Tanner Creek - West Linn

West Linn's city motto is "A City of Trees, Hills, and Rivers." This walk will take you past plenty of trees and hills, although the "river" in this case is the pretty puny Tanner Creek (the Willamette and Tualatin, which both border the city, will have to await another walk). What should impress most about this walk is how the city has created a system of paths and trails amidst new suburban development that keep a bit of nature nearby. The walk is 2.7 miles long, and, like the rest of West Linn, has no flat terrain (although the ups and downs aren't too strenuous).

The walk begins in Tanner Creek Park, at a small parking lot near the intersection of Parker Road and Wild Rose Drive. If the lot is full or closed you can park along Wild Rose to the north of Parker Road. Take the trail that leaves the park behind the restroom building. You will be walking along the riparian corridor of Tanner Creek.

Continue straight on the trail until it rejoins Parker Road. At the curve of Parker Road you will see the trail continue on the other side - cross the street here, watching for traffic. After crossing Parker the trail continues to the northwest, between townhomes on the left and a riparian area on the right. If you look closely into the riparian area you will see some ponds among the trees. You are walking on the former roadbed of Parker Road, before it was rerouted in the late 1990's. Instead of losing the right of way, the city showed some foresight and maintained it as a trail.

You will see several of these signs along your route. These are storm drainage detention areas, where runoff from the urban development around West Linn is detained, instead of flowing into a storm drain with all of its pollutants and then eventually to the Willamette. Small flows (the most polluted) seep into the ground, and larger flows slow down and dump some of their sediments before leaving the pond and discharging to Tanner Creek.

Continue on the pathway to the intersection of Salamo Road and Rosemont Road. At the intersection, cross the street and continue right on the pathway alongside Rosemont Road. You will pass by Oppenlander Field, which hosts youth sports activities. At the intersection of Rosemont and Wild Rose Drive, cross the street again and go right. But before you cross, you will see on your left a stakehouse of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka the Mormon Church. Constructed several years ago, this building was the subject of significant local controversy, as many neighbors vociferously opposed its location here. But with some design and traffic modifications (including construction of the pathway you have been walking on along Rosemont), the building was finally approved by the city. Among the other requirements was the preservation of the grove of trees along Rosemont to the right of the church, which add considerably to the site's design aesthetics.

Once you cross Rosemont, proceed downhill on Wild Rose Drive to Ridge Lane, where you will turn left. Walk down Ridge Lane, until you reach what appears to be the end of the road, but not really. Ridge Lane continues as a graveled rural cartpath. These kind of jarring roadway changes are not unusual in suburban communities that still have patches of rural development.

Walk down and then up the almost unimproved Ridge Lane, and you will eventually reach civilization again, the form of asphalt. But only for a few hundred feet. The roadway then ends again, and this time turns into a grassy area impassable by vehicles. But this is still Ridge Lane, in the form of an unimproved right of way, so continue straight ahead through the grassy area until you get to Ireland Lane. On your left right before the road ends is a narrow driveway that currently serves as the main access for these homes to Rosemont Road (unless they want to brave the graveled cartpath you earlier traversed. Good access to these houses awaits improvements to either end of Ridge Lane

At Ireland Lane, you reach asphalt again, in the form of a subdivision that is less than ten years old. Turn right on Ireland, and at its end turn right again onto Gardiner. Go a few hundred feet, and then turn to the left down this steep little street with four houses on it. At the end of the street is a pedestrian pathway.

Follow the pedestrian pathway, and you will soon cross this bridge, in the midst of another forested enclave left nestled among the large suburban homes. The pathway will empty upon another small street with six homes on it that leads down to Parker Road.

At Parker Road, cross the street, watching for traffic, and then turn left. Soon on your right you will see a pedestrian pathway between two backyards - take it. At the other end of the pathway turn left, and you are on Winkel Way. This unusual name for a street commemorates Harold Winkel (1918-2004), a longtime civic figure, graduate of West Linn High School in 1935, and city councilor in the 1950's and 1960's. A recent police report from the West Linn newspaper exemplifies the public safety concerns along this street.

Continue on Winkel Way as it makes a 90 degree turn to the right. After a few houses, you will see another pedestrian pathway on the left, consisting of a set of stairs. Take the stairs, and at the top is Sunset Avenue. Turn right.

You are now on the edge of West Linn's Sunset neighborhood. Unlike the other neighborhoods along this walk, Sunset was subdivided in the early 20th century and developed slowly over the years with a wide variety of houses. It is a vestige of the "old" West Linn, which was a Willamette River mill town, as opposed to the high-income suburb it has since been transformed into. And this view shows that, despite more recent suburban development, West Linn retains a tranquil rural atmosphere in many places within the city.

As Sunset Avenue turns left, stay with the street, and then turn right onto Reed Street. This little dead end lane has both old, rural residences and new fancy homes. At the end of the street, you will see another trail connection down the hill. Follow the trail.

This trail is steep downhill, so walk carefully. At the bottom you will be at the end of Landis Street. Cross the street and stay on the trail as it continues downhill back to Tanner Creek. Follow the trail as it turns right and continues between homes uphill on the right and the forested Tanner Creek area on the left. The trail ends at Stonegate Lane, and you will cross this pretty stone bridge to the left.

Where Stonegate Lane meets Beacon Hill Drive, turn right. After a short distance turn right again on Beacon Hill Court. After passing Sabo Lane you will see another trail going off to the left. Follow this trail, once again along Tanner Creek.

This trail is forested on both sides, with the backs of houses on either side barely visible. Eventually you will get to this pedestrian bridge over Tanner Creek, to the right. Cross the bridge, and on the other side the trail turns left and  briefly traverses an access way for several houses before continuing along the creek. Follow the trail.

Eventually you will see a large retaining wall on your right. Above you is the West Linn Skate Park, well-used by young local daredevils. When you reach Wild Rose Drive, turn right and then enter the skate park grounds to enjoy watching the performers. The skate park has been the object of some local controversy because some of the neighbors perceive youngsters having fun as a threat to their suburban peace and tranquility. On the other hand, some have suggested that young people in a town like West Linn can get bored pretty quickly, and these kinds of available recreational activities alleviate that boredom.

You are now back at the start of this walk, across the street from the Tanner Creek Park parking lot.