Context
The West Hills (also called Tualatin Mountains) is a series of hills that is considered to be a spur of the North Oregon Coast Range [Link]. Stretching along the western part of the City of Portland, it is a unique geologic landmark within the Willamette River Valley and has determined the location of the Columbia River (located to its east of the West Hills) due to its change in topography. The West Hills generally does not contain many high elevations where the highest elevation is 390 metres. This is especially the case if you consider the broader Coast Range where elevations of some of the highest peaks can be in the thousands of metres in height.
The West Hills over time have shaped the way Portland was built. Even today there are few transportation options to go from Portland to Beaverton, a separate municipality west of the city centre. With the US Route 26 (Sunset Highway) providing the main vehicular transportation link with the west end of the urban area and the MAX (the city's LRT network), there are few other transportation alternatives. NE Burnside and NE Cornell Roads are the only streets that traverses the West Hills and provides direct access to the hundreds of homes in the area. Besides being a predominantly upper class residential community, the West Hills are also home to a large network of green space such as Washington Park, Linnton Park, Forest Park, Oregon Zoo, the Japanese Garden, and the International Rose Garden. Although it makes a lot of sense to treat the West Hills as open space, the legacy of such a public place is due to the efforts by the Olmstead Brothers.
Olmstead Portland Park Plan
John Charles Olmsted (his stepfather was Frederick Law Olmsted) was an instrumental figure in the early 1900s and transformed Portland into a city of many connected parks and open spaces we see today. In 1904 he presented the Olmstead Portland Park Plan to city council where the long term vision was to create a series of parks through land acquisition and long term planning to fulfill the document's vision [Link]. Although his vision has still not been fully realized more than one hundred years later, many of the document's elements are currently in place, such as Forest Park and Tryon Creek State Park located further south near Lake Oswego. The image below is the original plan as visioned to be laid out for the city [Link].
Source: American Society of Landscape Architects (https://www.asla.org/portland/site.aspx?id=43661)
Tour of the West Hills
Although many of Olmstead's vision was never realized (and with so much urban growth now, probably never will), the numerous parks and attractions within the West Hills is still something to be celebrated. By taking a casual hike in the West Hills as a day trip, it will become quite apparent how it has shaped how Portlanders view nature. As part of a day trip, I took the bus into the city center and then transferred into another bus (Route 15) that takes you into one of the entrances into the park located at NW Thurman and NW 29th. From there you take the series of metal stairs down to the ravine below.
As you approach the bottom of the ravine you will be greeted by a metal truss bridge. This is the starting point of the Lower MacLeay Trail which then takes you to the broader series of trails within the West Hills. From here and for the next several hours you are treated to vegetation so lush and typical of the Pacific Northwest. Even though this trip was held in the middle of August and the hottest time of year in Portland, the vegetation was still very green. During this time of year, Balch Creek is nothing but a little stream with very little volume due to the endless days of sun and no rain. Still, the trickling of water down this little waterfall was quite soothing.
There was also some nature amongst the leafy canopy, such as a bright green caterpillar and the nasty looking banana slug. This apparently wasn't even the largest specimen, as these slugs can grow to almost 10 inches in length.
Witches Castle
A fifteen minute easy stroll on the Lower MacLeay Trail will take you to what is called the Witches Castle. Despite the name, the stone structure appears to be a former house built by someone located in the middle of a forest. The structure is completely abandoned and other than the stone walls there is nothing else that remains. It is a reminder however that you are still within very close proximity to the city. This pitstop is also where the Wildwood Trail meets the Lower MacLeay Trail and the level of difficulty in traversing the trail rises a notch.
Wildwood TrailOne of the main trails in the entire trail system in Forest Park is Wildwood Trail, which links several large tourist attractions such as the Pittock Mansion and the Oregon Zoo. You literally can go from one end of Portland and to many destinations around the West Hills without the necessity of a car. But of course by the time you get to your destination, you are likely going to be sweaty and used up all your energy. That is because the trail takes you through a variety of slope conditions from flat to downright scary especially if you are afraid of heights.
The trail really teaches you a lot about conservation and the protection of the city's natural areas, as I did not see any garbage during my three hour hike, nor was there the smell of weed anywhere, despite Oregon being one of the first states in the US to legalize recreational marijuana use. From an urban planner's perspective, Forest Park and the West Hills in general is an example of environmental protection against developer interest. If it wasn't for the number of parks and trails in the area, the entire West Hills could have become a haven for wealthy Portlanders.
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