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NOTE: LL Stub Stewart Park Trails are undergoing maintenance work and some trails are closed until the end of 2024. This effects a small portion of this route (mostly a section of Hares Canyon Trail). 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: out-and-back with loops
Distance: 17.2 miles
Min/max elevation: 481’/1,309’
Total ascent: 2,027’
Max grade: 8.2% up/7.7% down
Surface: ~8.5 miles gravel road, ~5 miles dirt path, ~3.5 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
@0.3 mi: R on Banks-Vernonia State Tr – go 1.0 mi
@1.3 mi: L on NW Nowakowski Rd – go 1.7 mi
@2.9 mi: R on NW Scofield Rd – go 2.6 mi
@5.5 mi: turn around at Hwy 26 and head back on NW Scofield Rd – go 2.6 mi
@8.1 mi: L on NW Nowakowski Rd – go 1.7 mi
@9.8 mi: R on Banks-Vernonia State Tr – go 0.4 mi
@10.2 mi: L on Boomscooter Tr – go 0.7 mi
@10.9 mi: R at Y, and then in a few feet take the first L toward Clayhill Horse Staging Area (Boomscooter Tr continues to the R) and head to the N end of the parking lot.
@11.0: L on Hares Canyon Tr – go 2.8 mi
@11.2 mi: R at T to stay on Hares Canyon Tr
@11.3 mi: cross gravel road to continue on Hares Canyon Tr
@11.5 mi: L at T to stay on Hares Canyon Tr
@11.7 mi: straight to stay on Hares Canyon Tr (Unfit Settlement View Tr turns L)
@13.0 mi: continue straight/L to stay on Hares Canyon Tr (Widowmaker Way turns R)
@13.0+ mi: stay L at Y to stay on Hares Canyon Tr (Jackstrawed Tarry turns R)
@13.3 mi: L on smaller trail to stay on Hares Canyon Tr (Brooke Creek Tr heads R)
@13.8 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
@13.9 mi: R to stay on Williams Creek Horseshoe
(There are several unnamed trails branching off the trail after this point. Just stay L to keep on Williams Creek Horseshoe)
@14.9 mi: L to stay on Williams Creek Horseshoe
@15.0 mi: L to stay on Williams Creek Horseshoe
@15.3 mi: L to stay on Williams Creek Horseshoe
@15.4 mi: L on Banks-Vernonia State Tr – go 1.5 mi
@16.9 mi: R on park entrance road – go 0.2 mi
@17.1 mi: R into Welcome Center Parking Lot
End @17.2 mi
LL Stub Stewart Park has a great trail system open to pedestrians, bikers, horse-back riders, and dogs. I’ve run on nearly every trail there, but since many of the trails are not well-marked and a few are quite rough, I chose to make a route that included those easiest to follow. Even then, this route has a few tricky places due to lack of signage (and a saved offline map won’t help due to most of the trails not being included). So, it’s best to bring the provided directions and detailed map.
The route starts in LL Stub Stewart Park, but to add distance, I started the course with an out-and-back section on NW Nowakowski and NW Scofield. These are very quiet and smooth gravel roads with lovely, wooded scenery with a few farms.
Once you’re back in the park around the ten-mile mark, you will wind your way north on some of the rougher trails of this course, Boomscooter Trail and the northwestern section of Hares Canyon Trail (though the park staff continues to work to improve these rougher sections). After about a mile on the rougher trail, you will be pleased to find Hares Canyon Trail smooths out and widens for easier navigation. Hares Canyon Trail continues southward on a nicely groomed and gently downhill trail for a couple of miles. 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.
Around 13.8 miles, you will cross the Banks-Vernonia State Trail to do Williams Creek Horseshoe. This roughly 1.5-mile section is narrower and windier with more roots, but it’s still mountain bikeable. Plus, it’s really pretty, so it’s worth taking.
Once you’re done with Williams Canyon Horseshoe, you will be on the home stretch on the Banks-Vernonia State Trail for a gradual two-mile climb to the finish.
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, though bike path may get busy with bike and foot traffic later in the morning on a nice day
Feels safe to do alone: 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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