The Springwater Corridor is a multi-use trail. The paved surface is 10-12 feet wide with soft shoulders. The hard surface trail is designed to accommodate walkers, joggers, hikers, bicycles, wheelchairs, and strollers. Equestrian use is more common east of I-205 where a separate soft surface path meanders away from the main trail where topography allows.

History

The Springwater Corridor began life in 1903 as the Springwater Division Line, a commuter railway that took folks from downtown Portland to outlying communities such as Estacada and Eagle Creek. At its peak in 1910, Portland's 160 miles of rails carried 16 million passengers a year.  In the 1950s, the automobile became the preferred method of travel and passenger service was dropped in 1958.

In 1990, the city of Portland acquired portions of the corridor with the rest being picked up by Metro in the intervening years.  The first stretches of the trail opened in 1996.  In 2006, three bridges connecting the trail over McLoughlin Boulevard, were constructed which closed most of the gaps in the trail.

The Springwater Corridor currently winds on-street for about a mile through the southeast corner of the Sellwood neighborhood (commonly referred to as the Sellwood Gap).  A local freight hauling railroad has a lease for the tracks for this section. Once that section is completed, it will provide the final connection of the Springwater Corridor between downtown Portland east through Milwaukie and Gresham to Boring.

The Route of the Trail

A perfect stretch of smooth paved loop that shows off a wildlife refuge on one side and the placid Willamette River on the other.

From Oaks Park, the trail stretches out toward downtown past woods and wildflowers, following the river and eventually winding up at OMSI and the southern tip of the Eastside Esplanade.

Once you leave the roller coasters and bumper cars behind, the trail rolls through through Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge, a 163-acre tract of wetlands within the city. Oaks Bottom, a birdwatcher’s paradise, is home to a wide variety of species, although the Great Blue Heron is the star of the show, and the official bird of the City of Portland. An occasional park bench or picnic table pops out of nowhere, making it the perfect place to rest and break open a few sandwiches while watching river traffic go by and soaking up the city's skyline.

The trail threads its way through the Ross Island Sand and Gravel operation before depositing riders just south of OMSI near the Portland Opera building.

Things to See   Ospreys, egrets, feral cats, strollers, and skaters.

Distance  4.1 miles one way.

Source for some of the above:  "The 40-Mile Loop: More than a bike trail, and more than 40 miles" The Oregonian, September 30, 2009.

For more information and maps, visit these links:

• Springwater Corridor 

• Tideman-Johnson Park

• Leach Botanical Gardens

• Linnemann Station

• Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge

• Powell Butte Nature Park