Powell Butte Nature Park is a very large park in Portland, Oregon. It is one of several extinct volcanoes within the ‘East Buttes’ in the eastern end of the Portland Metro Area.
It consists of a large open area in the center with a small grove of trees at the top, as well as miles of trails circling the center. There are miles of forest trails deeper in the park, as well.
Powell Butte Nature Park has a lot of space. There are various trails, many of which are mixed-use for walking, bikes, and or horses. Make sure to stay on marked trails, and pay attention to the signs, as some of the park is closed seasonally.
This park is great for an easy to medium-difficulty walk, hike, or bike ride in a large peaceful area. The park contains many different interconnecting trails with varying inclines. There are no serious inclines, but there may be long stretches of incline that can be difficult for some.
Entrance to this park is free. There is free and abundant parking as well as public restrooms at this location. This park has a large parking lot, but on holidays and weekends, the parking lot may be full.
Though Powell Butte is an extinct volcano, it doesn’t bear much resemblance, other than it is elevated with a large open area in the center. It is very green and surrounded with forests.
Powell Butte is home to a wide variety of wild animals including coyotes, squirrels, rabbits, deer, and birds like crows, ravens, juncos, kestrels, chickadees, hawks, jays, eagles, and more.
One of the most prominent features of Powell Butte is the grove at the top. There are a few dozen trees that create a beautiful grove that you can walk through at the center of the park.
From the grove, you can go onto Summit Lane trail, which circles around the center of a large open area of the park. From there, you can often get a good view of Mt. Hood, the surrounding city, and the rolling clouds and hills.
During Spring and Summer, there are many blooms at Powell Butte. During these blooms, you can see sprawling fields of a variety of flowers covering parts of the landscape.
Besides the large open area near the top, there are miles of forest paths on the western side of the park further from the main entrance. Most of these are mixed-use trails as well, and interconnect with each other.
This part of the park is less frequented by other people, and is where you are more likely to encounter wildlife.
There is a trail that is only open during part of the year, called Reservoir Lane. If you come at the right time, you can walk down Reservoir Lane and get a good view of the surrounding landscape.
During certain times of the year, you can see killdeer and bluebirds in and around the open field area.
Typically this park does not have many people in it, although with its location and prominence in the area, it will always have at least a few people. On weekends and holidays, the park can get quite full, and finding parking can be an issue.
The park’s size and various trails means that even if there are a lot of people at the park, there are places further in you can go to for a more peaceful walk.
If you want to go on a long walk in a gorgeous nature park with some light incline and equal amount of open views and forested areas, visit Powell Butte Nature Park.