Chehalem Ridge Nature Park access master plan

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Just 15 minutes from downtown Forest Grove and 20 minutes from Hillsboro and Cornelius, Metro is restoring a ridgeline with sweeping vistas of the Tualatin River Valley and the Coast Range.

Chehalem Ridge Access Master Plan
Last published: May 29, 2020
Download pdf: 15.41 MB

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Construction is starting on Chehalem Ridge Nature Park! Metro initially invested in Chehalem Ridge in 2008, and after a decade of conservation planning, restoration work, park planning, and input and inspiration from community members, Chehalem will be transformed from a beloved natural area to a nature park for all to access and enjoy.

Chehalem Ridge natural area is currently closed to all public access so that construction may occur. Crews are preparing the area that will become the park entrance, parking lot, picnic areas, equestrian staging area, restrooms and maintenance facility. Once complete, visitors will be able to walk, ride their horse or off-road bicycle and enjoy nature on about ten miles of trails. The first phase of construction is expected to last about a year.

Like much of the western Tualatin Valley, Chehalem Ridge rests on the homeland of Kalapuya tribes and bands and the Clatskanie, and others. Chehalem Ridge and the lands surrounding it has sustained Indigenous people from time immemorial, and Indigenous cultures shaped the land and environment.

The over 1,250 acre future nature park will provide the region’s residents and visitors access to nature while protecting water quality and wildlife habitat. Chehalem Ridge holds multiple habitats, including upland forests, oak woodlands and wetlands, and views of the Tualatin Valley.

Chehalem Ridge is coming to life thanks to you. Voters across greater Portland invested in nature close to home, and thousands of community members shaped the plan for Metro’s newest park. The Metro Council approved the plan in 2017 and the nature park is scheduled to open in late 2021.

Metro purchased the main portion of Chehalem Ridge in January 2010 with money from the 2006 voter-approved natural areas bond measure designed to protect water quality, wildlife habitat and access to nature for future generations. The property was formerly owned by a lumber company and before that, substantial areas were farms or orchards. Metro purchased additional surrounding parcels from willing sellers over the years.

Chehalem Ridge has five year-round streams that flow to the Tulalatin River, which provides drinking water to about 360,000 homes and businesses. When acquired in 2010, the land at the commercial tree farm was overgrown with dense stands of Douglas firs. Restoration work since then has strategically thinned the Douglas firs to allow sunlight to reach the ground. Oak and madrone woodland has space to thrive and wildlife is evident all around. Crews have removed invasive weeds and planted native shrubs, grasses and trees.

Planning for a future nature park at Chehalem Ridge got underway in early 2016. The Metro Council in October 2017 approved the master plan to guide future visitor amenities.

Money from the voter-approved natural areas bond measure in 2006 and the parks and natural areas levy in 2013 was used to acquire land, restore habitat and plan for public access. Design, engineering and construction will also be paid for with money from voter investments.