Visited on a Sunday with two kids. Seems like getting there when it opens (at 11) was a good call…read more Also: bringing a picnic. The initial line before all the trains started running (at 1130) wrapped around the snack bar. They don't necessarily fill the trains to the brim, so once you're queueing under the covers anticipate waiting for 5-6 trains to fill up before you get your seat. Approx 25 min maybe. But the trains go by often to heighten the anticipation! The ride is worth the wait! And takes you all over the property, which is really nicely landscaped, and gets you a view of the inner workings of the place too. No tour guide or anything, though, but I'm sure the volunteers would answer any Qs you have. Parking is all on the (single) main street in the neighborhood. Grab what you find rather than try to get too close and have a hard time turning around bc of the ppl walking in. Runs on donations!

Amazing!! A must go if you have a toddler or young child. Ran by passionate and kind volunteers -…read moreWe had such a blast and spent most of the day there! Tip: bring a picnic lunch as they gave a great spot with tables and grass to eat at!

Free state park with free parking, picnic areas, extra large unfenced dog exercise yards, and a…read morenice walking/cycling trail. Theoretically, there is also a free boat dock, but at the time of writing, a very large tree is fallen across it. Restrooms and garbage are maintained by Oregon State Parks. When I visited, it was pretty clean. The trail along the river is very pretty, although I was only able to access about a mile of it before it got too flooded to hike through. I noticed lots of poisonous plants including poison oak, snowberries, and hemlock. But also tons of moss, lichens, and ferns. In addition to the picnic tables in the picnic areas, there were also several solitary tables set out along the river. This is great for a more solitary picnic, taking a break during a long bike ride, or getting some privacy for drawing or Journaling. Overall just about as good as it gets for free.

Nice park with plenty of river access. And there isn't an entrance or day-use fee at the time of…read morethis writing, so that's a plus. They don't have any trail maps posted, however, so we weren't sure of the distance of the trails or where they went. One trail follows close to the river, and that was nice, with a mix of open sun and shaded forest. The trails were mostly flat dirt or gravel, no strenuous inclines. There's a large off-leash dog exercise area. Dogs are supposed to be on a leash in the rest of the park, but sadly most owners were just letting their dogs run the trails off-leash. They have picnic tables & a good, clean restroom facility as well.

Great little park with river access. You do have to pay a small fee. Plenty of picnic tables and…read moreplaces to set up for the day while enjoying the river.

This is a fantastic beautiful park along Eagle Creek! With that said, the only negative was the $8…read moreday-use fee. Other parks with day-use fees around Portland currently usually charge $5, but they do have an annual pass you can get for a certain group of parks if you plan on visiting them regularly. There is a restroom (not just a porta-potty, but an actual restroom. Yay!), a playground, baseball diamond, and lots of picnic tables. Some of the picnic tables have in-ground charcoal BBQ pits, too. They also have a picnic shelter you can pay to reserve. For hiking, they have a few different trails to choose from and all were very well-maintained when we visited. One of the trails is even accessible for folks with mobility issues, all flat and wide. The park & trails have plenty of huge trees for shade, and the big main trail goes along the creek in several places. There are even a few spots where you can hang out right along the creek shore. Aside from the easy accessible trail, I'd say the other trails are mild to medium in difficulty just due to some of the hilly inclines, but we saw families with younger kids walking them without a problem.

This is one if the coolest free city parks ever! There are a few different areas of the playground…read morewith a really tall play structure for older kids, and small play structures for littlest kids. There's also a climbing wall, zip line kinda thing, and a really big sand lot with a volcano-kinda thing in the middle that is deceptively difficult to walk up because the sand makes it slippery! PLUS there's a splash pad water fountain wet area! That part is not open year round. I mean it's open, but the fountains aren't running in the winter. All this is surrounded by covered picnic tables, very large grassy areas, walking paths covered by trees. Car parking. Bicycle parking. Clean bathrooms. Friendly clientele. We entered from the east side of the park where there is pedestrian access. On the west side of the park near the vehicle entrance, there is a skate park! And 4 half basketball courts, plus a boulder, I guess for bouldering.

