Updated 1/27/2023
Did you know there are four volcanoes in Portland? I don’t mean volcanoes you can see from Portland, like Mount Hood and Mount St Helens—there are actually four volcanoes inside the city limits. And just to keep Portland weird, these volcanoes are part of a lava field called…the Boring Lava Field.
Luckily the volcanoes aren’t active, and they’re all parks. In today’s post, I’ll share the fascinating story of one of these extinct cinder cones, Powell Butte, including a recommended Powell Butte loop trail that’s one of the best places in Portland to watch the sunset.
If you’d prefer to start with a virtual tour, check out our Powell Butte highlights in the video below.
Our video tour of Powell Butte Nature Park
Weird Facts about Powell Butte
Aside from the fundamental weirdness of any volcano in Portland, Powell Butte has a couple quirks of its own. On the surface you’ll find a nature park, with mossy ravines of maple trees and Douglas firs draping its sides and sun-washed grasslands flecked with wildflowers at the top. But underneath Powell Butte is a critical part of Portland’s infrastructure: the city’s water supply is stored under the park.
Also, in the summer you’ll probably find a piano at the top of Powell Butte. Last year, the piano was painted like a tiger.
And What about that Boring Lava Field?
Yes, that’s weird, too. Powell Butte is part of an extensive network of small volcanoes in the region that make up the Boring Lava Field, sometimes called the Boring Volcanic Field. The other volcanoes in Portland (Mount Tabor, Kelly Butte, and Rocky Butte) are likewise in the Boring Lava Field.
Eruptions in the Boring Lava Field began 2.6 million years ago, with the last eruption 57,000 years ago, according to the USGS. The last eruption is the one that formed Beacon Rock in the Columbia River Gorge!
If it’s strange to name a lava field ‘Boring,’ it’s even stranger that it’s named after a nearby town: Boring, Oregon. Per the BBC, the town of Boring is named for one of the first pioneers who lived there, William Boring. Hundreds of years later, this is definitely not what first comes to mind.
How Can the Water Supply be Stored Under Powell Butte Nature Park?
Underneath the surface at Powell Butte are huge water reservoirs that can store 100 million gallons of water. The water doesn’t start at Powell Butte, though; it’s mostly rainwater from the Bull Run watershed, a temperate rainforest near Mount Hood.
Bull Run gets about 130 inches of rain per year, more than three times Portland’s 36 inches of rain! When occasionally the Bull Run water supply isn’t enough, the city can also pump groundwater to meet demand.
Because Powell Butte is at a lower elevation than Bull Run, Bull Run water can be piped to the Powell Butte reservoirs powered by gravity rather than pumps. Needless to say, that saves a lot of energy (and a lot of water pump maintenance)! Since Powell Butte is in turn higher in elevation than the rest of Portland, gravity can also power distributing water from the reservoirs throughout the city.
Powell Butte Hike Highlights
Powell Butte is the wildest and largest of the Portland volcanoes, with more than 600 acres and 9+ miles of trails. In summer, waist-high grasses in shades ranging from green to gold cover Powell Butte’s wide, flat top, the grasses interspersed with occasional stubby trees and wild daisies. Walking through the Powell Butte grasslands feels like being somewhere else–like the set from Little House on the Prairie, maybe.
Just before sunset, amber lighting spills out across the meadows, turning the wild grasslands gold. The snowy peaks of Mount Hood and Mount St Helens take on shades of pink and blue. The sun itself glows on the horizon, looking impossibly large across the uninterrupted landscape. You might catch sight of a deer grazing in the meadows.
Below the sun-washed mesa, the Powell Butte trails turn and skirt the volcano’s forested slopes. Here you’ll find the classic lushness and shade of a western Oregon woods. Maple trees overhang the path. Occasional huge Douglas fir trees rise from a forest floor covered in ferns and Oregon grape. Both the forest and grassland ecosystems shine at Powell Butte.
Powell Butte Hike Details
My favorite Powell Butte hike is a loop that showcases the park’s highlights: grasslands, forests, and mountain views. Go just before sunset if you can.
This Powell Butte loop trail (the 3.6-mile Orchard and Cedar Grove loop) is actually a combination of several other trails, so I’d recommend downloading the trail map on your phone so you can easily navigate it.
The trailhead is right at the Powell Butte visitor center at the main parking lot (Google Maps link here). You’ll begin in the grassland ecosystem, then turn down the hillside into the forest, and then re-emerge into the grasslands at the end of the loop. I’d recommend hiking the loop clockwise so you’ll end near the most popular sunset-viewing area. That makes it possible to watch the sunset and get back to your car before dark…
Most of this hike is fairly flat, but the forest section has some climb since it’s along the slopes of Powell Butte.
Powell Butte Visitor Center
If you have time before or after your hike, I’d recommend checking out the exhibits at the outdoor visitor center next to the parking lot. They do a great job of explaining Powell Butte’s key role in the Portland water system and its history (from a farm in the 1800s to becoming a park in 1990).
What about the Piano at the Top of Powell Butte?
I mentioned that you’ll likely find a piano at the top of Powell Butte in the summer. In summer 2022, the piano was right next to the Powell Butte visitor center. It’s part of a program sponsored by non-profit Piano.Push.Play. After the rains stop each year, they set up whimsically decorated pianos all around outdoor spaces in Portland!
Other Adventures in the Pacific Northwest
Thanks for joining us on the Powell Butte trails! For more adventure ideas in the Pacific Northwest, check out our PNW Trip Planner. You can find adventures near you and filter by season and difficulty level. There are weird and wonderful things to explore any time of year. The trip planner links to blog posts to help you plan your next adventure.
Happy exploring!
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