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Geographic region: Chehalem Mountains
Municipality/town: Cornelius
Route configuration: out-and-back with loops
Distance: 12.6 miles
Min/max elevation: 476’/1,126’
Total ascent: 1,228’
Max grade: 6.5% up/6.6% down
Surface: dirt road, dirt and packed gravel trail
Bikes allowed: yes (mountain bike recommended)
Obstacles: none
Best months: any
Permits: none required
Dogs: not allowed
Traffic: hikers, bikers, horseback riders but not crowded in the mornings
Feels safe to go alone (my personal comfort level): yes.
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 24 miles
[Click on buttons above to get route links on Gaia GPS or Ride with GPS]
To get to the start: Locate Chehalem Ridge Nature Park, 38263 SW Dixon Mill Rd, Gaston, OR 97119. Enter parking lot and head toward the west end. There will be posted trail maps to guide you to the beginning of the Woodland Trail.
Head northwest on Woodland Tr – go 1.3 mi
@1.3 mi: L on Timber Rd – go 150 feet
@1.4 mi: R on Witches Butter Tr – go 0.7 mi
@2.1 mi: R on Chehalem Ridge Tr – go 1.2 mi
@3.3 mi: R at Y (Chehalem Ridge Tr splits) – go 0.3 mi
@3.6 mi: sharp R on Madrona Tr – go 1.3 mi
@4.9 mi: do 0.2 mi loop at end of Madrona Tr
@5.1 mi after loop: head back on Madrona Tr – go 1.3 mi
@6.4 mi: Continue straight onto Chehalem Ridge Tr – go 1.4 mi
(@7.7 mi: stay R to stay on Chehalem Ridge Tr)
@7.8 mi: sharp R on Mampal Tr – go 0.4 mi
@8.2 mi: R on Zorzal Tr – go 0.4 mi
@8.6 mi: R on Mampal Tr – go 0.3 mi
@8.9 mi: do 0.2 mile loop at end of Mampal Tr
@9.1 mi after loop: head back on Mampal Tr – go 1.1 mi
@10.0 mi: L on Chehalem Ridge Tr – go 0.1 mi
@10.1 mi: R on Witches Butter Tr – go 0.6 mi
@10.7 mi: L on Ayeekwa Tr – go 0.5 mi
@11.3 mi: L on Timber Rd – go 0.3 mi
@11.6 m: L on Ammefu Tr – go 0.2 mi
@11.8 mi: L on Timber Rd – go 0.3 mi
@12.1 mi: R on Castor Tr – go 0.2 mi
@12.4 mi: L on Woodland Tr – go 0.2 mi
Finish @12.6 mi
Though most of our routes don’t include a lot of trails, I’m including this one as it’s rarely crowded, especially in the morning, and trails are smooth and easily navigated on foot or bike. And it’s beautiful! There are about 10 miles of trails, many with smoothly packed gravel or dirt which gently wind under tree canopies and intermittently open to beautiful vistas of the Oregon Coast Range and northern Willamette Valley. I planned this route to include virtually every bit of available trail, with a few sections of Timber Road (dirt surface), for a total of about 12.6 miles.
Because I wanted to include all of the trails and because many of them are quite short, this route has quite a few turns. However, the trails are well-marked and there are full-map trail guides posted intermittently in the park. That, along with the detailed directions I’ve included, should work well to keep you on track.
This route is moderately hilly, but the slopes are not exceptionally steep. The longest uphill climb is from about the 5-mile mark, which is the farthest northwest point at the end of Madrona Trail, to about the 9-mile mark, which is at the southwest end of the Mampal Trail. This is the high point of the park and affords a panoramic view of meadows, valley, and hills. The farthest out trail, Madrona Trail, is slightly less groomed than the others but still not that rough. It’s worth it to include this trail as there are some great views of the Coast Range along the way.
This route can also easily be combined with Routes 2 or 3 to make it longer.
Geographic region: Chehalem Mountains
Municipality/town: Gaston, Cornelius
Route configuration: out-and-back with loops
Distance: 15.0 miles (19.4 miles with CRNP loop)
Min/max elevation: 178’/926’ (1,144’ with CRNP loop)
Total ascent: 1,976’ (2,325’ with CRNP loop)
Max grade: 9.6% up/8.8% down
Surface: ~10.5 miles paved road, ~4.5 miles gravel road (+~4.4 miles gravel/dirt paths with CRNP loop)
Bikes allowed: yes (gravel or mountain bike recommended)
Obstacles: none
Best months: any
Permits: none required
Traffic: light
Feels safe to go alone (my personal comfort level): yes
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 33 miles
[Click on buttons above to get route links on Gaia GPS or Ride with GPS]
To get to the start: Locate Gaston, OR. From Hwy 47:
Head east on SW Gaston Rd – go 1.1 mi. SW Gaston Rd turns L and becomes SW Hardebeck Rd – go 500’ to just past the intersection of SW Dixon Mill Rd. Park in the gravel on the west side of the road.