The lake is amazing. Parking is somewhat limited. Nice turn around to be able to unload. If you're…read moreout paddling make sure to go find the river. It's a nice challenge in winter to get upstream and in summer it's a relaxing place for summer. I will say I was unimpressed with the host the last time I was there in summer. An older gentleman had gone off the road and was stuck. A few other lake goers were helping him without success. I went up to let the host know that there was a situation going on and he said "what am I supposed to do". I'll leave it there without putting any non factual opinions in.

This is a great place to relax and just float on your kayak or paddleboard. It's fairly small with…read morenot a lot to see but the perfect place to relax. Parking is nonexistent so you want to get there early!!

Rustic river acess for kayaking, fishing and summer time swimming…read more This park had been here for many a year providing access to the Molalla river. I have seen families basking in the sun or cooling off in the water durring the hot months and I have seen fishermen wadding in trying to catch the prized salmon durring the cold early spring. For Kayakers, there is an old ramp going down the the water. It is not a smooth transition to the water as the bottom of the ramp is missing and also the top is blocked so you will have to carry your craft down to the water. Once in the water it is a cool and beautiful journey down to the Willamette. The pull out on my last trip was the Molalla state park. Summer time is good for that as you may have to portage some areas when the water is low. I haven't floated this part in the spring yet. Maybe this year.

I love this place for the kids. Bring inflatables for the rapids. They are slow going and even…read moresmall kids love them. My kids catch tad poles in a bucket and jump off the rocks into the water. Mostly the river is waist high.

Cute kids playground. We came because Memorial Park also has tennis and pickleball courts. Not…read morelooking closely at the map, we realized when we got here that the playground and the courts are not super close to each other. So no playing a game with the adults while watching the kids - good to know for next time.

Family-friendly | Beautifully maintained…read more I have nothing but excellent things to say about this park. When we moved five years ago to Wilsonville, one of the highlights of this town are its open spaces and how family-friendly it is. This is just one of many parks in town. It's expansive too! It is located right across the street from the library and they offer so much-- water play (Murase Plaza), structured play, event spaces, nature play, tennis courts, soccer and baseball field, skate park, nature trails, disc golf, and fishing/boat dock. It is also stunning during the fall season with the trees in orange, red, and yellow. Parks and Rec are always maintaining this place. The latest addition to the park is the natural playground, and that is where we took our toddler recently. She LOVED it. She made some friends pretending to fish in the canoe and hang out in the teepees. The sand pit is a big hit too. Whether you're a family visiting or a local, I highly recommend checking this place out.

