Mary S. Young Park in West Linn is a gorgeous oasis of green along the Willamette River. We headed there to explore one day, and found it so lovely that we had to bring our homeschool group along to do it again! It's actually an Oregon State Park but managed by the City of West Linn. This
trail map is very helpful in finding your way through the maze of trails that are often unmarked. We found our way to the spectacular boardwalk trail that winds down a steep slope towards the river, and discovered a delightful natural cove, protected from the currents of the river and fairly shallow. It makes a wonderful swimming hole on a hot day, with shade all along the edges. Two small islands, one of which is connected by a land bridge in the summer, are fun to explore. When we came back a little over a week later, we found the water level had dropped even more. There are bullfrogs and their tadpoles in the water, lots of diving beetles, and crawdads. Cedar Island is a little further north and is connected by a "floating bridge" in the summer. It looks like as the water level rises, the bridge avoids damage by rising on its posts. (An
aerial view I found online shows the bridge floating above high water.) Cedar Island is big, and has some large fishing piers and trails to explore. It was super hot on the day we visited, even in the shady areas, so we didn't spend much time exploring. We'd like to return if it does cool off a bit in the fall before the rains resume this fall.
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| A hydrant inexplicably in the middle of the trail. Proof the park is dog friendly! |
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| Looking down on the boardwalk from above. |
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| Field mint fills the air with a lovely scent. |
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| Great blue heron. |
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| California aster. |
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| Fireweed. |
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| Diving beetles were everywhere. |
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| A bullfrog froglet, still showing a stumpy tail. |
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| Bullfrog tadpole. |
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| The bridge to Cedar Island. |
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| Chocolate arion slug. |
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| Dune tansy. |
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