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NOTE: LL Stub Stewart Park Trails are undergoing maintenance work and some trails are may be closed. To get updates on trail closures and plan detours, look at the advisories at https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=park.profile&parkId=75
Geographic region: Tualatin Hills, Oregon Coast Range
Municipality/town: Banks, Buxton (unincorporated Washington County)
Route configuration: loops (with optional dogleg)
Distance: 14.2 miles
Min/max elevation: 339’/1,567’
Total ascent: 2,125’
Max grade: 8.2% up/7.7% down
Surface: ~11 miles dirt path, ~3 miles paved path
Bikes allowed: yes (mountain bike recommended)
Obstacles: none
Best months: any, though trails can be muddy during rainy months
Permits: day-use parking permit ($5 daily/$30 annually) is required. The day-use permit can be purchased at a machine in the parking lot, and the annual permit can be purchased online at https://store.oregonstateparks.org
Traffic: very light
Feels safe to go alone: yes
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 34 miles
[Click on buttons above to get route links on Gaia GPS or Ride with GPS]
To get to the start: Locate LL Stub Stewart State Park (~25 miles west of Portland on Hwy 26, then 4 miles north on Hwy 47). Turn R into the park – go 0.6 mi. Turn R into the Welcome Center parking lot. A day-use parking permit is required and can be purchased at a machine in the parking lot.
Head north out of the parking lot. Turn L on park entrance road – go 0.2 mi
@0.2 mi: R on Banks-Vernonia State Tr – go 0.6 mi
@0.8 mi: R on Boomscooter Tr – go 0.7 mi
@1.5 mi: L at Y on Unfit Settlement View – go 0.2 mi and turn L to see Skycar View (small loop), then return to Unfit Settlement View and go 1.6 mi
@2.7 mi: turn L to see view, then return to Unfit Settlement View to continue L
@3.1 mi: straight/L on Hares Canyon Tr – go 2.2 mi
@4.8 mi: L on smaller trail to stay on Hares Canyon Tr (Brooke Creek Tr heads R)
@5.3 mi: cross Banks-Vernonia State Tr and take the Williams Creek Horseshoe Connector which will be slightly to the L, then turn L on Williams Creek Horseshoe – go 1.6 mi
(There are several unnamed trails branching off the trail after this point. Just stay L to keep on Williams Creek Horseshoe)
@6.8 mi: L to stay on Williams Creek Horseshoe
@7.0 mi: L on Banks-Vernonia State Tr – go 1.1 mi
@8.1 mi: L on Hollie’s Point of View – go 1.4 mi
@9.5 mi: R on Bumping Knots Lp – go 2.7 mi
@12.2 mi: straight/R on Holllie’s Point of View – go 1.4 mi
@13.6 mi: L on Banks-Vernonai State Tr – go 0.2 mi
@13.8 mi: R on park entrance road – go 0.2 mi
@14.0 mi: R into Welcome Center Parking Lot
End @14.2 mi
OPTIONAL DOGLEG on NW NOWAKOWSKI and NW SCOFIELD ROADS
To add a mostly peaceful, scenic, and mostly gravel road dogleg to this route, take the Banks-Vernonia Trail north of the park entrance and turn L on NW Nowakowski Rd. In 1.7 mi, turn R on NW Scofield Rd and go 2.6 mi (where it ends at Hwy 26). Turn around and return. This addition adds 9.4 rolling miles with 870’ elevation gain. NW Nowakowski and NW Scofield Roads are fully gravel.
LL Stub Stewart Park has a great trail system open to pedestrians, bikers, horse-back riders, and dogs. This route includes many of the dirt trails winding through the lush woods with coniferous and deciduous trees, with a few sections along the Banks-Vernonia Trail to connect them.
You will start at the Visitor Center in the park, heading west to connect to the Banks-Vernonia Trail, where you will head north. You will soon turn off the paved path onto Boomscooter Trail with where you will do to longest climb of the route. Most of these trails are through heavily wooded areas with a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees. The fall colors are gorgeous, making it one of the best times to go.