Abiqua Falls! I just visited this beautiful 92-foot waterfall sort of in the middle of nowhere in…read moreOregon but located about 50 miles south of Portland. I have a lot to relay about the experience. This review could take the maximum 5000 words, lol, but I'll try my best to keep things as concise as possible... There are many questions about what to expect from Abiqua Falls. Even myself, I had concerns and doubts. But...I survived and it's an easy adventure to a very secluded waterfall. I'll try and answer the following questions... - Can you drive to the trailhead? From my POV, it's a VERY ROUGH ROAD down to the bottom. There's one specific section (and you'll recognize it immediately) where the road is practically cracked in half with divots and potholes. I actually witnessed a Ford Explorer trying to drive over it on the way back up and it was a big struggle for them! They eventually got past it, but I thought they were stuck. You absolutely need a high clearance 4x4 vehicle to make it down to the base to access the trailhead to Abiqua Falls. For me...I have a Suburu and I parked 2 miles away at the Abiqua Falls "Parking Lot" (according to Google) and then walked 2 miles down to the bottom and 2 miles back up. There was no way I was risking a flat tire, especially with not knowing how to change a tire and there barely being cell phone reception in the area. Btw...just to arrive at the Abiqua Falls parking lot, you must first drive 1.5 miles on a dirt road. For me, dirt and gravel roads are like nails on a chalkboard. I cringe driving over them. - Where is the trailhead located? This is a good question because there's no specific sign for Abiqua Falls, but it's easy to discover. Here's how...the road down to the bottom only goes so far. Eventually, you'll confront a white fence where you can leave your car (if you drove). But...there's a clear opening to the forest on the left-hand side of the road as you're going down. People say it's hard to find, but truly...you can't miss it. If you're any sort of outdoors enthusiast, it's simple. The hike is 7/10ths of a mile out and back. That's it! Again...there's barely any hiking involved, especially if you drive down to the base. - What is the ropes section like on the trail? I must be transparent. I read other people's AllTrails and Google reviews, and this can be deceiving. Let me explain... There were many reviews saying how the ropes section is intense and you're practically repelling down the cliff side. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! It's an easy pathway. The ropes are no big deal. I have a serious fear of heights, and I casually made my down to the creek. Using the ropes was necessary for the most part, but it wasn't scary. It didn't strain my hands. IT IS NOT STRESSFUL! I'd rate the trail as easy - moderate. Do not fear the incline/decline slope. There's nothing of that sort. It is 100% safe to get up and down the trail. Once down at the bottom of the creek, hang on the left hand side. You'll notice the trail continuing around the bend that leads straight to Abiqua Falls. It's easy. I had no problems at any point in time. I've been on much, much rougher trails during my explorations. I visited on a random Thursday morning at the end of August and pretty much had the falls to myself. There were a few people that came along towards the middle of the day. I believe if you're coming to Abiqua Falls, you must bring a bathing suit and towel. I think it's a right of passage. The waterfall is scenic and the setting is charming, but other than admiring the views and maybe having a picnic, you must take the plunge in the pool of water that Abiqua Falls splashes down into. - Was the water cold? Absolutely! Lol, I was dreading the cold water but made the premeditated decision that I was swimming to have a fun memory. It wasn't even hot outside as well, but I forced myself in and I'm glad I just did it. Obviously, your body adjusts to the cold and it's not too extreme. Overall, the ambiance at Abiqua Falls was liberating. The canyon walls sort of engulf you from high above. You're standing at this dramatic waterfall and when the sun reaches above the tree line, you can notice some slight coloring in the waters which can make for a magical moment. In all, maybe you need a few hours to hang out at the falls before returning to the ropes section and heading back up to the trailhead and road. Again, the hike back up to the top is barely strenuous. It's a slight workout. Most folks can handle it. Lastly, if you're someone who left their car all the way at the top of the road (like I did), it is possible that you may get offered a lift from those hikers who took a chance driving their cars down to the base. If so, hop in, lol. It'll save time not having to trek back uphill. In the end, I enjoyed getting to witness Abiqua Falls. The journey to arrive here was not as daunting as I initially anticipated. And again, from my POV, be kind to your car tires. Don't risk the drive.

Extremely steep. Rope system down to the bottom. I ended up fracturing my spine in 2 places due to…read morea fall. But if you're able to make it then go. Physical fitness is a MUST But a stunning falls to see

Forest Grove, Oregon "A place where families and business…read morethrive" We took a drive out to Forest Grove on Superbowl Sunday, before the big game. The drive to Forest Grove felt long from Portland, but it was a nice drive. The reason was to visit Kama'aina Comfort foods, we got our take out from the food truck and had to find a place to enjoy our lunch. My daughter searched for a park on her phone and we happen to be nearby Joseph Gale Park. Who is Joseph Gale? He was an explorer, fur trapper and member of Oregon's Provisional Government Executive Committee (1843-44) He was Commander in Chief of the Oregon Territory Milita and also championed the rights of Native America. A small park in the Forest Grove Community, located right next to Joseph Gale Elementary school. We found street parking right in front of the park. Joseph Gale Park as I observed had a small playground with a few picnic benches. I noticed on this beautiful cool Sunday, 2 families utilizing the playground, a gentleman utilizing the picnic table reading a book, and my family enjoying our lunch on another picnic table. This park is small, very green and also clean. The Amenities at Joseph Gale Park includes: barbeques baseball fields, picnic tables playground equipment restrooms, softball fields Parks and Recreation Director: Tom Gamble Parks Supervisor: Matt Baum Phone: 503.992-3237 Overall, We enjoyed our afternoon visit here at Joseph Gale Park and can't wait to be back again at this park and neighborhood!!

We visit from Florida every summer and call this the "Castle Park". We're always sure to make…read moreplenty of time to go because it's our favorite park/playground to hang out at on a nice day! Everything about it is beautiful.

Great park. My kids love the creek and the play structure and how close it is to joes donuts.read more