4 min
Overview
This park is an oasis of tranquillity just off busy Highway 26. Many waterfowl congregate here in the winter, and it has become a go-to destination for urban birders. The pond is also stocked with trout several times in the spring by the Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife, attracting young, aspiring, and disabled fishers. From the trailhead, head down to the lake on a paved trail across a lawn. Go right and follow the trail around the willow (yellow twigs in winter) and red-osier dogwood (red twigs) lined shore. There’a a viewing platform here where Johnson Creek flows along a ditch to the right through a wetland. A great blue heron might be poised patiently at the shoreline. In winter, there are waterfowl galore on the lake itself: domestic ducks and geese, many hybrids, mallards, wigeons, coots, and buffleheads. Pass some oak trees and cross the outlet from the lake to the creek on a footbridge. There's a playground and soccer field at the western end of the lake. Now, the paved trail heads back along the south shore. Homes line the park lawns to the right. Come to a large viewing platform with a bird identification chart, and then cross a creek and head up a paved path to Huntington Avenue. To extend the walk, cross the street and find a path leading into Foothills Park on the north side of Foothills Creek. There’s a port-a-potty by the street here before you pass under a large oak. Alders, willows, blackberry, and Douglas-firs form a thicket. Head across a basketball court and enter Douglas-fir woods. Non-native ivy, laurel and holly also proliferate in this patch of forest. You'll emerge in an open area on a barkchip path and take a paved right-of-way between homes to Alcott Avenue. To make a loop on residential streets, go right to Foothill Drive, turn right here and walk along a very suburban street. At the next junction, go right and swing above Foothills Park until you reach Huntington. Make a right and then left down into Commonwealth Lake Park. The trail passes by a spring on the right, crosses
Trail Stats
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22 m
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Photos
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