From "Wildwood" To The Willamette: Where To Watch Crows In Milwaukie

By Guest Author: Lorin Wilkerson

What is it about crows that invoke such strong reactions in people? Whether it’s a sense of deep mystery, an awe of their great intelligence or just plain old-fashioned curiosity, these noisy, jet-black birds seldom fail to spark intense interest from us. And let’s face it: there’s nothing to put you in the Halloween spirit like watching a river of crows fly shrieking across a pumpkin-orange sunset. In downtown Milwaukie, there is an accessible, dog- and family-friendly way to do just that.

Crows are a main part of the Wildwood story. Live out your own Wildwood story by spotting thousands of crows for yourself in Milwaukie.

Portland author Colin Meloy (frontman for indie rock darlings The Decemberists) wrote the fantasy novel Wildwood, a love letter to Portland published with much fanfare, and acclaimed Hillsboro animated film studio Laika translated it into a film for release on October 23, 2026. Crows play an important part in the story; the opening scene of the book features a wild vortex of the birds being chased by a desperate young girl near the bluff in the St. John’s neighborhood of Portland: “The crows had cleared the precipice and were funneling skyward like a shivering black twister cloud…”

The book may be fantasy, but the spectacle of huge numbers of crows in our area is very real. During the fall and winter months, up to 22,000 crows may roost in downtown Portland in a single night. In the morning they fan out in all directions to forage in the suburbs and countryside and they head back before dark; one of their “highways” passes right over the Willamette River off downtown Milwaukie. Show up at the right time and you can observe this fantastic nightly journey.

The best way is to look up sunset times and arrive 15-30 minutes beforehand. Park across McLoughlin Blvd. in downtown Milwaukie for the short walk to the river, or at Milwaukie Bay or Kellog Creek Parks where the best viewing is to be had, but please note that there is limited parking at the parks.

You’ll hear the crows before you see them; they’ll pass right overhead, over downtown behind you, and farther out in long rivers of black dots over the picturesque Dunthorpe neighborhood across the Willamette. Bundle up for a beautiful sunset, bring binoculars if you have them, and be prepared to see a lot of birds; on the evening of October 11, I counted over 900 crows in about half an hour.

As the sun sets the sky fills with thousands of crows heading back to their roosts.

There are four ADA parking spaces (three van accessible) at Milwaukie Bay and Kellogg Creek Parks, as well as an ADA restroom. A wide asphalt trail cuts through dog-friendly (but not off-leash) Kellogg Creek Park, though there are a few rough spots and a couple of steep inclines. Multiple benches and picnic tables provide ideal viewing right on the riverbank. All locations referenced in this article are accessible through a series of mostly well-maintained (but not perfect) sidewalks, but downtown is uphill; the McLoughlin Blvd. crossings at Monroe and Harrison are much less steep than the one at Jackson Street. The Milwaukie/Main Street Max Station is about .3 miles away; the Orange MAX Line and numerous bus lines stop here.

For home-cooked diner fare, try beloved local eateries Libbie’s or Gramma’s Corner Kitchen. There are also two food cart options in downtown Milwaukie: the Milwaukie Station Food Cart Pod right by the transit station, and the new 1847 Food Park and Taphouse. Giving Café and Bistro has great Thai food, and my personal favorite, Ohana Hawaiian Café, is known for friendliness and out-of-this world food. For pubs, try the pFriem Family Brewers Tasting Room or Duffy’s Irish Pub. All these establishments are within a short distance of your Halloween crow adventure in downtown Milwaukie.