The Pisgah Trailhead of the Crown Z Trail might not have the marshes, birding, and wildlife of the trail to the east, or the forest solitude and geological wonders of the trail to the west, but….it’s there. So last year on the first day of spring, my family went on a walk from Pisgah toContinue reading “Family hike from Pisgah Trailhead”
Tag Archives: scappoose
Scappoose’s forest park (Vista property)
Last year the City of Scappoose’s Isaac Butman asked me, “Have you checked out the Vista property?” “What’s that?” It turns out that City of Scappoose has 80 acres of forest property in town. I’ve been able to explore and, though facilities are limited, it’s a peaceful spot to enjoy some trees. Parking is theContinue reading “Scappoose’s forest park (Vista property)”
A quiet retreat tucked in the Scappoose hills
At the end of Gilkison Road on the very edge of Scappoose sits a forest getaway most residents have never heard of. Vedanta Retreat is a culturally unique blend of hiking trails, meditation seats, and shrines to the world’s major religions. It is situated in some of the region’s oldest forest (on one trail IContinue reading “A quiet retreat tucked in the Scappoose hills”
New Trtek trailhead now has two trails
Last year a new trailhead was completed on the Crown Z, right in the middle of Scappoose. The “Trtek Trailhead” (what we used to call the Scappoose Trailhead) will be the easiest spot for most people to access the Scappoose Bottoms portion of the CZ Trail. It’s a fine parking lot and includes restrooms, picnicContinue reading “New Trtek trailhead now has two trails”
Birding at Santosh Wildlife Area and Honeyman Road
The longer we work on this website and wildlife survey, the more hidden locations we turn up. One new discovery is “Santosh Wildlife Area” at the north end of the CalPortland property in Scappoose. Marlea Berumen told us about the place, otherwise we never would have known it existed. We started at the CalPortland officeContinue reading “Birding at Santosh Wildlife Area and Honeyman Road”
Wildlife of the CZ Trail – Scappoose Bottoms
The Crown Zellerbach Trail holds numerous unique habitats along its 26 miles. In particular the lower section beginning at Chapman Landing heading towards Scappoose has many wildlife viewing opportunities that change throughout the seasons. A series of fields, assorted trees, sloughs and ponds attract many a bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian. Today I wanted toContinue reading “Wildlife of the CZ Trail – Scappoose Bottoms”
CZ Trail: Scappoose to Chapman Landing
(note – the current name for the Scappoose Trailhead is now “Trtek Trailhead”.) Most of Columbia County is forested hills aligned with the foothills of the Coast Range to the west. But there’s a portion of the county along the Columbia River, especially around Scappoose, made up of wetland flats aligned with the ecology ofContinue reading “CZ Trail: Scappoose to Chapman Landing”
Wild Columbia County 