Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge

So beautiful and peaceful, a great break from the city in the middle of the city. There is a main path that is paved and then a couple trails that go off the paved path that are not paved and consist of dirt, rocks, roots, and wooden boardwalks, sometimes fairly narrow. A little incline in a few areas, but mostly flat.

Lovely park area with gorgeous views and excellent walks right in the Sellwood area. The tracks are lovely, with some only for walking and some combined cycle and walking trails. Plenty of wildlife to see and gorgeous views. The Tadpole pond is rather neat! Would definitely be suitable for taking kids, and is very dog friendly (on a leash!) Wonderful reserve with short and long walks.

Oaks bottom wildlife refuge is a gem nestled in the bottom of a wonderful wetland! If you have the time, it's about a 3 mi loop to walk all the way around. In the spring and fall when the rains are around. Be sure to take some extra shoes because it can get a bit damp on the far side of the trail. Keep your eyes peeled for beaver, numerous waterfowl, and in the spring. It's always fun to look for the tadpoles when you're out walking. If you're careful, you will can catch a glimpse of the local deer that also populate the oaks bottom wildlife refuge. Don't let them startle you as you will most likely startle them. Keep your head up and look off in the distance, deer or normally visible in the early morning and evening on the edges of the wetland. It's a wonderful walk that also takes you down the Willamette River and it's abundance of beauty. Also, on the far side of the loop, keep your eyes peeled for small shoes?! Pre and post pandemic the elk's bottom wildlife refuge persists.

We were looking for an easy hike with our 5 year old nephew and this was close and easy. There are some beautiful spots wjth a view of the water and wild flower fields. All pretty easy even trail. We had a good time!

Wonderful options, allowing for different types of visits depending on the weather. We visited on an overcast winter day, not long after rain had moved through, so we kept to mostly paved options, starting at the north parking lot on Milwaukie Ave, making our way to the Springwater Trail, and heading south from there. Future visits will take in the Bluff Trail, which follows the eastern edge of the refuge, meeting up with Springwater near Oaks Park. The Bluff Trail is unpaved, and does not allow bicycles, so it will be much more of a nature experience. One benefit, in pandemic times, of the paved options is that the paths are wide, allowing walkers, cyclists, and runners to pass each other while maintaining a respectable distance. As for wildlife, there wasn't much to see in December, but a combination of seeing two serene bald eagles on East Island, and the wetlands with their corresponding sparse tree cover still made for a very enjoyable walk.