This story appeared in the Summer 2014 edition of Our Big Backyard magazine.
story by Alice Froehlich
photography by Kim Nguyen
Scouters Mountain Nature Park is scheduled to open in August.
Fir trees sway overhead and songbirds chirp as you travel up the narrow road to Scouters Mountain, creating a pervasive feeling of deep, sheltering woods. Near the top of the road, a plateau offers stunning views on clear days. After you visit, you’ll see why thousands of Boy Scouts made this journey over the years to camp and explore here; Scouters feels like a very special place. If you look closely at the picnic shelter rising from the top of the park, you will spot salvaged beams from the legendary Chief Obie Lodge – the site of many weddings, community events and summer camps before it closed in 2004.
Rising more than 700 feet above the growing towns of Happy Valley and Pleasant Valley, Scouters Mountain gives you an opportunity to explore an extinct lava dome. Like other buttes in the area, this forested cinder cone is part of the Boring Lava Field that formed millions of years ago. Metro acquired this site in 2011 and, during the past three years, restored its 100 acres of mature Douglas fir, big leaf maple and Oregon white oak forest to make way for the region’s newest nature park. About half the forest includes trees more than a century old, with some that have grown here for more than 220 years. Metro has removed invasive weeds from the mountain’s northern slopes and planted some 30,000 native trees and shrubs. The forest will continue to be monitored for years to come.
Restoration efforts have helped create an amazing new nature park to explore, as well as habitat for sensitive species such as migratory birds. Listen for their calls as you hike the park’s twisting trails, taking you past huge Douglas fir trees. After your walk, have a snack at the picnic area and take in views of the valley and surrounding mountains.
Season by Season
Spring: Spring invites fresh, vibrant green growth in the understory plants; look for the trillium and wood violet flowers blooming. With the warmer weather and longer days, the songbirds return from their winter locations; keep an eye out for warblers and other songbirds eating bugs and foraging in the new tree foliage.
Summer: When the Portland area dries out and heats up, the shade of the forest can be just the thing. With the clear summer days you can see all the way to the Columbia River and into Washington, truly a breathtaking sight. While you are taking it all in keep an eye out for nesting birds raising their young.
Fall: The fall rains bring mushrooms – a very important part of a healthy forest. See how many types you can find growing on the forest floor and out of the trunks of trees. As the leaves fall look for bird nests left over from the summer and check out the snags for evidence of woodpeckers.
Winter: In the winter the fog and mist hang in the tall trees and create a cozy forest feel. Listen for the energetic trill of the Pacific wren, which spends most of its time on the forest floor amongst the sword ferns. If you’re lucky you can catch a glimpse of this little brown bird hopping about. While your eyes are on the forest floor, don’t forget to look for banana slugs and deer tracks.