| Home |
|
Articles |
|
Wildwood Recreation Site |
By Guest Author: West Livaudais
Tucked in the foothills of Mt. Hood National Forest, just off Highway 26 before Welches, is an accessible oasis that invites you into the deep canopy and lush understory of Pacific Northwest wilderness. I’m describing the Wildwood Recreation Site, an accessible natural area that features five miles of well-maintained paved, packed gravel or boardwalk trails through mossy old-growth wetlands and along the Sandy River. The trails are dotted with interpretive signs describing its natural history. As a parent who uses a wheelchair, the Wildwood Recreation Site is a great accessible trail near Mt. Hood and an amazing opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Oregon with my family — without having to plan a backpacking trek.
Within five minutes of parking, our crew was ready to explore! The accessible parking and restrooms are conveniently located at the trailhead. We are two kids under age four, one dog on a leash, me — a wheelchair-using dad stoking the excitement — and my wife, corralling and directing the flow of movement.
The paths are wonderful. They showcase the wonders of this mountainous ecosystem up close and personal. The main trails from the parking lots are paved and meander through the forest to viewpoints along the river, accessible picnic tables under the canopy and over small bridges. There is limited cross slope, but wheelchair users should be aware that there is a good bit of incline and decline. I consider myself a strong wheelchair hiker, and I needed an assist pushing up several inclines.
The obvious draw for our family was the underground viewpoint into the bed of a stream, where we saw young salmon and layers of sediment and rock. The glass windows are impressively large and showcase the flow of the stream shaping life underwater. The access ramp was long and a bit steeper than a standard accessible ramp, but very manageable.
We followed the trails along the babbling Sandy River toward the wetland boardwalk. Our littles poked their heads through the railings to watch water skippers and frogs jump. The boardwalk trail extends beyond the forest into the wetlands, where we were surrounded by tall cattail reeds and a view of the deep canopy we had emerged from. Farther along this boardwalk, we felt like we were wading through the wetlands, among skunk cabbage, fallen trees and slow-flowing water over beaver activity. The boardwalk ended along a packed dirt and gravel trail that we followed back to the parking lot.
By the time we reached the car, we were hungry, so we packed up and headed east five minutes on Highway 26 to Chicali Cantina, a cute Mexican restaurant among the Mt. Hood Village shops. The staff was friendly and accommodating to our accessibility needs by moving chairs for high chairs and wheelchairs. They helped us grab a quick, delicious lunch before our littles started powering down and we headed back to Portland.
I cannot encourage families, and wheelchair users alike, enough to visit Mt. Hood trails like the Wildwood Recreation Site. If you’ve never been — or if you’re an avid outdoor enthusiast who frequents the depths of nature — you will not be disappointed. In fact, I bet you’ll be surprised.
West Livaudais is a forest gnome at heart. In previous lives he has enjoyed multi-day minimalist backcountry backpacking and snowshoeing adventures with friends. Since his spinal cord injury in 2013, excursions into the deep wilderness are more choreographed and less spontaneous, but enjoyable nonetheless. As a husband and father, he enjoys bike rides, road trips and exploring Oregon’s nature with his loved ones. In his free time, he serves as the executive director of Oregon Spinal Cord Injury Connection where much of his work is to make the road post injury easier for those who must take it.
