This small neighborhood park includes about a thousand feet of paved path. While there is an entrance on 162nd Ave, the only place to park is along 159th Ave.
Oak Grove Neighborhood Park
The vacant property to the south of the park, looks to me to have potential for a future expansion of the park. Perhaps it would be a good site for a nature trail and wetland restoration. Right now there are several unmaintained trails that reach into the site, but not anything I would recommended exploring for a casual walk. A concerted effort to clean up the litter and build trails could make this into an attractive nature park. I would guess that right now it is being held for future residential or commercial development.
Named for the local farmer who donated this land for use as a park, this park has a nice loop path to walk. When I visited, there were people walking dogs around the path, as well as children playing in the playground and a group shooting hoops. The park can be entered from 99th St, 21st Ave near 99th St, 21st Ave near 96th St, or from 23rd Ct. Keep in mind that Neighborhood Parks are meant to be easily accessed by neighbors walking from nearby. They intentionally do not have parking for visitors from elsewhere. If driving to this park, the best place to park you vehicle would likely be at the end of 23rd Ct.
This neighborhood park includes connecting paths that open up a larger walk. After walking the loop around this park, there are interesting side paths. A longer walk is to leave the park through the path to the north, turn right on 29th St, then left at the path opposite 172nd Ave, cross through the small traffic circle and visit the little forested private park at The Firs.
At first this appears to be just a small park with a boat launch, but explorers and fishers can find primitive trails to follow both upriver and downriver.
The paved paths include an approach to the river that is a good place to watch
During high water season, the trails are flooded, but when the river level is low you can explore upriver along the shore, or a primitive trail which then loops back to connect to the field north of the park. I have not fully explored the trail downriver, but it appears to connect to a peninsula on the river which extends over half a mile downriver. Be prepared to climb over logs or other obstacles and pass through brambles with thorns.
Trail at Haapa Park and Boat Launch
North Fork Lewis River at Haapa Park and Boat Launch
North Fork Lewis River at Haapa Park and Boat Launch
North Fork Lewis River at Haapa Park and Boat Launch
It may seem strange to include a rest area in a list of areas to walk, but this area does have a couple nice trails to wander. From the auto parking area, you can cross Gee Creek and walk a short path on the west side of the rest area through the small forested area between the rest area and freeway. There is also a dirt trail partially along Gee Creek. You can then go up the hill to the other side of the truck parking to walk a path along the east side of the rest area. Making a complete loop of both trails takes you a little over half a mile.
One caution, there is moss on the paved paths that can be slick if it has recently rained.
When I visited the park, there were fallen branches and a couple fallen trees from a recent wind storm, but Clark County Public Works was already on the scene working to clear the paths.
This is a very nice park with a 1/2 mile+ paved path around the exterior. You can park in the main parking lot off NW 122nd St, or access it through a path further west on 122nd St or from 127th St. This can be a busy place, especially during soccer season.
This is a fairly new trail along the south side of this wetland. There is no designated parking for it, so you will need to park in the Walmart or shopping center parking lot to the east and cross the street to the trail.
When I was there I watched a hawk circling the wetland. Walking the paved path I had to watch my step as apparently several types of animals like to use it as a waste site.
If you go north up the street past Walmart, you’ll come to an area with trail access to the wetland, and a constructed wetland area behind the Walmart.
The Larch Mountain Trailhead includes parking and restrooms to get you started for either a casual hike or ride along logging roads, or a challenging hike or ride that can take you several miles.
The Thrillium Mountain Bike Trail which goes north from the trailhead, is very steep in places. Following the road that goes uphill to the southeast, will take you to the top of Larch Mountain, and connects to more trails to choose. When I visited here a couple months ago, I followed the Cold Creek trail to the north from the summit that was prepared for a mountain bike race later that day. I found some parts of this trail challenging to descend, and impressed that people would actually ride a bike down it. I then connected with the Tarbell Trail, and followed an easy walk along a logging road (Murphy’s to Thrillium Access Route) until I turned onto the Thrillium Mountain Bike Trail and climbed (yes, CLIMBED) up the hill back to the trailhead. While some of these trails offer splendid scenery and views, you might want to leave some of them to the mountain bikes. The loop I walked was about 5-1/2 miles. Enough trails exist in the area to choose pretty much any length of walk you want, including connecting to the 20 mile loop Tarbell Trail.
This a collection of several trails that can make for a good walk. You can make loop walks if you don’t mind walking on the narrow shoulder of a road.
The stretch next to Reiman Road from Pioneer St to 23rd Pl is paved, with a decent climb to it. You then walk the sidewalk along 23rd Pl to the pedestrian path that runs between backyards south of 5th way. This connects the playground at the east, on 5th Way, to Heron Dr, with a side connection to Falcon Dr. East of the connector to Falcon Dr the trail is paved and level. West of there the trail turns to gravel.
Near Heron Dr, there is a trail that switch backs up the hill to North 11th Pl, and a trail that goes down the hill to Abrams Park, with a side connector to 7th Circle.
The trail to Abrams Park goes through a disc golf course setup on the hillside. This area includes many dirt trails for use of the disc golf course, or for exploring the hillside. At this point you have three choices that could form a loop. You could turn left along the park, through the dirt paths, and then go up the hill along the route of the petroleum pipeline, or turn right through the park and follow the Gee Creek Trail back to Heron Dr, or cross Abrams Park and then walk along Pioneer St to Reiman Rd (warning, a stretch of this walk along Pioneer St has a narrow shoulder along a busy road.)