Head north on SW Hardebeck Rd – go 0.5 mi
@0.5 mi: L on SW Withycombe Rd – go 0.2 mi
@0.7 mi: R on SW Spring Hill Rd – go 0.6 mi
@1.3 mi: R on SW Hardebeck Rd – go 0.9 mi
@2.2 mi: L on SW Dixon Mill Rd – go 4.9 mi
@7.1 mi: L on SW Iowa Hill Rd – go 0.5 mi
@7.6 mi: R on SW Dober Rd – go 1.3 mi
@8.9 mi: R on SW Riedwig Rd – go 0.3 mi
@9.1 mi: R on SW Unger Rd – go 1.0 mi
@10.1 mi: L on SW Dixon Mill Rd – go 4.9 mi
End @15.0 mi
Optional Chehalem Ridge Nature Park loop to add on the way out or back:
At entrance of CRNP, head down paved road – go <0.1 mi
@<0.1 mi: R on short dirt path to cut over to Timber Road
@0.1 mi: R on Timber Rd – go 1.4 mi
@1.5 mi: L on Mampal Tr – go 0.2 mi
@1.7 mi: L at T to complete 0.2-mi loop
@1.9 mi: L to head back on Mampal Tr – go 1.0 mi
@2.9 mi: L on Timber Rd – go 0.2 mi
@3.1 mi: R on Woodland Tr – go 1.2 mi
@4.3 mi: L on Timber Rd briefly and exit the park the way you came in
Starting in the farmlands of Gaston, this route opens with bucolic views of pastures, orchards, and crop fields. After making a small loop to the north, the course heads east on SW Dixon Mill Road along fields and filbert orchards. Mile-point two through five is a fairly steady uphill on smooth gravel through coniferous forest. Along the way, you will be able to catch some views of Bald Peak, the highest point in the Chehalem Mountains, to the south. At the peak of the climb, you will pass by Chehalem Ridge Nature Park, where a detour could easily be made to include the trails described in Route 1, either on the way out or on the way back. The map above includes an optional 4.4-mile loop in the park, and there are also Gaia GPS and RWGPS route links which include this (see above).
Heading east on SW Dixon Mill Road from Chehalem Ridge Nature Park, you will start to head downhill for a nice breather for a mile or so. By this point, around the six-mile mark, the Douglas fir forests open up to farmland again. The east end of the route loops around rolling hills with lovely panoramic views before heading back toward the starting point.
The rolling hills have some decently steeper sections, so it feels quite nice to finish up with the last two-and-a-half miles on a gradual downhill. As you coast to the finish, you will see panoramic views of Gaston in the hills to the west, and Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge.
We last did this route (including the CRNP loop) on 6/15/24, and it was the best scenery yet with all the lush growth. But we’ve also enjoyed going there in all the other seasons.
Geographic region: Chehalem Mountains, Tualatin Valley
Municipality/town: Cornelius, Gaston
Route configuration: out-and-back with loops
Distance: 21.6 miles
Min/max elevation: 170’/926’
Total ascent: 2,460’
Max grade: 9.7% up/8.9% downn
Surface: ~15.5 miles paved road, ~6 miles gravel road
Bikes allowed: yes (gravel or mountain bike recommended)
Obstacles: none
Best months: any
Permits: none required
Traffic: Moderate to heavy on Hwy 219 (first 1.3 miles); otherwise light
Feels safe to go alone (my personal comfort level): yes
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 33 miles
[Click on buttons above to get route links on Gaia GPS or Ride with GPS]
To get to the start: Locate 10110 SW Hillsboro Hwy (219), Hillsboro, OR 97123. Park across Hwy 219 on SW Firdale Rd in a small patch of gravel.
Head northeast on Hwy 219 – go 1.3 mi
@1.3 mi: L on SW Simpson Rd – go 0.5 mi
@1.8 mi: L on SW Riedwig Rd – go 2.5 mi
@4.3 mi: R on SW Unger Rd – go 1.0 mi
@5.3 mi: L on SW Dixon Mill Rd – go 4.8 mi
@10.1 mi: R on SW Hardebeck Rd – go 0.9 mi
@11.0 mi: L on SW Spring Hill Rd – go 0.6 mi
@11.6 mi: L on SW Withycombe Rd – go 0.2 mi
@11.8 mi: R on SW Hardebeck Rd – go 0.5 mi
@12.3 mi: L on SW Dixon Mill Rd – go 4.9 mi
@17.2 mi: R SW Unger Rd – go 0.4 mi
@17.6 mi: R on SW Firdale Rd – go 3.9 mi
End @21.5 mi
This route is similar to Route 2, with scenic farmland loops on the east and west ends of the course and Douglas fir forest in the middle. However, it starts and ends on the east end, and it includes a larger loop on the east end.
The first 1.3 miles are on Highway 219 (this is the only route I’ve included in that has a highway portion). If you start this early in the morning on a weekend, the traffic isn’t terrible, with a large on the east side.
The route quickly heads into rolling hills of orchards and farmlands, gradually working upward through Douglas fir forest to the peak near Chehalem Ridge Nature Park. At this point, you should be ready for the mostly gradual downhill which eventually opens up to scenic farmlands of Gaston with a view of the Coast Range to the west. After a small loop around crop fields and a large nursery, you will head back on the decent climb back up and over Chehalem Ridge.
After another roughly five miles of rolling hills which you had crossed on the way out, you will detour onto SW Firdale Road. On a clear day, you should be able to see the Cascade Range to the east. From this point, there’s only one more decent little hill to climb before finishing the route.
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