mount talbert nature park

We went for a hike it just feels good to get out and walk and not have to drive for hours to your destination. The views were wonderful and the fall day was beautiful. If you don't have time for a day of driving and hiking give Mt Talbert a try you will enjoy it too!

A mountaintop saved from development which offers a real woodland experience close to town. All native plants, & they are even restoring a patch of the oak savannah which used to be prevalent around Portland & Willamette Valley. Many wildflowers & native animals-birds, frogs, salamanders, raccoons, even deer. A natural stream. Just like hiking in the mountain ranges but right in the greater metro area-the closest you can get to some real nature when you need it. Natural paths in loops make for a hike of any distance you want, up to 5 miles with no repeat. Great for birdwatching mornings & evenings.

I hiked Mount Talbert on Thanksgiving weekend between rain and sleet storms. Though we nearly turned back when it began sleeting as we left Oregon City, the storm stopped while we were turning around and we elected to proceed to Clackamas. The weather held until we were down off Mount Talbert a couple of hours later, and the hike was quite pleasant. Mount Talbert is a volcanic cinder cone that is part of the Boring Volcanic Field, a series of cinder cones mostly erupted about 2 million years ago, though Beacon Rock on the Columbia Gorge is part of this series and is less than 60,000 years old. Mount Talbert is about 700 feet high, so the summit can be reached with a little consistent effort; sustained strenuous climbing is not required. Out-of-shape soon-to-be-seniors managed the summit while the more athletic ran past us. There is a choice of loop trails; we took the shortest loop to the summit and back, but there are several other entrances and trail combinations to choose for a variety of hikes.This Garry oak and Doug-fir forest offers a respite from city-life in Clackamas (interrupted by the occasional siren). Much of the forest is Douglas-fir, but it was originally mostly oak. Efforts are underway to restore more of the oaks, which get shaded out by the Douglas-firs if there are not regular fires. The oaks and maples are dense with epiphytes - mosses, liverworts, and lichens in an abundance of types, together with licorice fern. This would be an excellent place to try to teach yourself about these small cryptogams.The understory is largely salal and swordfern, with plenty of Vancouveria and trailing blackberry on the forest floor. Mock orange, vine maples, Oregon Grape (tall and Cascade), all appear regularly, Some blewits popped up, and there were woodland strawberries. We saw the holes of pileated woodpeckers, but alas the birds themselves were off pecking somewhere else.There is a prairie area at the base of the Mather entrance, but there isn't a lot to see there in winter. Perhaps I can return in late April or early May when the camas should be blooming.

Mt. Talbert is an awesome adventure. Be prepared with good shoes and some time. There are multiple entry points if the entry on Sunnyside is too busy try another entrance. The walk is slightly steep not made for handicap people. If you are looking for a little altitude this is your adventure, it is easy and you have the option of hiking to the top of the mountain. This is a short walk and provides a quick escape.

Nice walk in a neighborhood park. There are 2 primary loops, which makes it easy to walk about 3 miles or 5 miles. You are in the woods, there is a nice creek, some wildlife too. Not over used.

I went here hoping to see a lot of Nature. What I got was well manicured trails and lots of trees and slugs. I can find that anywhere in the world. there was nothing that struck me as WOW!

I stumbled across this park here on Tripadvisor. Being as the park was about a mile away from our hotel, I told my husband we had to go! It was a little after 6:30pm when we started. We really enjoyed this little piece of nature in the city. Saw lots of birds and wild flowers. The park clearly states that the gates close a half hour after sunset. I checked on my Weather Channel app and it said that sunset was at 7:58pm. We got to the parking lot at 8:04pm and the gates were closed! Went over to the gates, and there is no way to open them without a code. There was a phone number on the sign on the gate. Called it. The whole thing is automated. Said that the extension I was trying to reach couldn't be reached. Tried pressing 0 to reach operator. Said there was no operator. What a waste of my time. Luckily there is a walking path next to the gate that leads down to the parking lot. Since we have a Mini Cooper, we were able to drive up on the sidewalk and barely fit on it due to the covered area poles (had to pull back the rear view mirrors, and thank God I had a spotter!). Then barely fit over the pass over the drain pipe/creek. Then barely fit on the path due to a sign and a drop off. Dragged bottom a little since only one tire would fit on the street sidewalk and the other had to go over a curb that edges the entrance. But, I would rather do that than have to walk back to the hotel, in the rain that just conveniently started, and risk it getting towed first thing in the morning. So. If you go on a cloudy day, like we did, save yourself a HUGE headache and leave the park a good 2 hours before sunset. Because they apparently close the gates whenever *they* see fit. You would think they would worry about a car being left in the parking lot and stranding a tourist. But clearly, this is not the case.