More than 500 visitors celebrated the opening of Scouters Mountain Nature Park on Thursday night as they danced at a concert, toured hiking trails, ate free pie and enjoyed unrivalled views of Mount Hood.
The 100-acre park is now open to the public. Visitors can enjoy picnics in the new shelter or hike through one of the few remaining forested buttetops in the area to discover pileated woodpeckers, deer, big-leaf maples and Douglas firs.
Guided tours led by Metro naturalist Alice Froehlich are also available Sept. 7.
Excited visitors said Thursday that the park fills a void in the area by allowing their families to explore nature without having to venture far.
“It’s up high and away from other people and the city,” said Janis Thompson, a Clackamas resident. “It’s just going to be a good spot to enjoy nature. I’m looking forward to coming back again and enjoying the quietness and majesty of the forest – and the view.”
Pon Souvannasane and her fiancé, Jay Nesta, live in Happy Valley about a five-minute drive away from the park. They plan to bring their children, Davin, 5, and Keira, 3, to the park often.
“It feels naturey, like you’re in the woods,” Nesta said. “You don’t feel like you’re in the city.”
The park sits on an extinct lava dome that was a part of the Boring Lava Field and is a former Boy Scouts campsite.
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. Workers even specially cut stones to build the picnic area.
“This place really is a labor of love,” Metro Councilor Carlotta Collette said.
A number of visitors Thursday arrived with fond memories of Scouting camps and family milestones enjoyed at Scouters Mountain. Happy Valley resident Kurt Spencer attended the Boy Scouts camp at Scouters Mountain about five times in the 1970s, he said.
“We would hike around the Scouters Mountain area, always pointing out wildlife,” he said. “It’s beautiful up here. Look at that view of Mount Hood!”
Spencer attended the opening with his mother, Liz Spencer, who added that her daughter was married at Chief Obie Lodge in the early 90s.
The personal connections to Scouters Mountain also run deep for Happy Valley City Councilor Michael Morrow, who also serves on the advisory board of the North Clackamas Parks and Recreation District.
Morrow’s family spent many hours at Scouters Mountain, where his two sons attended Boy Scouts camp and returned as counselors. When his son, Stanley Morrow, died in a car crash in 2012 at the age of 27, the family created a memorial fund that contributed $6,500 in seed money for five art benches throughout the park.
The benches include sculptures of leaves, mushrooms, a birds nest, moss and a bench wrapped in a lichen pattern, all done by Texas-based artist John Christensen. Stanley Morrow was an art major in college, Michael Morrow said.
“Even though he himself won’t be able to create artwork, we were able to create artwork through his fund,” Morrow said. “He’s living on in the artwork here.”
Naturalist in the park
What: Join Metro naturalist Alice Froehlich for guided tours of Scouters Mountain Nature Park. The easy walk will take in all of the sights and sounds of the special landscape. Learn about what plants and animals live in our urban wild places.
When: 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Sept. 7
Cost: Free
Where: Southeast Boy Scout Lodge Road and Southeast 147th Avenue, Happy Valley. Walks will depart from the parking area.
Details: Suitable for all ages. No registration required. Restrooms are available. Please leave pets at home, as they can damage sensitive habitat and threaten wildlife.
Directions and more