Pets allowed
Allowed
Guided tours
No
Backcountry camping
No
Lodging
No
Please respect the outdoors by practicing Leave No Trace. Learn more about how to apply the principles of Leave No Trace on your next outdoor adventure here.

Often overshadowed by Forest Park, Tryon Creek State Park is equally serene and remarkable for its beauty and representation of Pacific Northwest wilderness.  In fact, the park can be stunningly quiet and tranquil because it is so often overlooked.  Tryon Creek State Park supports a 3-mile paved bike trail (part of Portland’s 40-Mile Loop), has its own nature center, and hosts runs of steelhead trout and coho salmon in the creek.  Once on the park’s 8 miles of well-maintained trails, watch the dappled light fall on the moss and licorice ferns.  Red alder and bigleaf maple trees ostensibly dominate the park’s landscape. 

Like Forest Park, the forest vegetation is all second-growth. The site was heavily logged during the latter half of the 19th century, in part by the Oregon Iron Company.  The company purchased the land in 1874 from the heirs of Socrates Hotchkiss Tryon Sr., the pioneer settler who filed the original land claim in 1850.  Logging continued into the early 20th century, and the Boone’s Ferry Wood and Tie Company established a sawmill along Tryon Creek near Obie’s bridge. The company primarily produced railroad ties, cordwood, and flagpoles from cedar and Douglas fir.  If you have the time, the Cedar Trail Loop provides a terrific overview of the park.  

Logistics + Planning

Preferable season(s)

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Congestion

Moderate

Parking Pass

Not Required

Pros

Wonderful natural oasis. Serene and quiet.

Cons

Little scenic diversity.

Features

Flushing toilets
Bicycling
Potable water
Picnic tables
Covered picnic areas
Old-growth forest
Horseback riding

Location

Nearby Lodging + Camping

Comments

01/31/2016
Perfect weather over the weekend for stomping in puddles, snapping a few pics, and chewing up sticks. Parking lot was amazingly full, but once on the trail it was easy to find solitude.
Have updates, photos, alerts, or just want to leave a comment?
Sign In and share them.