Friends of TreesStewards this parkConfirmed
Programmatic nonprofits
Portland.gov — Columbia Slough Natural AreaParkrose · District 1 · Natural area · 1.9 acres
Columbia Slough Natural Area
Natural areaPublic entry unverified
Public ownership and inventory records do not establish permission to enter. Public-entry status is separate from wheelchair accessibility.
Classification and evidence
Official page label: Natural area; Atlas classification rules. Classification: source-labeled.
Source captured: 2026-06-02. Human verification: Pending.
Check current official informationConfirm public entry and current hours.
Getting there
11140 NE Simpson Street Portland, OR 97220
Dogs
Dogs on leash
Photo from the City's park pagePark history
Bureau of Environmental Services started the initial process of restoration and planting from 2011-2016, and in 2016, management switched to Portland Parks & Recreation. Since then, Portland Parks & Recreation has been restoring the site with staff and volunteers alike. Since 2016, with support from a grant from the Port of Portland Airport Futures fund, organizations like Friends of Trees and Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (POIC) High School have partnered with PP&R and hosted hundreds of volunteers to successfully plant thousands of native shrubs, wildflowers, and trees, and the site has transformed from a grass field to a lush green, flower-filled habitat.
The Columbia Slough Trail, which runs close to this property, was made possible in part by a generous donation of land by the Spada Family. The donation of 6.0923 acres, from the Arthur Spada and Mary B. Spada Trust, is to be maintained as trail and open space. The property is located west of NE 185th and east of NE Airport Way off of Marine Drive. It provides a valuable natural habitat and a trail link for the Columbia Slough Trail.
The City of Portland is currently partnering with regional jurisdictions, community groups, and private organizations and leading a process to develop a formal, meaningful acknowledgement of our region’s traditional inhabitants. If you have questions about this process, you can email: Tribal.relations@portlandoregon.gov.
From the City's page for this park.
Visitor amenities
Published amenities are checked separately from entry conditions. Each links to other documented locations; confirm current hours before visiting.
No visitor activities are verified from the available entry and amenity evidence. Inventory records alone do not establish public use.
What kind of place this is
A natural area: habitat protection and stewardship guide what uses and facilities are appropriate. Classified from official page labels it a natural area; our model.
School grounds nearby
Public school grounds within a half mile, by straight line. What is listed is what OpenStreetMap mappers have recorded, not an inventory. The district sets public access.
- Breakthrough (DART) · Portland Public Schools · 1.7 acres0.4 mi
Nothing recorded inside the grounds yet.
Beyond parks explains what opening a school ground would take.
School grounds: Metro RLIS. Features inside them: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Through the year
Seasonal facilities and listings captured by the Atlas. These records do not measure attendance, utilization or all activity at the site.
Counts describe captured listings, not attendance or all activity. No listings captured does not mean the site is unused.
Winter
Dec–Feb
Dark by 5 and wet most days: cover, lighting, indoor rooms, and paths that drain.
- No seasonal facilities verified in this index
0 programs · 0 events starts captured
Spring
Mar–May
Fields and gardens open; showers between sun. Leagues, planting, first picnics.
- No seasonal facilities verified in this index
0 programs · 0 events starts captured
Summer
Jun–Aug
Water, shade, long evenings — the season the system is built around.
- No seasonal facilities verified in this index
0 programs · 0 events starts captured
Fall
Sep–Nov
Light shortens and leagues wind down; shelters and lighting carry the season.
- No seasonal facilities verified in this index
0 programs · 0 events starts captured
What the record holds here, by season
| Season | Programs | Recurring events | One-time |
|---|---|---|---|
Winter Dec–Feb registration opens 10/08 (activities Nov 2 – Dec 13 and winter-break camps Dec 21 – Jan 3) | — | — | — |
Spring Mar–May Recorded from 2026-06-11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Summer Jun–Aug Recorded from 2026-06-11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fall Sep–Nov Recorded through 2026-09; 2 months still to come | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Our reading of the calendar
Which facilities count as in season is our model of Portland's year (splash pads and wading pools in summer, fields and gardens spring through fall, everything else year-round) — not the City's schedule. Check posted hours for pools, splash pads, and restrooms. From 12 weekly catalog snapshots (2026-06-11 to 2026-09-07). "Programs" are distinct titles; "sections" are the catalog's individual records — a swim level at one time slot for one week is one section. Complete through 2026-09; later months fill in as registration opens. Winter counts fill in when winter registration opens.
