Lowami Hart Woods reopens with much improved accessibility

The Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District has reopened the Lowami Hart Woods Natural Area following a major renovation that yielded more than a half-mile of paved and soft-surface trails, on-site parking and other amenities to make the site more accessible to neighbors, trail users and nature enthusiasts.

Funded by THPRD’s 2008 voter-approved bond measure, the project was designed to achieve a balance between resource protection and a reasonable level of public access to the 28-acre site off SW Hart Road in Beaverton. THPRD’s Board of Directors approved a variance in district trails standards to allow paved trails that are six feet wide (instead of the usual eight).

“Lowami provides a wide variety of natural resources and recreational opportunities,” said project manager Matt Kilmartin of THPRD. “It is heavily forested with lots of steep topography, and South Johnson Creek runs through it. As park visitors walk the trails, they are able to experience various forested upland and wetland habitats.”

The site is composed of two lots purchased by THPRD in the mid-1990s. Before that, Camp Fire operated a day camp (Camp Lowami) there from 1956 to 1994.

The former Camp Lowami area – featuring its original flagpole -- offers a unique opportunity for environmental education because of its proximity to the creek and riparian corridor. Groups can sit on natural logs and listen to park rangers while observing the environment. Tualatin Hills Nature Park Interpretive Center staff will program a limited number of half-day and all-day camps there this summer.

The primary entry point for visitors is the new nine-stall parking lot at the southeast end of the park, accessible via Hart Road.

From the entry plaza adjacent to the parking lot, a universally accessible loop trail with viewing deck provides opportunities for mobility-challenged visitors to experience the pristine forest environment. Also from the entry plaza, the Snowberry Trail connects visitors to the greater internal trail network.

As visitors follow the trail deeper into the site, they descend toward South Johnson Creek and the former Camp Lowami area.

“As you make your way down the trail, the road noise from Hart Road disappears,” Kilmartin said. “You hear birds and water, and soon you’re completely immersed in forest understory with tall fir trees overhead.”

As the trail continues across South Johnson Creek and to the north end of the park, it ascends again through forested upland that offers a variety of viewing opportunities. The north/south trail alignment will serve as the primary pedestrian connection through the park as additional trails become developed to the north and south of Lowami Hart Woods in the future.

The trail also features a new bridge over a tributary to South Johnson Creek, designed to mirror an existing bridge near the former Camp Lowami area. Ornamental rock retaining walls provide natural character.

From the Johnson Creek Trail, visitors can also access the Madrone Loop Trail within the northern portion of the park, a quarter-mile-long by three-feet-wide soft- surface trail that offers more viewing opportunities.

Several “rogue” trails created by park visitors over the years are being removed by THPRD’s Natural Resources specialists. They’ll also remove non-native and invasive plants from the site and restore the areas with a variety of native plantings to augment the site’s natural character.

THPRD’s $100 million bond measure is designated to preserve natural areas, develop new trails and trail connections, add athletic fields, and upgrade or expand parks and recreational facilities across the district. About 130 total projects have been planned, and more than half are now complete. For details, visit www.thprd.org/bondprojects.

About THPRD

Formed in 1955, THPRD is the largest special park district in Oregon, spanning about 50 square miles and serving 230,000 residents in the greater Beaverton area. The district provides year-round recreational opportunities for people of all ages and abilities. Offerings include thousands of widely diverse classes, more than 90 park sites with active recreational amenities, 60 miles of trails, eight swim centers, six recreation centers, and 1,400 acres of natural areas. For more information, visit www.thprd.org or call 503/645-6433.