This park is perfect for a spring
picnic or a quick winter walk, this convenient loop explores Powell
Butte's broad summit meadow – with views across East Portland to
three snowpeaks – and then winds through a quiet woodland glen. The
route described here is for hikers only, but maps at the trailhead
describe alternate, similar tours for mountain bikers and
equestrians. Today, miles of trails accommodate hikers, mountain
bikers, and horseback riders. Abundant wildlife populates the park,
including rabbits, pheasants, ground squirrels, raccoons, gray foxes,
skunks, bats, chipmunks, coyotes, and black-tailed mule deer. The
park is home to many birds of prey with its open meadows, groves of
wild hawthorn trees, forested slopes of Western red cedar, and
wetlands near Johnson Creek.
Powell Butte is a volcanic cone less
than 10 million years old. The butte earned its name when three
pioneers by the name of J. Powell, all of them unrelated, took up
homesteads near its base in 1852-53. The orchard of walnut, apple,
and pear trees on the butte's top was planted in the late 1800s.
Before the turn of the century, the large meadow area was cleared and
an orchard planted. In 1925 the City of Portland purchased the land
from George Wilson for future water reservoirs, but continued to
lease the northeast portion of the property to Henry Anderegg, a
farmer and owner of Meadowland Crest Dairy, until 1948 when the
farming was discontinued. However, dairy cattle were permitted to
graze on the acreage to preserve the pastures. In the mid-1970s the
Water Bureau prepared a development plan for Powell Butte that called
for the construction of four 50-million gallon underground reservoirs
to be located at the north end of the butte, and in 1981 the first,
and only, reservoir was built and still serves as the hub of the
Water Bureau's distribution system. The unseen tank is the hub of
Portland's water supply, receiving 152,000 gallons a minute from the
Bull Run Watershed. Construction on a second giant reservoir began in
2009. In 1987 the City officially established Powell Butte as a
nature park and the park was opened to the public in 1990.
To reach the park, take exit 19 off of
I-5, follow SE Powell Blvd eastward 3.5 miles, turn right at 162nd
Ave, and drive up to the main parking area.
I just loved this picture of Karen hiking up to the summit with her niece...precious!
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