2 min
Overview
A paved section of the Portland Metro Area’s 40-mile Loop runs between industrial facilities and a Columbia River beach and the Sandy River, the whole area being part of the Troutdale Reynolds Industrial Park. Both sides of the paved trail were part of the Superfund cleanup following the demolition of the Reynolds Aluminum Plant (the site now occupied by a FedEx Package Distribution Center) after its closure in 2002. Unpaved trails lead from the tarmac path through a riparian corridor dominated by cottonwoods to Sundial Beach on the Columbia River. The loop at the end of the hike encompasses 16-acre Company Lake, also part of the Superfund cleanup. A note of caution should be added: the wooded areas are sometimes the camping places of transients and some may not feel safe straying from the paved trail, especially when alone. A paved trail runs from Graham Road below a levee and passes a construction yard and sewerage treatment plant on the left. The trail rises to the top of the levee. To your right is the Sandy River, at the end of its run, and bordered by oaks and thickets of Armenian blackberry. Another option is a footpath that leads back along a large field east of the levee to Harlow Road. Continue along the crest of levee, with a woodland of cottonwood, ash, and oak to your left. Meet a powerline corridor and pass a path leading right down to the mouth of the Sandy. Keeping to the levee path, see a wildlife habitat restoration area at a seasonal lake down to your right. Next, note the large FedEx facility, formerly an aluminum plant, to your left. Reach a four-way intersection, and go right on a gravel track, passing a gate into Port of Portland property. The road bed heads into a riparian woodland of Oregon ash, black cottonwood, red osier dogwood, and Pacific willow. Blackberry runs rampant here as well. Pass a large, flat graveled area on your left and keep straight at a junction. Take a footpath where it peels off the grassy track into the blackberries. This leads out to the Columbia shore at Su
Trail Stats
0.0 km
12 m
0 m
0 m
—
Photos
400px-SundialBeachMap
400px-SundialBeachMap
250px-SundialBeach2
250px-SundialBeach2
250px-SundialBeach4
250px-SundialBeach4
250px-SundialBeach3
250px-SundialBeach3
400px-SundialBeach1
400px-SundialBeach1