Exploring in and around Oregon

Category: State Park

State Parks

L.L. Stub Stewart State Park

L.L. Stub Stewart State Park is a very large state park in northwestern Oregon – west of the Portland, Oregon Metro Area, and close to the town of Buxton.

L.L. Stub Stewart State Park has a lot of space. There are various trails, many of which are mixed-use for walking, bikes, and or horses.

Like the majority of the surrounding area, this park is forested and very green. There are several long trails that interconnect throughout the park, and even connect to the Banks-Vernonia State Trail which passes by the west side of the park.

You have to pay to enter this park, or use a state park pass that lists this location. There are a few different parking and restrooms around the park. There is a fenced dog park near the Hilltop Day-Use Area. There are also campsites and cabins that you can rent.

You can find Rough-Skinned Newts at this park. Make sure to watch your step, especially near the creeks and ponds, as there may be newts on the path that are somewhat camouflaged. These guys are cute and harmless, as long as you don’t try to eat them. It would not be nice to step on them.

Rough-Skinned Newts are deadly toxic if consumed. Consider exercising precaution when traveling this park with a dog. Keep an eye on them and make sure they do not try to eat one. Where there is one, there may be several more just out of sight.

There are many different ponds and creeks at L.L. Stub Stewart State Park. This contributes to the large amount of moss and other greenery blanketing the area.

Many of the trails and places in this park can be found connecting with the Banks-Vernonia State Trail. This trail goes on for a very long time in both directions past Stub Stewart.

If you walk along the part of the park that intersects with the Banks-Vernonia Trail, you will encounter a fair amount of cyclists.

There are many different long trails, and this park is considerably large. One day is certainly not enough to explore the majority of it.

This park has a decent amount of visitors – definitely not empty, but with all of the space in the park, it is easy to be alone when you are walking on a trail.

If you want to go to very large state park with various hiking and mixed-use paths, campsites, and cabins in a gorgeous mossy forest environment where you can go on long peaceful walks/bike rides, check out L.L. Stub Stewart State Park.

March 13, 2025
Rooster Rock State Park

Rooster Rock State Park is a large state park in the Columbia River Gorge area just east of the Portland Metro Area. It is a river and forest park situated right next to the Columbia River near Corbett, Oregon.

Rooster Rock has a lot to offer – whether you want to go on a nice long walk by the river, or hike in the woods, or have a nice day out in nature in general.

You can find many interconnected riverside and forested trails that go throughout the park, large open green areas with picnic tables, and even river beaches. The stunning view of the Columbia River as well as Sandy Island and the Washington side of the river is one of the main attractions. There is also an area in this park that is a ‘clothing optional’ beach.

You have to pay to enter this park, or use a state park pass that lists this location. There is a very large parking lot. There are several picnic tables as well as a restroom at this location.

This park’s trails are relatively easy, but not as easy as a city park or small nature park. There is some incline in some areas, and some trail/areas are less accessible at different times of the year due to water levels.

There are several parts of the riverside paths that can and will be flooded, especially in the late Winter or early Spring. Make sure to bring some good boots if you want to walk around the riverside area in the wet seasons.

There is a forest loop trail within Rooster Rock that you can walk – it has some slight incline, but should be considered relatively easy as a hike. The forest, being right next to the river, is incredibly green and usually quite peaceful.

You can often see robins and woodpeckers as well as other common Oregon birds in the forest here.

The forest loop is incredibly mossy, and depending on the time of year, you can find large amounts of mushrooms popping up, especially along parts of the trail.

At the halfway point of the forest loop in Rooster Rock, there is a viewpoint with a bench where you can look over at the river, the highway, and Sandy Island.

From this point, you can choose to continue down the forest loop trail back, or you can descend down and to the left into the riverside path area. Be careful taking the riverside path area, as water level and erosion might block off parts of the path making it difficult to loop back.

From the riverside path area, you can get an up-close view of the Columbia river and the dunes on Sandy Island.

Along the riverside, you can see a variety of birds including ducks, geese, swans, herons, kingfishers, gulls, eagles, hawks, as well as other common Oregon birds.

There are not usually many people at this park. Due to its location just outside of the Portland Metro Area, and its large size, there are always some people, but it rarely has a high density of traffic.

This is a dog-friendly park.

If you want to go to a large state park just east of Portland with stunning river views, lush green forest paths, and without a ton of other people around, check out Rooster Rock State Park.

March 11, 2025