(Clackamas) Riverside Trail

This was a great hike

First of all, the old-growth around this trail was top notch. I haven’t seen this much moss, well, since last week. But seriously, this is about as good as it gets for (almost) low elevation temperate rain forests close to Portland. Rolling terrain, a meandering trail, decent elevation gain with no big climbs, and interesting lava formations that create otherworldly mossy hummocks make this perhaps one of my favorite hikes yet.

I’m guessing that this is close enough to town that it may not be a great hike in the summer. There is a road close by for some of it and campgrounds at each end. You can probably skip the southern mile of the trail. There was some trash along the roads and this is the main reason I’ve avoided this area for the last 20 years. “Locals” are a thing that I don’t quite understand but everywhere you go, locals seem to trash just about anything nice. I’ve put a lot of thought into this phenomenon, but this isn’t the place I care to discuss it.

Go in the spring, fall, or winter on a rainy weekday and you will have the place to yourself and you will not be disappointed.