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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.