At 1.5 miles, you will turn left onto the single-track Unfit Settlement View. You will wind through beautiful patches of white-barked alder trees mixed in with Douglas firs. Be sure to take the time to see the gorgeous view on the very short side trip at Skycar View at the 1.7-mile mark. After seeing the view, you will resume on Unfit Settlement View, continuing an uphill climb that peaks around 2.7 miles. There is a short side-trip viewpoint at this point, but the surrounding trees have grown quite a bit which obscures the view.
You will then join Hares Canyon Trail, which smooths and widens. Hares Canyon Trail continues southward on a nicely groomed and gently downhill trail for a couple of miles. This section, however, does have temporary logging operations (as of fall 2024) to help thin the forests for better tree health. This section does have some chunky gravel. The logging occurs during the weekdays and this area is closed during that time. If you choose to do this route during the week, you will need to cut through the middle of the park on the main park road instead of continuing south on Hares Canyon Trail.
Around 5.3 miles, you will cross the Banks-Vernonia State Trail to do Williams Creek Horseshoe. This roughly 1.5-mile single-track section is narrower and windier with more roots, but it’s still mountain bikeable. Once you’re done with Williams Canyon Horseshoe, you will head north on the Banks-Vernonia State Trail for 1.1 mile. At this point, you will turn left onto Hollie’s Point of view, which will take you south on a single-track trail through shady forest to the Bumping Knots Loop. This 2.7-mile single-track loop winds down and then up through lush forest of alder, maple and Douglas fir trees with loads of ferns You will take Hollie’s Point of View back to the Banks-VernonIa State Trail. From here, you’re less than a half mile from the start.
To add another 9.4 miles, you may also add an out-and-back section on NW Nowakowski and NW Scofield. These roads are very quiet on smooth gravel with lovely, wooded scenery with a few farms.
Geographic region: Tualatin Hills, Oregon Coast Range
Municipality/town: Banks, Buxton (unincorporated Washington County)
Route configuration: out-and-back with a loop
Distance: 17.6 miles
Min/max elevation: 236’/1,857’
Total ascent: 1,882’
Max grade: 11.4% up/9.4% down
Surface: ~9 miles gravel road, ~7 miles paved path, ~1 mile paved road
Bikes allowed: yes (gravel or mountain bike recommended)
Obstacles: none
Best months: any
Permits: none required
Traffic: mostly very light on the weekends; there may be some logging traffic during the weekdays on NW Hoffman Rd and NW Bacona Rd
Feels safe to do alone (my personal comfort level): yes
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 27 miles
[Click on buttons above to get route links on Gaia GPS or Ride with GPS]
To get to the start: Park at the Manning Trailhead of the Banks-Vernonia State Trail off Hwy 26 (about 24 miles west of Portland).
Head northwest on Banks-Vernonia State Tr – go 7.0 mi
@7.0 mi: R on NW Nowakowski Rd – go 0.5 mi
@7.5 mi: cross Hwy 47 and continue straight on NW Hoffman Rd – go 1.7 mi
@9.2 mi: R to stay on NW Hoffman Rd/Lawrence Rd – go 0.4 mi
@9.6 mi: R on NW Bacona Rd – go 5.7 mi
@15.3 mi: L on NW Pongratz Rd – go 2.2 mi
@17.5 mi: R on NW Pihl Rd – go 200’ back to parking lot
End @17.6 mi
This route starts at the Manning Trailhead of the Banks-Vernonia State Trail, heading northwest from there. The first mile is flat, but then it starts a long gradual uphill for the next six miles on the trail. This section of the Banks-Vernonia State Trail, in my opinion, is the prettiest of the entire 22.4-mile trail, it winds through forest, over the Buxton Trestle, and through LL Stub Stewart State Park.
The course detours off the Banks-Vernonia State Trail at NW Nowakowski Road, heading northeast to connect with graveled NW Hoffman Road. This road has a quite steep uphill climb for close to two miles, but the views of the Coast Range behind you will reward you. You then head south on NW Bacona Road, with a welcome long and mostly gradual downhill on smooth packed gravel. The route becomes paved again briefly as you approach and pass through the tiny town of Buxton. At 15.3 miles, you’ll head east on NW Pongratz Road, a gravel road that gently rolls through farmland to the finish.
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