TRAILHEAD NW McNamee Road, 0.3 mile off St. Helens Road
DISTANCE 3.2 miles round trip
DURATION Two hours and thirty minutes
ELEVATION A total change of 450 feet, with a low point of 150 feet and a high point of 600 feet
CONDITIONS This logging road is wide, well maintained, and reasonably level, making for a fairly undemanding and relatively dry walk.
FROM DOWNTOWN This hike begins 12.9 miles from West Burnside and Interstate 405. Drive north on Highway 30 (also called St. Helens Road). Pass through Linnton and the hamlet of Burlington, about 10 miles from downtown Portland. After passing through Burlington you will approach a traffic light that marks the intersection with Cornelius Pass Road. About 100 yards before this intersection, a road bends up the slope to the left: that’s NW McNamee Road. Follow this road for 0.3 mile, passing under a railroad trestle and around a couple of sharp turns. Turn into the first side road branching off to the left, and park near the gate. This is the entrance to the Burlington Creek watershed.
This lovely walk includes open vistas along a logging road that traverses the eastern face of the Tualatin Mountains. There are many hawks and eagles in the area, and I’ve occasionally encountered deer and coyotes. This is one of the best close-in, lesser-known trails in these mountains. The Burlington Creek property was purchased in 2000 by Metro and may eventually be linked with the Ennis Creek property to enable a major extension to Forest Park.
Progressive timber management practices routinely call for preserving large trees that house the eyries (nests) of bald eagles. This stately fir tree dominates the previously logged slopes but is itself dwarfed by the old-growth trees towering behind the photographer.
The gate is at an elevation of about 300 feet, and the road dips to about 200 feet in the first draw you cross.
As you hike this trail you may notice some unusual wildlife along its shoulders. I was fortunate enough to find a praying mantis (Mantid religiosa) here once, although these creatures are not commonly seen in this region. Also look for Oregon iris (Iris tenax) blooming by the wayside.
Just past the first ravine, 0.3 mile into the hike, you may notice a side trail on the left. This footpath descends to the railroad tracks that run along the base of the property. From there the path connects to a cluster of homes above Burlington.
There is a house in Burlington . . .
As you drove by Burlington on your way to McNamee Road, you will have undoubtedly spotted the towering five-story hulk looming on the uphill side of the community. This gothic monstrosity is said to have been a bordello that saw its heyday during the 1920s, when the road to St. Helens was infamous for its iniquitous watering holes. Those who have taken the time to explore the relic report that it houses a beautiful if somewhat dilapidated antique bar and is swarming with bats amidst a jumble of moldering detritus. (I don’t recommend a closer look at this testament to ruination.)
The road forks beyond the next bend, 0.4 mile into the hike. The right-hand road climbs the slope to traverse the hillside at a higher elevation, eventually winding its way to the back of the gulley where a tall stand of old trees is clearly visible from a distance. This is the road that you will use on your return trip. The left-hand
Praying mantis (Mantid religiosa)
Oregon iris (Iris tenax), one of the many unique wildflowers found throughout this area
option continues southward, traversing the slope at a lower elevation. Take this lower road, which dips down to 150 feet in the next draw and then climbs to follow the contour of the hill at about 350 feet for another mile.
At the southeastern end of the Burlington Creek property, 1.5 miles into the hike, the logging road splits, with a lower trail continuing south toward the Angell Quarry. I don’t recommend following that track, as trespassing in the quarry is strictly forbidden. Take the upper track instead, which loops back and gradually ascends the slope.
In 0.2 mile the trail reaches its summit at about 600 feet before dropping down the slope again. As you descend along the ridgeline, take note of the broken-top old-growth Douglas fir dominating the slope on the left; it’s often been used as an eyrie (nest) by the bald eagles that frequent the area.
You are likely to find bracken ferns growing in the open spaces along the edge of the track here. This prolific fern grows in meadows and clearings as well as on sterile sandy soils. It can be found in burns, avalanche tracks, and even around acidic lakeshores and bogs. The rhizomes actually sink into the soil to a depth that allows the fern to withstand forest fires and flourish after the fire has burned out. Indians traditionally chewed the fibrous stems and dried the mulch for tinder. Most Northwest tribes harvested bracken in late summer, cooking them in traditional pit ovens and serving them with fish eggs or oil. (Neither treatment, I suspect, will hold much appeal for contemporary gourmets.)
After passing the eyrie, the trail along the ridgeline doubles back toward the left. Here it begins to traverse the northern slope of the ridge you’ve just descended. The broken-top Douglas fir will be directly above you.
As you approach the bottom of the slope a massive stand of old-growth Douglas firs will become visible at the head of the ravine. In the 1980s I worked with the Friends of Forest Park to help purchase a 38-acre parcel including a 20-acre stand of unique ancient trees. This stand was later added to the surrounding 332 acres of the Burlington Creek watershed woodlands purchased by Metro. In 2001 eagle activity was detected in the old-growth grove, including the fledging of young bald eagles. As a result the Friends of Forest Park adopted a management plan for the area that limited access to guided visitations during specified times of the year. A small trail through the grove was inaugurated in 2005; you will spot the upper entrance emerging from the grove on the left. This low-impact trail is clearly a labor of love, with hand-carved bridges and steps that guide visitors carefully along the fragile forest floor. Since access to this special protected grove is restricted, please contact the Friends of Forest Park to make arrangements for a visit.
After bypassing this ancient stand of 400-year-old trees, continue down the trail that skirts the edge of it. At the base of the slope where the trail crosses Burlington Creek, you will see a large wooden sign that commemorates the donors who made acquisition of the old-growth grove possible. This is 2.4 miles into the hike. From here the trail leads gently uphill.
You may spot the white, lilaclike flower clusters of oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor) hanging over the road. Later in the season the clusters turn brown, but they stay on the bush through the winter. This shrub is also known as creambush and, because of the extreme hardness of its wood, ironwood. The wood can be made even harder by heating it over a fire. Before the introduction of nails, ironwood pegs were used in carpentry. Northwest Indians traditionally used it to make scrapers, hooks, and barbecuing sticks, and more recently knitting needles.
Less than half a mile onward, or 2.8 miles into the hike, you will finally reach the intersection with the main trail that was used to enter the area. Now turn left and retrace your steps back to McNamee Road, another 0.4 mile to the north.
