7 Fun Things to Do at Oxbow Regional Park
At just over a half hour from Portland, Oregon, Oxbow Regional Park is one of the closest places to the city that feels like the wilderness. Don’t expect a token suburban park with a small grassy field and a baseball diamond when you visit. Oxbow surrounds a unique stretch of the Wild and Scenic Sandy River where it forms U-shaped bends that are the park’s namesake. Here you can find 700-year-old trees, 12 miles of hiking trails, and tons of wildlife while never being far from the river. Here is everything you need to know about visiting.
St. John’s Wort blooms on the banks of the Sandy River
Know before you go
It costs $5/day to visit Oxbow Regional Park (or $40/year). The fee is a local one so state and national recreation passes aren’t accepted. You can pay with a credit card at the park entrance.
Dogs are not allowed at Oxbow Regional Park except for service dogs.
Look for the Welcome Center near the park entrance where you can find restrooms and maps. There are also restrooms in most of the park’s day-use areas.
Expect not to have phone reception in the park. There are emergency call boxes at the Welcome Center, the boat launch, and the campground.
The hiking trails in Oxbow Regional Park are not wheelchair accessible, but there are some accessible features like some of the picnic areas, restrooms, and campsites.
Oxbow Park is a good place to visit year-round and seldom gets snow. Expect mud on the trails if there has been recent rain. Wading and swimming in the river will be better later in the summer. Even on hot days, the water can be very cold earlier in the summer.
Look for park maps and brochures at the Welcome Center
1. See the Sandy River
The Sandy River is great for wading on a hot day
The Sandy River begins high on the slopes of Mt Hood, where water from melting glaciers flows down toward the valley. As glacial ice moves, its massive weight and force grind down mountain rocks into sediment called glacial flour. In summer, the Sandy River transports this glacial flour from the mountain, at times giving its water a pale green tint. The banks of the Sandy River are calm and tranquil in Oxbow Park. While wading is all but irresistible, take care in early summer when it can still be very cold. It is, after all, recently melted snow and ice.
Oxbow Regional Park surrounds several miles of the Sandy River at one of its most interesting sections, a series of tight curves known as an oxbow. Here, the river follows a convoluted course as it winds through hard volcanic bedrock covered by softer, eroding sediment. Eruptions on Mt Hood sent flows of destructive sand, snow, and gravel called lahars down the mountain, altering the landscape of Oxbow Park. Lewis and Clark saw the Sandy River not long after Mt Hood’s more recent eruptions and called it the Quicksand River because it was so thick and cloudy with volcanic sediment. Today the water of the Sandy is much more appealing for swimming. It is also an important habitat for salmon that return in the fall to spawn.
2. Hiking trails
Oxbow Regional Park has 12 miles of beautiful hiking trails that will bring you through the woods and along the Sandy River. These trails form various interconnecting loops, making it easy to choose your distance and your destination. Here are a few you might want to tackle during your visit.
Floodplain Trail
The Floodplain Trail near the Welcome Center is the first trail that will bring you down to the river. It is a flat, easy 0.7-mile loop through a forest of cottonwoods out to a beach of river cobbles. Look for garter snakes sunning themselves on the rocks and in the water. This hike looks like an out-and-back trail on the park map but does make a loop.
Coastal manroot blooms on the Ancient Forest Trail
The Ancient Forest Trail is an easy, 1.5-mile loop that will take you past some very old trees and views of the water. Along the way, you’ll have the chance to take a detour down to the river. This hike connects the Happy Creek and Alder day-use areas, so go ahead and start at either. There are picnic tables at the day-use areas if you’re ready for lunch after your hike.
The trail near the Coho picnic shelter has great views of the river from above
Starting from the Alder picnic shelter, head east on the trail following the river to begin a 4-mile loop with some of the best views in the park. You’ll continue along the river until just past the campground, then take a right to return through the woods as a loop. This hike is one of the best places to look for salmon spawning in the river during fall.
Alder Ridge Trail
The Alder Ridge Trail is a shady, 2-mile loop through a forest of cedars and Doug firs with an undergrowth of dense ferns. It’s also the trail in Oxbow where you’ll find the most elevation gain, almost all at the beginning of the hike when you climb up the hill from the Beaver picnic area up to Alder Ridge. At the top of the hill, you’ll reach a trail junction. Going left or right will bring you around the Alder Ridge Loop. Going straight will lead you down a short spur trail to Elk Meadows. Chances are you won’t see elk here but near dusk and dawn are your best bets. Note that although the Alder Ridge Trail follows an elevated ridge, tree cover blocks most of the views of the river below.
