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Find a hidden wildflower paradise at Camassia Natural Area in West Linn

News Feed
Friday, April 19, 2024

It doesn’t look like much at first – a small, gravel parking area at the end of a neighborhood street in West Linn, a couple of signs in the trees – but soon the splendor of Camassia comes alive.Officially known as the Camassia Natural Area, a 26-acre nature preserve is home to more than 300 plant species, including wildflowers that bloom in April and May and turn the grassy plateau into a colorful display.Managed by international environmental nonprofit The Nature Conservancy, the Camassia preserve is tucked away in plain sight, bordered by Interstate 205, West Linn High School and quiet neighborhood streets. If you didn’t frequent the area, or didn’t know to look for it, you might never find it.Walking distance from downtown Oregon City, the preserve can also be counted as one among many easily accessible outdoor attractions in the area, alongside the McLoughlin Promenade, Newell Creek Canyon Nature Park and Mary S. Young Park.And though Camassia is nice any time of year, there’s nothing like the spring.Shortspur seablush wildflowers bloom at Camassia Nature Preserve.Jamie Hale/The OregonianA boardwalk trail through a boggy forest is found on a side trail.Jamie Hale/The OregonianTrillium wildflowers bloom in the shade of a conifer.Jamie Hale/The OregonianA fawn lily blooms in a wooded area on a side trail.Jamie Hale/The OregonianA hazy view of Mount Hood is found on a viewpoint at the edge of the preserve.Jamie Hale/The OregonianOn a recent visit in the middle of April, the meadows and forests of the preserve were a rainbow of wildflowers. Pretty white trillium flowers and fawn lilies bloomed in the shade of conifers. Purple camas lilies and pink sea blush flowers filled the grassy meadows. Yellow blooming Oregon grape filled the spaces in between, beside giant blue-eyed Mary, little yellow violets and many delicate white blossoms.A half-mile one-way loop trail circles the preserve, running on boardwalks, dirt trails and rocky paths. Several short offshoot trails lead to other corners of the natural area, leading to the high school, other neighborhood entrances and neighboring Wilderness Park. It’s worth exploring them all, if only for a short distance.You could tour the whole place in a matter of minutes, but you’re better off taking it slow, observing the many different species and the lovely, intricate ecosystem that they call home.To find the Camassia Natural Area, take Oregon 43 south from Portland for 10 miles to West Linn. Turn right onto West A Street, then go right onto Willamette Falls Drive. In .2 miles, turn right onto Sunset Avenue, and in .1 miles turn right onto Walnut Street. The parking area is at the end of the street. If full, find a place to safely park being mindful and respectful of the neighbors.--Jamie Hale covers travel and the outdoors and co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast. Reach him at 503-294-4077, jhale@oregonian.com or @HaleJamesB.Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.

The small nature preserve is a rainbow of color in the spring.

It doesn’t look like much at first – a small, gravel parking area at the end of a neighborhood street in West Linn, a couple of signs in the trees – but soon the splendor of Camassia comes alive.

Officially known as the Camassia Natural Area, a 26-acre nature preserve is home to more than 300 plant species, including wildflowers that bloom in April and May and turn the grassy plateau into a colorful display.

Managed by international environmental nonprofit The Nature Conservancy, the Camassia preserve is tucked away in plain sight, bordered by Interstate 205, West Linn High School and quiet neighborhood streets. If you didn’t frequent the area, or didn’t know to look for it, you might never find it.

Walking distance from downtown Oregon City, the preserve can also be counted as one among many easily accessible outdoor attractions in the area, alongside the McLoughlin Promenade, Newell Creek Canyon Nature Park and Mary S. Young Park.

And though Camassia is nice any time of year, there’s nothing like the spring.

Camassia Nature Preserve

Shortspur seablush wildflowers bloom at Camassia Nature Preserve.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Camassia Nature Preserve

A boardwalk trail through a boggy forest is found on a side trail.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Camassia Nature Preserve

Trillium wildflowers bloom in the shade of a conifer.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Camassia Nature Preserve

A fawn lily blooms in a wooded area on a side trail.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Camassia Nature Preserve

A hazy view of Mount Hood is found on a viewpoint at the edge of the preserve.Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

On a recent visit in the middle of April, the meadows and forests of the preserve were a rainbow of wildflowers. Pretty white trillium flowers and fawn lilies bloomed in the shade of conifers. Purple camas lilies and pink sea blush flowers filled the grassy meadows. Yellow blooming Oregon grape filled the spaces in between, beside giant blue-eyed Mary, little yellow violets and many delicate white blossoms.

A half-mile one-way loop trail circles the preserve, running on boardwalks, dirt trails and rocky paths. Several short offshoot trails lead to other corners of the natural area, leading to the high school, other neighborhood entrances and neighboring Wilderness Park. It’s worth exploring them all, if only for a short distance.

You could tour the whole place in a matter of minutes, but you’re better off taking it slow, observing the many different species and the lovely, intricate ecosystem that they call home.

To find the Camassia Natural Area, take Oregon 43 south from Portland for 10 miles to West Linn. Turn right onto West A Street, then go right onto Willamette Falls Drive. In .2 miles, turn right onto Sunset Avenue, and in .1 miles turn right onto Walnut Street. The parking area is at the end of the street. If full, find a place to safely park being mindful and respectful of the neighbors.

--Jamie Hale covers travel and the outdoors and co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast. Reach him at 503-294-4077, jhale@oregonian.com or @HaleJamesB.

Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.

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