormorants on the deeper water, and for Purple Martins during nesting leading to a cliff overlook. RCD Wood Duck, Hooded Merganser in season, June–Sept. The owners have Sponsorship available more marshy sections. Raptors hunt put up houses on the dock pilings, AEFG the open farmland. Migrant shorebirds Sponsorship available C9. Clatskanie Mountain such as Greater Yellowlegs use tidal Along Hwy 47 between Mist and mudflats and slough edges. Check tall C14. Scappoose Bay Clatskanie, MP 4 to MP 8. cottonwoods along river for nesting Marine Park Nature Trail After winding along a scenic stretch Great Horned Owl. Red-eyed Vireo At MP 25.9 of US Hwy 30 S of Warren of the Nehalem River from Vernonia have occasionally been heard singing (a small town between Scappoose and to the hamlet of Mist, Hwy 47 climbs during June, from the hybrid poplar St. Helens), turn SE onto Old Portland north over the east flank of Clatskanie plantations in the dikelands. Rd, then go L after crossing the railroad Mountain. At 1200 ft, this is the highest KQ tracks and continue 0.3 mi to parking elevation along the Columbia Loop, Sponsorship available area for Scappoose Bay Marine Park. and may be closed or hazardous from Nature Trail is along the waterfront to Nov–March if winter storms bring snow C11. Trojan Site and the N side of the marina store. GPS 45˚ to the Coast Range. Douglas-fir and Prescott Beach County 49.724’ N, 122˚ 50.293 W. red-cedar forests along the highway Park A paved nature trail with gentle grades are privately owned. Daytime access winds through cottonwood and ash The Trojan site is at MP 41.5 on US Hwy on foot is permitted along some side bottomland woods that host Hairy

30, which is 4.5 mi S of Rainier and 12 I r o n s Dave PHOTO BY: roads, subject to posted restrictions. Woodpecker, Band-tailed Pigeon, mi N of St. Helens. GPS 46° 02.161’ N, By walking along these roads, you Greater Scaup Brown Creeper, and Black-capped 8 Chickadee. Where the trail meets the for specific sites.a good winter driving bay, look for Osprey, scaup, Bufflehead, loop begins at the bridge, goes N 2.2 and cormorants. Pacific Ocean tides mi on Sauvie island rd to reeder rd, Winter Wren affect Scappoose Bay via the Columbia continues e 4.4 mi to Gillihan rd, then PHOTO BY: River estuary; at low tide sandpipers loops back S, W and N 6.0 mi to the glen linDeman and other shorebirds feed on exposed bridge. mudflats, especially in late summer. Public transit/bicycle access: on reeder rd to the oak The marine park has covered picnic TriMet Bus route 17 from portland island turnoff (L), then 3 areas, and a canoe/kayak dock for terminates at a park-and-ride lot just mi to oak island, turning L further exploration of Scappoose Bay. Ne of the Sauvie island bridge. The at a T-intersection to a gravel bus does not always run on weekends. parking lot. oak island rd is paved ARCVFG Bicycling around the island from this Sponsorship available until reaching the wildlife management point is possible with caution, as roads area, where it becomes gravel. are narrow, may lack shoulders, and patches, with Swamp and White- C15. Scappoose motorized traffic moves at 50 mph. Oak Island Rd passes through the throated Sparrows found annually Bottoms and Crown Willamette Valley’s main wintering area along with more common Song, Sooty Sauvie Island marks the confluence of for Sandhill Crane flocks. In addition Fox, Lincoln’s, Golden-crowned, White- Zellerbach Trail the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. From US Hwy 30 at Mp 20 in Scappoose, to huge flocks of Canada and Cackling crowned, and Savannah Sparrows. From the Willamette, Multnomah Goose, flocks of Snow Goose and Coon Point and beaches along Reeder turn e on crown Zellerbach rd and go Channel continues northward to 0.4 mi, then N on West Lane rd for 0.9 Greater White-fronted Goose can also Rd draw migrant shorebirds in late Scappoose, forming the western be seen. Wintering raptors include summer. The beaches along Reeder Rd mi to fork with Honeyman rd. Turn r boundary of the island. Sauvie Island on Honeyman rd and follow for 7.5 mi Rough-legged Hawk, Merlin, and are very popular summer destinations; offers good birding year round, but Peregrine Falcon. After the Oak Island birders will also enjoy nesting Pacific- loop route that returns to Scappoose is outstanding in winter, when the via columbia ave (or continue S on unit of the wildlife management area slope Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, refuge teems with migratory ducks, opens for the summer on April 15, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Bullock’s dike rd for 3 mi to rejoin US Hwy 30 geese, swans, and Sandhill Crane. S of Scappoose). look for nesting Western Wood-Pewee, Oriole. The sounds can be as stimulating White-breasted Nuthatch, Cedar The open farmland, pastures and as the sights, as when thousands of Waxwing and Black-headed Grosbeak AVDHKNQS wetlands along this loop route are geese rise into the air as a Bald eagle along the 2-mi Oak Island Loop Trail. Sponsor: Jane Hartline and Mark known for wintering waterfowl, egrets approaches. On the way to Oak Island, birders are Greenfield on behalf of Audubon and raptors, including Rough-legged The southern half of the island is invited to visit and bird the grounds of Society of Portland Hawk. At the NE corner of the loop, scan mainly private farmland, while the Kruger’s Farm Market on Sauvie Island fields in winter for Short-eared Owl and northern half is mainly a state wildlife Rd, 1.6 mi from the bridge. C18. Wapato Access watch for Barn Owl at dusk. Bald Eagle area. Many portions of the wildlife area Greenway State Park, nests here in spring. A small county are closed to the public Oct 1 – Apr AVDHKNQS Sauvie Island park by Scappoose Airport at the start 15. A daily or annual pass is required Sponsor: Kruger Farms to park at designated sites within From the Sauvie island park-and-ride of Honeyman Rd has restrooms and lot, go N on Sauvie island rd 2.2 mi to picnic tables ($2 day-use fee), as well as Sauvie Island Wildlife Area, including C17.Coon Point and North Oak Island (C16), Coon Point and intersection with reeder rd. continue RV camping under oak woods that host Reeder Road, Sauvie 0.5 mi on Sauvie island rd and turn White-breasted Nuthatch. Black-headed Viewing Platform No. 1 (C17). Passes Island Wildlife Area can be purchased at the store just E L into gravel parking area at trailhead. Grosbeak and Bullock’s Oriole nest From the Sauvie island park-and-ride of the Sauvie Island bridge, at the two GpS 45˚ 39.596’ N, 122˚ 50.328’ W. nearby. The Crown Zellerbach Trail can lot, go N on Sauvie island rd 1.1 mi RV park stores (see below), or at the This popular trail provides an additional be hiked either S from the intersection to Howell Territorial park on the r. wildlife area headquarters on Sauvie hiking destination on Sauvie Island, of Crown Zellerbach Rd and West Lane continue N on Sauvie island rd another Island Rd, 0.2 mi N of Reeder Rd. especially during the winter months Rd (1.9 mi to Multnomah Channel), or 1.1 mi to a r turn onto reeder rd. on when access elsewhere is limited. In for a shorter walk, in either direction RV camping for a fee is possible both reeder rd go 3.2 mi (2.0 mi past the from the intersection of Dike Rd and at Island Cove RV Park (on Reeder oak island turnoff) to a gravel parking winter look for Downy Woodpecker, Columbia Ave. Wetlands toward the S Road 8.5 mi from the turnoff from lot on the L. To get to Viewing platform Northern Flicker, Bewick’s Wren end of the trail host American Bittern. Sauvie Island Rd) and at the Reeder No. 1, continue N on reeder rd another and Black-capped Chickadee, with White-tailed Kite is sometimes seen. RV park (5.7 mi down Reeder Rd). 4.0 mi beyond coon point; turn L into ducks and cormorants where the trail ACDEFGKOQ Island Cove also offers tent sites. No the parking lot. rentenaar rd is 3 mi comes to the Multnomah Channel. Sponsorship available gas or other lodging is available. further N on reeder rd, which turns to The riparian deciduous woods gravel farther N. host songbirds including Warbling C16. Oak Island, C16–18 Sauvie Island Coon Point and Viewing Platform Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler, General directions for Sauvie Sauvie Island Wildlife No. 1 along Reeder Rd offer views of and Common Yellowthroat during Island sites: at Mp 10.9 on US Hwy Management Area large wintering duck and goose flocks, spring migration, plus Black-headed 30 between portland and Scappoose, From the Sauvie island store, go N with chance of rare Emperor or Ross’s Grosbeak and Swainson’s Thrush in turn Ne onto Sauvie island Bridge. on Sauvie island rd 1.1 mi to Howell Goose along with Canada, Cackling, late spring and summer. From Sauvie island park-and-ride lot Territorial park on the r. continue N on Snow and Greater White-fronted Goose. Sauvie island rd another 1.1 mi and Rentenaar Rd at the N end of Reeder Rd A at Ne end of bridge (GpS 45˚ 37.752’ Sponsorship available N, 122˚ 48.875’ W), follow directions turn r onto reeder rd. Go e 1.2 mi is one of Oregon’s best winter sparrow