TRAILHEAD The end of NW Creston Road, off St. Helens Road
DISTANCE 2.8 miles round trip
DURATION One hour and forty minutes
ELEVATION A total change of 650 feet, with a low point of 250 feet and a high point of 900 feet
CONDITIONS This loop mostly consists of well-maintained fire lanes but also includes 0.25 mile of downhill bushwhacking through light undergrowth. It may be helpful to wear long pants and bring along some rose pruners.
FROM DOWNTOWN This hike begins 9.5 miles from West Burnside and Interstate 405. Driving north on Highway 30 (also called St. Helens Road), pass through Linnton and beneath some high-tension power lines. About a mile north of Linnton, take the exit for NW Harborton Drive on your left. This road twists to the left as it climbs the hill; follow it uphill until it levels out on NW Creston Road. Creston is about 200 yards long, with no parking at its far end, so park midway down the road on the shoulder and walk to the northwest end.
TriMet: From downtown, take bus 17 (NW 21st Avenue/St. Helens Road). Disembark just north of Linnton at Harborton Drive
(stop 8744). Walk up Harborton (turning left at the first intersection) and continue uphill until you reach Creston Road. Proceed north on Creston to the gate at the end of the road.
This remote loop is undoubtedly among my favorite hikes in Forest Park. It encompasses some of the most scenic areas of the far northern end of the park, combining wooded hillsides with deep ravines, gurgling brooks, and open sunny vistas. It is an ideal hike for a clear day, as it provides spectacular views of Mount Rainer, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Sauvie Island, and the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers. The route features lovely, well-maintained trails through a pristine and remote little valley. There is nice, open walking along the BPA Road, with its stunning view from the promontory, and a seldomused descent along Fire Lane 13. You are more likely to encounter deer on this hike than people. Please note, however, that about 100 yards of bushwhacking is required to return to the entry point.
At the end of Creston Road a forest gate marks the entry to Forest Park and Fire Lane 12.
Past the gate, Fire Lane 12 heads in a southwesterly direction and traverses the southern slope of the Miller Creek valley. This part of the trail accommodates bicycles, so you might encounter an occasional mountain biker whizzing down from Skyline Boulevard.
On the right the hillside drops off steeply. At the bottom of the ravine you may glimpse Miller Creek gurgling happily on its way to the Willamette River. The trail slope is moderately steep as you climb to an elevation of 875 feet where Fire Lane 12 intersects with the BPA Road. But it is not so steep as to demand chest-heaving exertion. Take it slow and steady so that you can enjoy the beauty of this remote valley with its overhanging cedars and plentiful deer. Halfway up the slope to the left of the trail you will find a seasonal pool (among the bushes) that is clearly popular with the wild residents of these parts.
Fire Lane 12 is an old road with a gravel base that keeps it reasonably dry in the wet season. As it winds along the hillside, note the hexagonal columns of basalt peeking out from under the trees. Sixteen million years ago, before the Cascade Range arose, flood basalts flowed like molten wax from eastern Oregon into the Portland area. Repeated floods of basalt continued to inundate the region, each layer eroded by time and reduced to clay. Then about eight million years ago tectonic forces pushed up the North Cascades and folded these basaltic flows in the Portland area to produce the very hills upon which
Yellow-tipped coral mushroom (Ramaria rasilispora), one of the many mushrooms found throughout this area
you are walking. The exposed basalt that can be seen below the tree roots of the overhanging cedars is all the evidence left of that mighty transformation.
As you ascend to the head of the Miller Creek valley (about 650 feet elevation) you’ll reach a three-way intersection. Straight ahead is Fire Lane 15, which continues up the valley a bit further. Across the creek you might also spot the remnants of Fire Lane 14, which traverses the opposing flank only to end abruptly, presumably at the end of the park property. Take the left-hand alternative and climb the southern flank of Miller Creek valley on Fire Lane 12. This short ascent to the BPA Road is the steepest portion of the trail, so pace yourself.
