Gabbert Butte Nature Park master plan

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Learn about the plan for a new nature park in Gresham that continues to protect wildlife habitat and water quality.

Gabbert Butte Nature Park master plan
Last published: July 18, 2019
Download pdf: 7.85 MB

Overview
Background

Natural areas in the East Buttes area owned and managed by Metro and the City of Gresham protect the headwaters of Butler Creek and Kelley Creek and many other un-named tributaries of Johnson Creek. Large tracts of forest preserve core habitat for wildlife.

two people walking on trail surrounded by forest

A gated gravel road leads through red alder and big leaf maple to the top of Gabbert Butte. Hikers can continue along a steep trail to complete a loop.

Sword ferns are plentiful on Gabbert Butte, and their fiddleheads emerge in spring. Gabbert Butte is a great place to see some of your favorite spring wildflowers too.

Sunlight streams through Gabbert Butte’s forest on clear early spring days, and the trees shade the trail during the hot sunny summer.

A short loop trail brings people to the top of Gabbert Butte. One section of the loop follows a gravel road, and another part of the trail traverses through a majestic Douglas-fir and red cedar trees.

Working with the community, Metro and the City of Gresham developed the Gabbert Butte Nature Park master plan to create more welcoming entrances and trailheads at Gabbert Butte, as well as improve the trail system and enhance connections with nearby trails.

A nature park’s focus is on natural resources, and the master plan identifies ways for people to connect with nature like hiking, biking, viewing wildlife, picnicking, nature classes and nature-based play areas.

The project has also served as a pilot for the Connect with Nature initiative, which works with historically marginalized community members to ensure parks and natural areas are welcoming and inclusive of all cultures. A consortium of multicultural planners, consultants and community members worked together to identify key design principles and ways to apply them at Gabbert Butte.

Just south of downtown Gresham are the East Buttes, a complex of ancient lava domes more than 2 million years old. Instead of lava, today you’ll find lush forests, birds, and wildlife among the domes.

The area contains some of the largest contiguous wildlife habitat in the region. These sites protect the headwaters of Butler Creek, Kelley Creek and many other tributaries of Johnson Creek.

From the perspective of nature close to home, Gabbert Hill sits nestled among residential neighborhoods.

A significant amount of land in the East Buttes has been protected by voter investments. The City of Gresham led the region in protecting and prioritizing open space with the region’s first voter approved open space bond measure in 1990, which helped protect lands in the East Buttes. Together, Metro and the city have protected close to 1000 acres of natural area in the East Buttes.