Magness Memorial Tree Farm

What an amazing place — a must see! Hiking trails wonderful, birds singing, old timber. Beautiful, peaceful and no one there!

Loved every minute! Beautiful hiking trails. Option of paved trail, 1.5−2 miles, or dirt paths that are hillier and take between 1.5 –2 hrs. Sounds of running streams, peaceful and very private. Highly recommended!

Cool park to relax in. It has some old features and is secluded.

The funny thing about dwelling outside of Portland is sometimes you feel like you have to apologize for not living in the ‘city.’ Because obviously, all the coolest stuff must be in Portland, right? Just like some New Yorkers can’t understand why you’d ever leave the island of Manhattan.
So the other day, I had such a swell of pride for one of my favorite burbs and I felt sorry for Portlanders that couldn’t be where I was that very minute… in Wilsonville.
Years ago, the Magness family donated property to the World Forestry Center. The 80 acre property is now a demonstration forest and outdoor education site. It was my first visit, but my kids have been coming here once or twice a year for school field trips and scout activities.
Once you leave I-​5, it only takes a couple minutes to pass the stores and subdivisions before you are in the country. Beautiful country filled with hazelnut orchards and horse farms as you drive along the Willamette River. Then you start heading up into the hills. My moment of ahhh was when I crested a hill and all of Oregon seemed to be laid out before me… Mt. Hood was just one star in the show.
A visit to the tree farm is free and they offer a guided tour every Sunday at 2:00p. But my guys were going there for overnight camping in the log cabins. Yurts are wonderful, but they aren’t nearly as cool as a log cabin! (see pics) Bare bones with triple bunks toward the ceiling — perfect for a group of boys on an adventure. They have covered shelters and a fire pit all arranged around an open field.
If you decide to rent the structures you have several options. Please note that the basic option contains no bathrooms (just port-​a-​potties) or running water, so this may be more rustic than many are comfortable with. Also, there is no heat in the cabins so camping in February was chilly.
But I left hearing the sounds of boys whooping and yelling as they ran across fields, leapt over ravines and got ready to make dinner (themselves) and go on a snipe hunt. And you know s’mores and campfire stories would soon follow. So Magness might not be your thing, but come on Portlanders, live a little, and take a day trip somewhere outside the city limits.