The Shaded Trails at Tualatin Hills Nature Park
Early Birds at Tualatin Hills
- August 16, 2023
- 2.79 mi
- 1:02:20 hrs
- 73 °F
Since it was going to be a hot day, my friend, with whom I’ve walked many miles in the Hillsboro area, and I were early birds, taking advantage of the still-pleasant 73°F temperature. Because we wanted to take advantage of the shade, we drove to Tualatin Hills Nature Park in Beaverton, OR, a place my friend had never visited. I, on the other hand, had been there a few times back when I lived in Hillsboro from 2018 to 2020.
The Oasis in the Suburbs
- 2018.09.16
- 2019.01.12
- 2019.02.17
- 2019.05.29
The park exists today because community members fought hard in the 1970s to protect it from housing development. It took decades of persistence and thousands of hours of volunteer work before it finally opened to the public on Earth Day in 1998.
Walking the trails again, which were built by volunteers, I remembered why I loved hiking in this 222-acre park filled with wetlands, dense forests, and quiet streams. It is a beautiful oasis within the surrounding suburbs, offering an escape into nature without the need for a long drive.
Across the Ocean, Along the Trail
After our walk and a good chat, we each headed home, but not before setting a new date for walking and another goodbye lunch. Often, moving away means losing touch, so staying in each other’s lives, even separated by an ocean, is rare. It made our “in-person” connection even more special.