Foxglove blooms at Elk Meadows
To see it all, try out the 8-mile Oxbow Loop Hike that connects the different areas in the park.
The Oxbow Loop Hike will take you to many views of the Sandy River
3. Paddle or float down the river
Look for lifejackets to borrow at river access points if you don’t have your own
One of the best ways to enjoy the Sandy River is by taking to the water. Oxbow Regional Park begins a popular route for kayaking, paddleboarding, or floating. You can choose between a couple of destinations, either heading 7 miles down to Dabney State Park or 9.75 miles to Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site near the Columbia River. Without any intense rapids (nothing beyond Class I), this route is great for beginners or anyone looking to have a relaxing time on the water. Use a car shuttle for a one-way river trip. Check the hours for the parks at both the start and end of your journey to make sure you have enough time.
Paddle time:
Oxbow to Dabney State Park: 3.5 hours
Oxbow to Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site: 6.5 hours
Float time:
Oxbow to Dabney State Park: 5-6 hours
Oxbow to Lewis and Clark State Recreation Site: 7-9 hours
Sandy River
4. Have a picnic
Bonus points if you find this secluded picnic shelter (hint: take the trail past the campground)
Oxbow Regional Park has two types of picnic spots, tables perfect for a casual lunch in the park and larger reservable shelters for bigger gatherings. You can find the smaller first-come, first-served tables at any of the day-use areas and scattered throughout the park. Most are surrounded by trees and have good shade.
There are a few larger shelters in the park if you are planning an event. You would need to make a reservation ahead of time to use them. Most accommodate about 100 people. The shelters have drinking water, a barbecue, and restrooms nearby, but no electricity. Some are close to the playgrounds and river access. Find out more about reserving a shelter at Metro’s website here.
5. Look for wildlife
Black-tailed deer next to the Sandy River
The wildlife stars of Oxbow Park are the deer. They were everywhere when I visited and their reaction to me ranged from neutral to mildly positive. A couple of them walked toward me when I stopped to take a picture. The one in the photo above came up and started munching on leaves next to me while I ate my lunch. I feel compelled to give the standard disclaimer about not feeding the wildlife. It can make them sick and alters their natural behaviors. Eating separate meals companionably in the same general area, though, I’d say is okay.
Besides deer, you might see squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, or even Roosevelt elk in the forest. In the river, look for Chinook and coho salmon that come here from the Pacific Ocean to spawn in the fall. Areas of the river with more gravel are the best places to look for them. Keep an eye out for ripples or waves in water, which can reveal the presence of salmon. You might see a beaver or river otter there as well. In the sky, watch for ospreys, bald eagles, and a wide variety of songbirds.
Banana slug on the Alder Ridge Trail
6. Go camping
Campground entrance
If you’re looking for more time in nature, Oxbow Regional Park has a large, wooded campground that is open year-round. You can reserve a drive-up site or RV site without hook-ups for $25/night. The campground is near hiking trails, river access, and the boat launch site. There are restrooms with flush toilets and free showers with hot water for campers. Learn more about camping and make reservations here.
7. Find the playgrounds
There are several playgrounds in Oxbow Regional Park, each a little different from the others. Look for two of them in the middle of the park near the Beaver picnic shelter. One of these is a classic setup with slides, swings, and the like. The other is a less conventional area filled with vertical beams. While the adult imagination might go blank looking at it, kids have no such trouble and were enjoying themselves there when I passed by. If you want to have the place to yourself, look for some play equipment tucked away near the forest a little before you reach the boat launch and campground.
Getting there
Address: 3010 SE Oxbow Pkwy, Gresham, OR 97080
From downtown Portland, take I-84 east until Exit 18. Follow the Historic Columbia River Highway for 2.5 miles, then turn right onto Stark St. After half a mile, take a left onto SE Kerslake Rd. Continue onto SE 302nd Ave, then turn left onto SE Division St. Look for signs for Oxbow Regional Park, which will be on your right. The drive from downtown Portland takes about 40 minutes.
Paved roads connent the day-use areas in the park. They are in good condition and no problem in a low-clearance vehicle.
Enjoy your trip to Oxbow Regional Park!
With love,
Emma
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