Coho salmon and steelhead spawn in Little Joe Creek every fall and winter at Barlow Wayside Park. The creek flows through the park, and a guide for a self-guided natural history tour adds to the visit. The route’s history is also tangible here: an early section of the Barlow Road on the Oregon Trail lies near the park. Nature and history thus share the same landscape, without the creek alone telling the story of the place.
Rivers, Trails and Landscapes
The Springwater Corridor is a 21-mile paved trail from downtown Portland to Boring. Along its route are wetlands, buttes, farmland and pastureland. This makes the trail a varied scenic route: Its character is shaped not only by its starting and ending points, but also by the different natural environments along the way.
Several water activities take center stage on the Clackamas River at Milo McIver State Park: rafting, canoeing and kayaking are all available there. Visitors interested in fish can also explore the Clackamas Fish Hatchery in the park. Its self-guided tours cover the life cycles of Chinook salmon and steelhead. Another option is the Riverbend Day-use Area, with its 27-hole disc golf course. The park thus brings together water activities, insights into fish life cycles and a sports facility, without conflating these offerings.
Molalla River State Park has grassy areas for picnics and games, as well as a boat ramp providing access to the river. The Canby Ferry is a quarter mile downstream from the park. It is one of three ferries still operating on the Willamette River. If you plan to take the ferry, check the schedule in advance.
Springs, Forest and Basalt
Wilhoit Springs Park continues to offer public access to mineral springs and the surrounding old-growth forest. Madrone Wall features a different kind of landscape: its defining feature is a 120-foot-high basalt wall, which offers expansive views of the nearby Clackamas River. At Eagle Fern Park, old-growth forest provides the immediate setting. Together, these places showcase a range of natural features—from springs and forest to a striking rock wall and views of the river.
History and Regional Discoveries
At the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, interpretive signs tell the story of the trail, the Tumwater Chinook and the Clackamas Indians, as well as the settlement of the Willamette Valley. Interactive exhibits and historical games from bygone eras complement these topics. The center brings together stories of Indigenous communities, the trail and the history of settlement, rather than reducing history to a single route.
The parks’ offerings can also help you choose a focus for your own visit. The Clackamas County parks system includes 15 parks and four undeveloped properties, totaling just under 1,000 acres of public land. The system includes 242 campsites, 11 picnic shelters and 7 water-access sites. These totals may change as facilities are developed.
Barton Park has 112 campsites, 103 of them with water and electrical hookups; campsite configurations may change. Stone Creek Golf Club spans 120 acres and features old Douglas firs, lakes, four wetlands and 43 bunkers. Clackamas County includes urban, suburban, rural and wilderness communities. Accordingly, there are a variety of themes to explore during a visit: rivers and fish, forests and geology, regional history or golf.
Discover more destinations: Canby, Lake Oswego, Welches, Sandy, Clackamas, Milwaukie, Wilsonville, Oregon City, Gladstone, Government Camp, Molalla, West Linn, Oak Grove, Rhododendron.
For the broader trip overview: Oregon.
