Oxbow Regional Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oxbow Regional Park |
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Sandy River in Oxbow Park during summer
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| Type | Regional park |
| Location | near Springdale, Multnomah County, Oregon |
| Area | 1,000 acres (400 ha) |
| Operated by | Metro regional government |
Oxbow Regional Park is a huge natural park in Oregon. It's about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Troutdale. This amazing park covers 1,000 acres (about 4 square kilometers)! It sits right along the beautiful Sandy River. The park is managed by the Metro government. Oxbow Park is a great place to explore nature. It used to host a special festival every year to celebrate salmon.
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Fun Things to Do at Oxbow Park
Oxbow Regional Park offers many exciting activities for visitors. You can go swimming or boating in the Sandy River. It's also a popular spot for fishing. If you love horses, you can even go horseback riding here.
Hiking and Exploring Nature
The park has 15 miles of hiking trails. These trails wind through an ancient forest. You'll see trees that are hundreds of years old! The landscape also features ridges and ravines. These were shaped long ago by volcanoes and glaciers.
The park's managing group, Metro, offers special programs. You can join guided walks through the old forests. They also teach workshops on how to track animals. You can even learn to identify different wildflowers and mushrooms.
Camping Adventures
If you want to stay longer, camping is available all year round. The park has a developed campground with 67 sites. It's a perfect way to spend more time in nature.
Spotting Wildlife
Oxbow Park is a great place to see wild animals. Its natural habitats are home to many creatures. You might spot mink, beaver, or raccoon. Other animals include fox, deer, and osprey. Larger animals like elk, black bear, and cougar also live here. For safety, pets are not allowed in the park. This helps prevent problems between pets and wild animals.
The Salmon Festival
Oxbow Regional Park used to host an annual event called the Salmon Festival. This festival celebrated the return of the Chinook salmon to the river. It also taught people why healthy river systems are important. The festival showed how protecting salmon and their homes helps everyone.
A Special Educational Event
The Oxbow Salmon Festival was one of the oldest and most famous salmon festivals on the West Coast. It became a very popular event for learning about nature. Up to 10,000 visitors would come to the two-day festival.
What You Could See and Do
At the festival, you could watch salmon swimming upstream. There was also music, food, and art. Kids loved the storytelling and a fun fish maze. A special part of the festival was the Wy-Kan-Ush-Pum village. Here, fishing tribes from the Columbia Basin shared their culture. These tribes included the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Yakama, and Warm Springs tribes. They shared traditional activities and cultural exhibits.
