 Rough Skinned Newt found on one of the trails The Tualatin Hills Nature Park (and accompanying nature center) the jewel of the THPRD's urban park system. The park is open year round and is full of wildlife (one of the reasons no dogs are allowed). There are paved, gravel and dirt paths snaking through this 222 acre oasis. If you wander enough, you may find yourself staring at a pond covered in lily pads, traversing a wooden bridge over stinky skunk cabbage, or emerging suddenly to the Merlo Road/158th Max Station. There are two main entrances to the park: The first is to to take the MAX to the Merlo Road/15th Max Station. The other is located at 15655 SW Millikan Way, Beaverton, OR 97003.
 The Jackson Bottom Wetlands Nature Preserve is located about 5 minutes from downtown Hillsboro, right next to the well disguised Clean Water Services. It is 635 acres of mostly marshlands with easy dirt and gravel trails. There are lots of nature lookouts to view the wildlife from and many side trails that lead to little ponds or lakes to check out.
Just hanging out with my little friend at Cooper Mountain Nature Park.   Summerlake Park is located right off of Scholls Ferry Road in Tigard at 11450 SW Winterlake Drive. There are so many exciting things about this park which make it the perfect place to spend your day all year round! There two playgrounds, one a little bit rustic with a sand pit area, and other one painted bright green with lots of fun climbing for kids of all ages.  A small, man-made lake that is an easy lunch-time walk for families, or parents just wanting to take a break from the office. There is also a dog park, tennis court, baseball diamond, basketball court dog park and a rhododendron garden managed by volunteers.
The Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge (TRNWR) is a unique feature on the Portland Metro landscape, not the least because it is actually an Oak Savannah full of birds (including several bald eagles!) and other animals you might not expect to see 20 minutes from downtown Portland. The wide, flat, trails make it perfect for a family, even if one member is in a stroller (there is a slight incline on the way down, but not too steep). 
 The park is located at 19255 SW Pacific Highway Sherwood, OR 97140 and is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services and is currently just over 1,300 acres, with plans to increase it to 3,000 acres. There are facilities at the nature center, but none on the trail.
 This little park is tucked away in the Cedar Hills neighborhood (technically Portland, but practically speaking: Beaverton) and can be accessed off of SW Foothills Dr. near the Cedar Hills Recreation Center. This park is also directly adjacent to Foothills Park. The area for the park was originally marshland with runoff from Johnson Creek, but was dredged by a developer in in 1965 to create an attractive neighborhood for the newly minted residents of the Cedar Hills neighborhood. The park was turned over to the Tualatin Hills Parks and Recreation District in 1969 and has been maintained by them ever since.
 On the day we went, there were several families fishing on the piers. This fisherman, Seth, caught a nice size koi which he then gently released back into the pond with his son. The lake is also stocked with bass and rainbow trout, which are quite tasty.
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