Seven hundred feet above the valley floor, final tasks are being completed for the grand opening of the Portland metro area’s newest nature park.
Scouters Mountain Nature Park in Happy Valley will open Thursday, providing 100 acres of forests, unparalleled views of Mount Hood, picnic spots and hiking trails for area residents. The park sits on an extinct lava dome that was a part of the Boring Lava Field and is a former Boy Scouts campsite.
“There’s so much history here from the Native people, European settlers and the Boy Scouts,” said Kathleen Brennan-Hunter, the natural areas program director for Metro. “There’s such a long history of connections to this place.”
Now, new generations of residents will make their own connections with the pileated woodpeckers, deer, Douglas firs, big-leaf maples, and other plants and animals at the park.
Metro acquired the site in 2011 with money from a voter-approved 2006 natural areas bond measure. The park is a partnership with the City of Happy Valley and the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District. Metro will manage the park.
Officials spent the last three years removing invasive species, such as English ivy and hawthorn, and planting more than 30,000 native trees and shrubs. Crews also salvaged basalt stones and wooden beams from the Boy Scouts’ Chief Obie Lodge to use in the new picnic shelter and restrooms facility.
The park is one of the few remaining forested buttetops in the area, Brennan-Hunter said, adding to its value as a safe haven and corridor for wildlife.
Indeed, the dense forest hides any hint of urban development, allowing hikers to quickly and conveniently transport themselves into nature, with the only noise coming from the birds.
Scouters Mountain Nature Park grand opening
What: Dedication ceremony, guided tours and a special edition of Happy Valley’s summer concert series with local band Return Flight. Bring a picnic, or enjoy food from local vendors and free pie.
When: 5-8 p.m. Thursday
Where: Southeast Boy Scout Lodge Road and Southeast 147th Avenue, Happy Valley
Details: Restrooms are available. Please leave pets at home, as they can damage sensitive habitat and threaten wildlife. Shuttles will be available to transport guests between the park entrance and the mountaintop.
Directions and more