Nature reserve · Oregon
Maricara Natural Area
Maricara Natural Area is a nature reserve in Oregon, at a modelled elevation of 156 m. Livingston Mountain stands 595 m to the northeast, 23 miles off. The nearest named place is Earnest C. Loll Memorial, a historic site 0.5 miles away. Vineyard and Valley passes 7.4 miles off.
What to expect
- Operated by
- Portland Parks & Recreation
How to reach it
Coordinates45.44878, -122.70419
- 7.4 mi off the Vineyard and Valley
- 12.7 mi off the JCT SR 5 VIC VANCOUVER ALONG WESTSIDE VANCOUVER LAKE TO NW LOWER RIVER RD
- 14.5 mi off the Mount Hood, National
- 16.8 mi off the Historic Columbia River, National
Overlooks nearby
- Jonsrud Viewpoint · 21 mi
- Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint · 22 mi
- Crown point · 23 mi
- Windblown Fir Viewpoint · 26 mi
Named places within 25 miles
Historic sites
- Earnest C. Loll Memorial: 0.5 mi
- John F. Kennedy: 1.1 mi
- Multnomah: 1.4 mi
- Jesse V. Boone: 1.5 mi
- Spanish American War Veterans Memorial: 2.0 mi
Nature reserves
- Foley-Balmer Natural Area: 0.5 mi
- Jensen Natural Area: 0.6 mi
- Marshall Park: 0.7 mi
- Loll Wildwood Natural Area: 0.7 mi
- Arnold Creek Natural Area: 0.7 mi
Parks
- Marigold HydroPark: 1.0 mi
- Spring Garden Park: 1.0 mi
- Holly Farm Park: 1.1 mi
- Nansen Summit Park: 1.2 mi
- McNary Park: 1.2 mi
Artworks
- The Nest: 1.0 mi
- Gong: 1.6 mi
- Cultus Ehkahnam: 2.7 mi
- Stone Bench: 2.7 mi
- Genesis: 2.7 mi
Gardens
- West Portland Community Garden: 1.1 mi
- Saint Clare's Saint Francis Garden: 1.1 mi
- Learning Garden: 1.6 mi
- Estate Gardens: 1.7 mi
- Metro Home Composting Demonstration Center: 1.9 mi
Peaks
- Mount Sylvania: 1.1 mi
- Iron Mountain: 2.1 mi
- Council Crest: 3.5 mi
- Cooks Butte: 3.8 mi
- Oatfield Hill: 4.8 mi
Attractions
- Adrenaline Peak: 2.6 mi
- The Spider: 2.6 mi
- Rock-O-Plane: 2.6 mi
- Zero Gravity: 2.6 mi
- Disk'O: 2.6 mi
Museums: 53
- Tryon Creek Nature Center: 1.5 mi
- Portland Puppet Museum: 2.5 mi
- 510 Museum & Art Space: 2.7 mi
- Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art: 4.4 mi
- USS Blueback: 4.5 mi
Picnic sites: 19
- Stonesthrow Picnic and BBQ Area: 4.9 mi
- Picnic Area A: 6.2 mi
- Picnic Area B: 6.2 mi
- Picnic Area C: 6.2 mi
- Picnic Area F: 6.3 mi
Waterfalls: 15
- Jane Martin Waterfall: 4.0 mi
- Cedar Mill Falls: 7.1 mi
- Knapp Falls: 7.2 mi
- Singer Falls: 7.9 mi
- Willamette Falls: 7.9 mi
Beaches: 14
- Poet's Beach: 4.3 mi
- Lindbergh’s Beach: 7.2 mi
- North Beach: 11.1 mi
- Surprise Beach: 11.8 mi
- Lieser Point: 12.3 mi
Cliffs: 8
- Phantom Bluff: 2.9 mi
- Waud Bluff: 8.5 mi
- Schwingus - Rocky Butte Quarry: 9.7 mi
- Rocky Butte Quarry: 9.7 mi
- Rocky Butte Quarry: 9.7 mi
Ghost towns: 6
- Fulton: 2.2 mi
- Champoeg: 16.7 mi
- Roy: 20.9 mi
- Greenville: 22.2 mi
- Thatcher: 22.6 mi
Rest areas: 4
- French Prairie Rest Area - Southbound: 12.6 mi
- French Prairie Rest Area - Northbound: 12.8 mi
- Gee Creek Northbound Rest Area: 22.7 mi
- Gee Creek Southbound Rest Area: 24.3 mi
Springs: 4
- Oliver Spring: 14.3 mi
- Giesy Spring: 15.9 mi
- spring w/concrete cover: 18.4 mi
- School District Spring: 19.0 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 24.8 miles of Maricara Natural Area. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Livingston Mountain | NE 46° | 595 m | 22.8 mi |
| Spud Mountain | NE 45° | 576 m | 23.8 mi |
| Bald Peak | WSW 258° | 497 m | 17.5 mi |
| Dixie Mountain | NNW 328° | 490 m | 20.3 mi |
| Highland Butte | SE 139° | 470 m | 19.4 mi |
| Little Baldy | NE 43° | 437 m | 21.7 mi |
| Ross Mountain | ENE 77° | 396 m | 23.2 mi |
| Cornell Mountain | NNW 336° | 392 m | 5.9 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:15 | 18:44 | 19:23 |
| June solstice | 05:23 | 20:18 | 21:04 |
| September equinox | 06:59 | 18:31 | 19:10 |
| December solstice | 07:49 | 15:41 | 16:31 |
Local time (America/Los_Angeles).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Apr–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 42 | 45 | 48 | 53 | 59 | 63 | 69 | 70 | 65 | 55 | 47 | 42 |
| Precip in | 6.4 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.6 | 4.0 | 6.6 | 7.4 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Portland Kgw-tv, 5 mi away.
- Pacific trillium424 obs
- Pacific Banana Slug417 obs
- Salmonberry309 obs
- Pacific Sideband309 obs
- western redcedar274 obs
- Herb Robert245 obs
- western sword fern243 obs
- Pacific Waterleaf232 obs
Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikidataOpenStreetMap element way/139314973
Day trips start here
- Lake Oswego · 3 mi
- Milwaukie · 3 mi
- Portland Metropolitan Area · 4 mi
- Tigard · 4 mi
- Tualatin · 4 mi
- Beaverton · 5 mi
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