What's on
No current listings were captured and matched to this property. This does not establish that no activity takes place. See the citywide calendar and programs.
Partners & friends
The whole ecosystemCommunity organizations that steward, fund, operate, or run programs at Columbia Slough Natural Area. Labels show what is confirmed and what is still being filled in.
Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center (POIC)Runs programs at this parkConfirmed
Programmatic nonprofits
Portland.gov — Columbia Slough Natural AreaColumbia Slough Watershed CouncilStewards this parkConfirmed
Garden & natural-area networks
PPF — Spring 2023 granteesSupport this park
Real ways to help Columbia Slough Natural Area and parks like it. This site does not process donations; every link below goes to an official giving or volunteering channel.
Donate via Portland Parks FoundationThe independent nonprofit philanthropic partner for Portland's parks. Gifts support parks and programs citywide.Volunteer with Portland Parks & RecreationJoin official PP&R volunteer and stewardship programs, from work parties to ongoing roles.Find park partners and friends groupsDozens of community organizations steward specific Portland parks. See who works where.
How it's holding up
The City's own inventory of what is here and the condition it last recorded for each item. Dates are the source's; old dates mean no newer public assessment, not that nothing has happened since. PP&R does not publish itemized repair costs, so needs appear without dollar figures.
Repair ledger
Public data does not currently flag repair candidates for this park. Additional PP&R maintenance exports can be added without changing the page structure.
Know this park?
Seen something here that's broken, fixed, or missing from this list? Records are updated periodically; tell us what you see.
Send a condition note →Public assets
All 0Furnishings the City inventories here, with each item's condition score — 1 is good, 5 is very bad. Asset photos aren't public yet.
Official Portland.gov profile
From the City's park page
Columbia Slough Natural Area on Portland.gov
This page contains information about the Columbia Slough Natural Area.
The Columbia Slough Natural Area is at the confluence of two channels of the Columbia Slough and is a rare patch of nature in a very industrialized part of Portland. The City of Portland acquired this property in 2011. There is no official trail in this small natural area, but pending future funding, there may eventually be an extension of the Columbia Slough trail passing through the site, helping to fill in the missing sections of the Columbia Slough regional trail.
The Columbia Slough is approximately 19 miles long and stretches from its origin at Fairview Lake westward to its confluence with the Willamette River. In spite of its urbanized character, the Columbia Slough contains surprising biodiversity. Mammals such as beaver, and river otter are common along the Slough, and at Columbia Slough Natural area, and about 175 bird species have been documented in the watershed. In addition, Western painted turtles (one of only two native turtle species in Oregon) and several salmonid species inhabit portions of the Slough.
In partnership with other agencies and non profit organizations, Portland Parks & Recreation is working to protect and enhance habitat and linkages along the Columbia Slough. There are multiple habitats found along the Columbia Slough, including bottomland hardwood forests, oak woodlands, wetlands, grasslands, and interior forests. There are also many freshwater spring systems in and along the Columbia Slough.
City label
Natural area
Year acquired
2011
City section
East
Neighborhood
Parkrose
All dogs must be leashed in this park.
This page, on a sign
The QR label for this park points here. Print labels →
https://parks.portlandciviclab.org/parks/columbia-slough-natural-area-1241?utm_source=park_qr&utm_medium=sign&utm_campaign=park_1241
Where this comes from
Facilities from the City's amenity pages and asset layers; hours, photo, and history from the City's park page; programs and events from its catalogs; condition from PortlandMaps public records. Where the City publishes nothing, this page says so instead of guessing.