Author near Dry Creek Falls

The Hike

It was a cold but sunny day in mid-November. A good time to hike in a nearby area that I hadn’t seen before. The Tualatin Hills Nature Park lies a few miles west of home in the heart of Beaverton.  The 222-acre Park surrounds the confluence of Cedar Mill Creek and Beaverton Creek.

I was happily impressed. It was a remarkably diverse wildlife preserve with wetlands, forests, ponds and streams. There were five miles of trails with about 1.5 miles paved and the rest well-maintained paths with wooden walkways over the wetland areas.

I did a 4.5 mile loop hike. The trails’ names tell the story – – – Oak, Creek, Old Wagon, Vine Maple, Big Fir, Cougar, Chickadee, Cedar Grove, Ash, Serviceberry, Big Pond, Trillium Loop and Ponderosa Loop. And yes, a map of the Park is a necessity. There were intersecting trails about every one-fourth mile or less.

I truly enjoyed the lily ponds, creeks and marshes. It was fun spotting the great blue herons and other waterfowl. The variety of trees were amazing. I’m always surprised to see mature Ponderosa pines in western Oregon. They are primarily an eastern Oregon species.

Cheers

Lichen and autumn leaves

Squirrel enjoying a snack from a Maple tree

The Trail meandering over one of the wetland areas

Great BLue Heron on the hunt

Licorice Ferns growing on the side of a tree

Mallard Drake

Autumn leaf

Early morning frost