The Oregon Trail: Tualatin River Edition (No One Dies of Dysentery)

They said it couldn’t be done.
They said traversing four urban parks was too many. That the Tualatin River was too wild, too untamed, too… Tigard-adjacent to attempt in a two-hour hike.

They were wrong...so, so wrong.

This Crossing of Four Kingdoms will have its challenges. It will take us past at least one jogger, who probably won’t acknowledge us. We’ll emerge on the other side forever changed, or at minimum, ready for a double espresso.

Along the way, you will encounter:
- Riverside forest that has existed this whole time, 20 minutes from your house, quietly offended you never visited.
- The Tualatin River, modest, unbothered, flowing at its own pace, deeply unimpressed by your fitness tracker.
- A war memorial and crystal reflection pool - a genuinely beautiful tribute to fallen soldiers that will make you feel things you didn’t budget for on a Monday morning.
- Wildlife. Possibly a heron. Herons always look like they’re judging you. Come prepared.

Our brave party will ford no actual rivers, lose no oxen, and arrive at the end with all limbs intact. This is Oregon Trail on Easy Mode - and we are not ashamed.

The Stats:
Parks Visited: Cook Family, Durham City, Tualatin Community & Hedges Creek
Start Point Location: 9980 SW Riverwood Ln, Tigard, OR 97224
Start Point GPS: 45.3997642147775, -122.77979618236098
Google Maps Starting Point
Map of our hike. Press “preview route” to see animated path
Distance: Approximately 4.9 miles
Elevation gain: 82 feet
Hiking Time: 2 hours, with a coffee break in the middle.
Difficulty level: Moderate
Trail type: Loop
Parking: Non-metered parking on the streets near the hike start.
Parking Locations: SW Riverwood Lane, SW Woodcrest Ave, SW Copper Creek Drive
Multiple bathrooms at several locations along the trail.
Coffee break at Starbucks half way through hike.