Arnold Creek borders Tryon Creek State Park, that goes all the way down to Willamette River
Arnold Creek Neighborhood is just north of the city of Lake Oswego and borders West Portland Park to the west, Markham and Marshall Park to the north, Collins View and Tryon Creek State Natural Area to the east, and Lake Oswego and the unincorporated Multnomah County enclave of Englewood to the south. There is a combination of homes, a few older historic homes, a lot of homes built around mid-century through the 80’s, and a few new homes built whenever a lot can be divided. The Arnold Creek Neighborhood is really only 10 to 15 minutes to downtown Portland, taking either I5 or Barbur Blvd. It is farther south then most of the neighborhoods on the west side. There are some really nice houses in the Arnold Creek Neighborhood, but it doesn’t have the cohesive Portland neighborhood feel that a lot of people want, mainly because so many of the houses were built in the 1980s and 1990s, and there aren’t alot of sidewalks, and virtually no restaurants, shops or cute little downtown area to walk to. So it feels a little more like of a suburb.
It does have some features people really like. It is in the forest, in fact, Tryon Creek State Park is partly in Arnold Creek Neighborhood, and borders it. It is an awesome forest with miles and miles of trails that go all over- even down to Lake Oswego city center, and this neighborhood borders Tryon Creek! So you could technically walk from way up at the top of the hill, down to Lake Oswego, grab some coffee and a cookie, and walk back up home! We go here all the time to escape the city. You can ride horses, ride bikes or just hike and take in all the birds, squirrels, owls and other wildlife. The sound of the creek is calming and the smell of the fir and cedar and other wonderful foliage and trees is intoxicating. There are Trillium and other wildflowers that blanket the forest floor. It really is magical! You can read more about Tryon Creek State Park in the Park section below.
Part of Maricara Natural Area is in Arnold Creek, so when you drive along many of the roads, you are winding through forest, and there are trails sprinkled throughout the forest. But the roads are narrow and winding with no bike lanes or places to walk, so I think, dangerous because you could get hit by a car if you want to walk very far on the road.
Arnold Creek is a year round creek that goes through the neighborhood, and a lot of the houses back up to it. This add greenspace, and nature lovers can see lots of birds and other wildlife in the Arnold Creek Neighborhood.
Parks in Arnold Creek Neighborhood
Here is Wendy’s daughter looking at a sideband snail on a tree in Tryon Creek State Park
This is another Urban Oasis where thick moss covers Maple, Fir, Cedar and Alder tress and wildlife surrounds you. Come do a nature day camp and learn to cultivate a passion for nature. Become a member of the Backyard Habitat Certification Program. Take your kids to find salamanders in the creek or sideband snails crawling up the tree trunks. You may see a beaver or a flying squirrel too. It is 645 acres with over 18 different trails. Some trails for horses, some for bikes, some are paved and some are dirt. It is around 8 miles of trails if you do all the loops.
The Nature Center has a small play area for kids, a gift shop, a large classroom, and a separate area for educational exhibits.
Tryon Creek State Park, trail map
Tryon Creek Trails
Maricara Natural Area
This 17 acre natural area has a combination of wetlands and forest with big leaf Maple, which is stunning in the fall, and Douglas Fir. It has a stream running through the middle of it and native plants and wildlife. Dogs are allowed on leash and it is a family friendly trail of .6 miles.
Other Important Links
The MAX and buses make public transportation really good!
Schools In Portland- people are permitted to send their children to whatever school they want within the Portland School District, as long as there is room. If the school is important to you, it is probably a good idea to check and see which school your neighborhood is assigned to- because it seems logical that the best schools will have a waiting list- and if you live there, you will be at the top! Find your school attendance area or a school site and view the boundary area using School Locator Page for: Portland Public Schools..
Read how to use the interactive map by clicking on the (Information) icon (circle with an i in the center).
School Report Cards for schools and districts in Oregon. Select (Portland SD 1J) In the District Selection Heading to view individual schools within the Portland Public School District.
You can find all kinds of All kinds of information about crime, maps, etc, Portlandmaps.com even exactly what happened where, if you just put in an address in Portland. There are lots of other things you can learn there- like census information, maps, school info, parks, environmental issues, permits on houses, nuisance complaints and taxes.