Fire Lane 12 intersects the BPA Road about halfway between its start at Skyline Boulevard and the scenic promontory at the high point of the ridge. At this intersection turn left and follow the BPA Road northward along the ridge to the promontory, where you will undoubtedly enjoy the terrific view.
Just prior to reaching the promontory you’ll see one spur of the road branch off to the right and head down the hill under the power lines. This is the continuation of the BPA Road, which ends at Highway 30. (See the Newton Road Loop for an exploration of this track.)
Stay left to ascend the small hillock under the power lines. Take a moment to rest here and feast your eyes on a magnificent view of Sauvie Island and the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers.
Across the Willamette you will see the Port of Portland’s Rivergate Industrial District, with its container terminal facing the Columbia River and heavy industrial operations such as Schnitzer Steel and Columbia Grain facing the lower Willamette.
Had you stood here two hundred years ago you would have looked down directly upon the thriving villages of the Multnomah Indians, who built sturdy lodges colorfully decorated with carved totemic images along the shores of Sauvie Island. Rows of brightly colored canoes with carved figures on the prow and stern marked the locations of several villages. The men, wearing mountain-beaver robes and conical hats, built fires and prepared meals in this area. The women wore shorter robes and skirts fashioned out of shredded cedar bark. The very old and young bustled along the shores, tending to the fish traps. Life was good for the Multnomah, blessed as they were with a plethora of trout, salmon, sturgeon, elk, deer, wappato, camas lily, salal berries, and even tobacco.
Meriwether Lewis estimated the Multnomah Indian population at around eight hundred. After the establishment of Fort Vancouver in 1824, delegations of them visited the fort daily, but in 1829 they suddenly ceased coming. When people were sent to investigate, they found the villages littered with hundreds of dead bodies. Measles and malaria had extinguished the Multnomah in a matter of weeks.
In their legends the Multnomah told of a great canoe with white wings that would ascend the Columbia. It was said that when it came to rest in the evening it would issue forth a cloud that produced a great roar, and that the cloud would strike terror into the heart of all who heard and saw it. From the sides of the vessel would come black clouds, and wherever these noxious fumes alighted they would bring death and utter destruction. And so it occurred.
Beyond the promontory you’ll see that the track continues down to a second set of power lines and then veers to the right. This is Fire Lane 13, which descends to a lower set of power lines strung along the hillside at an altitude of about 500 feet. Follow Fire Lane 13.
Leaving the ridgetop, you now descend through a very pleasant forested ridgeline. Halfway down, a short spur heads off to the right, but ignore the temptation to explore that road: it serves only as an access road to another set of power poles located at the end of an adjoining ridgeline.
Fire Lane 13 terminates on a small promontory with a nice view to the northwest across Newberry Road toward the Tualatin Mountains and the Sauvie Island Bridge. In the summer the power poles on this knoll are a favorite roost of the turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) that migrate north from California to patrol these slopes each summer.
Now here’s the tricky part! Continue straight across the promontory, passing to the right of the power poles, and push on through the thick vegetation on the far side of the clearing. If you look carefully you will see where the deer have forced a passage through the vegetation. Take advantage of their efforts and you’ll emerge in a medium-dense forest that slopes steeply downward directly ahead.
Turn left, facing northward, and follow the ridgeline down; you’ll come out above the entrance to Fire Lane 12 about 100 yards down the slope. Although there is no real path through this section of the woods, it’s pretty easy to stay on track by simply descending along the top of this northerly ridgeline. Eventually you’ll see the roofs of the houses below on Creston Road to the right. Don’t be tempted to descend directly toward them—that’s a very steep slope. Keep to the ridgeline and carefully descend in a northerly direction among the ferns and bushes. Fire Lane 12 has a 5- to 6-foot shoulder on the uphill side, so the road will not be visible until you are directly at the shoulder. I typically try to descend the shoulder using one of the deer tracks; otherwise I descend alongside one of the bigger trees, using it as something to hang on to as I slide down the final few feet to the roadway.
Once on the roadway you should see the gate at the entrance to Fire Lane 12 just to the left, or eastward of the ridgeline you descended