It was Thursday afternoon, and the weekend was going to be busy–I had two, count them two events I had to work, and in between that I hoped to squeeze in a wee bit of Pedalpalooza, namely the Kickoff Ride.1 It was a beautiful day, sunny, 68F/20C. I needed to ride somewhere before weekend business and promised rains arrived. I had just biked up to Tabor a few days before, where could I go now? The answer: Rocky Butte.
What is Rocky Butte? Here is how I described it in a 2021 post:
Rocky Butte is a prominent promontory in NE Portland, lying just west of I-205. It’s part of the Boring Lava Field, a collection of volcanic cinder cones found along the east side. From the height of the hill at 613 ft/187m, one can get an impressive view of the eastern part of the city, across the Columbia River into Vancouver, Washington, the distant Columbia Gorge and Cascade Range, and bits of central Portland and the West Hills.
Now Rocky Butte isn’t that far from my house, about four miles away. But since it’s not on the way to anywhere and not super close, I go to it even less than Mount Tabor. And I checked back through my flickr to see when the last time I was up there. I was startled to realize the last visit was in September 2022, almost two years ago! A visit is long overdue.
One of the things that has kept me away from Rocky Butte (despite just not thinking about it) is the effort. It’s a steep little hill, with a grade that maxes out at 8%. Over the past few years I’ve felt my stamina and fitness decline, so I always worry that I’m going to become a sweaty blob of gelatinous goo if I try to bike up these hills. But my earlier Tabor excursion proved that I still could do it, and I didn’t even feel that winded doing it. Rocky Butte is a little bit tougher, and there was a pause with heavy breathing, but I still made it all the way up. This is important for my self-esteem: If I know I can still do these things, even in the shape I’m in, I’ll be encouraged to do them more often. And hill climbs is something I need to do on a regular basis in order to condition myself.
There was a decent number of people up on Rocky Butte on this lovely early summer early evening, but not that many. Rocky Butte still remains that obscure hill even after all these years. I knew people who had lived in Portland longer than I had that had never been up it. I mean, you can see it from the airport, so it’s a presence when you leave or return to town. I don’t understand this lack of curiosity when it comes to one of the east side’s highest and most prominent points.
And the top is gorgeous: The summit is enshrined by Joseph Wood Hill Park, a project built during the Great Depression by the Works Progress Administration. The park is elevated from the hill, surrounded by hand-hewn stone walls built with volcanic stone quarried from the side of Rocky Butte. This gives the park the feel of a castle or fortress looking place. There’s two ways to the top: a baroque looking stone staircase, or the gravel service road. In the center of the park is an old airway beacon. These beacons were built in the 1920s and 30s to guide pilots (mostly for airmail) at night along air corridors. The Rocky Butte beacon still lights up every night–not as bright as it was when it was in use, but still can be seen from far away.
I stayed up there for about an hour, which is usually my threshold for Rocky Butte, as there’s (still) no bathroom there.2 I pretty much always ascend via the north side and descend by the south. There’s two reasons: the south side drive is slightly steeper, and there’s a tunnel on the south, so it’s more fun to bomb through it rather than climb. The two road approaches and the tunnel were also built in the 1930s by the WPA and you can see some stonework too. The tunnel is really neat, as it is 375 feet long and does a 260 degree turn–it was built because of the need of a tight switchback in the road. From the top of the Butte, you enter the tunnel and it curves right and under itself!
And now I have to remember to go up there again, soon.
Urban Adventure League 