Fernhill Wetlands
Managed by Clean Water Services
163 acres3.6 mi of trail
Fernhill Lake LoopDabblers Marsh Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: M.O. Stevens · Public domainAOutdoors
Outdoors in Forest Grove
Forest Grove has 7.4 miles of mapped trails, 1.2 for every square mile of land
12% of Forest Grove’s land is conserved, about 473 acres. 94% of residents live within a half mile of a park. The biggest trail networks: Fernhill Wetlands (3.6 mi), Stites Park (0.5 mi).
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns · #34 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Conserved land
12%
473 acres · of 6.0 sq mi of land
Trails
7.4 mi
1.2 per sq mi of land
Park land
287 ac
11 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
94%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
18 mi
11 mi lanes · 7.0 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Forest Grove?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Forest Grove have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Forest Grove is ahead of 86% of U.S. towns, #34 of 142 in Oregon. Trail miles hold the grade up; park acres per resident pull it down.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Forest Grove’s overall grade.
Conserved land12% of the land · typical OR town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails1.2 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (7 mi) · OR 0.8 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land11 acres of park per 1,000 residents (287 acres) · OR 7 · U.S. 13B−Parks close to home94% of residents within a half mile of a park · OR 96% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 86%
LessMore
Oregon towns of 2,500+ (142)Ahead of 77%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Fernhill Wetlands, with 3.6 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Stites Park
Managed by City of Forest Grove
10 acres0.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Rogers Park
Managed by City of Forest Grove
4 acres0.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Lincoln Park
Managed by City of Forest Grove
22 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 13 parks & preserves
Fernhill Wetlands163 acres · 3.6 mi of trail · Clean Water Services
DirectionsStites Park10 acres · 0.5 mi of trail · City of Forest Grove
DirectionsRogers Park4 acres · 0.3 mi of trail · City of Forest Grove
DirectionsForest Glen17 acres · 0.2 mi of trail · City of Forest Grove
Lincoln Park22 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Forest Grove
Thatcher Park13 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · City of Forest Grove
DirectionsGales Forest Grove7 acres · Metro
Joseph Gale Park4 acres · City of Forest Grove
Bard Park3 acres · City of Forest Grove
Talisman Park2 acres · City of Forest Grove
Reuter Farms Park2 acres · City of Forest Grove
B Street Trail Trailhead1 acres · City of Forest Grove
Hazel Sills1 acres · City of Forest Grove
Who protects it
473 conserved acres
12% of Forest Grove’s land. Who manages Forest Grove’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Regional Water Districts176 ac
Town or city123 ac
Regional agency95 ac
Private owners60 ac
Other state land17 ac
County2 ac
Local Conservation Area · 212 acLocal Recreation Area · 98 acPrivate Recreation or Education · 57 acLocal Park · 44 acLocal Other or Unknown · 40 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fernhill Wetlands Local Conservation Area | Regional Water Districts | 176 | Open |
| Tom McCall Middle School Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 24 | Open |
| Forest Grove High School Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 24 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 24 | Open |
| Forest View Cemetery Private Historic or Cultural | Private owners | 22 | Restricted |
| Forest Grove School District Local Other or Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 21 | Open |
| Neil Armstrong Middle School Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 18 | Open |
| City Greenspace Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 18 | Open |
| Forest Grove School District Local School Facility or Land Local Recreation Area | Regional agency | 17 | Open |
| Pacific University Private Recreation or Education | Other state land | 17 | Restricted |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Forest Grove
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Forest Grove
20 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Forest Grove
Thatcher Park Off Leash Dog ParkIn Thatcher Park
DirectionsScenic views in Forest Grove
5 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
4 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.0 miUnpaved · 4.2 mi
Fernhill Lake Loop1.2 mi
Dabblers Marsh Loop0.7 mi
Old Highway 470.1 mi
Highway 47 Trail0.1 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
18 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
11 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
7.0 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
21Baseball
12Soccer
11Tennis
11Basketball
6Tracks
4Pickleball
3Football
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →16 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 9 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Tualatin AcademyBuilding · listed 1974
About itAlvin T. Smith HouseBuilding · listed 1974
About itWoods and Caples General StoreBuilding · listed 1985
About itBenjamin Cornelius Jr. HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itJames D. Robb HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itStephen and Parthena M. Blank HouseBuilding · listed 1988
About itHarry A. Crosley HouseBuilding · listed 1993
About itFirst Church of Christ ScientistBuilding · listed 1994
About itIsaac Macrum HouseBuilding · listed 1998
About itClark Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2002
About itDr. W.R. and Eunice Taylor HouseBuilding · listed 2005
About itJohn and Elsie Parsons HouseBuilding · listed 2005
About it4 more on the History page.
When to get out
The best walking months in Forest Grove: April to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.1 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.3 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 47 | 51 | 56 | 61 | 68 | 73 | 81 | 82 | 76 | 64 | 52 | 46 |
| Rain (in) | 7.1 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 1.3 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 3.6 | 6.8 | 8.4 |
July is the driest month (0.3 in) and August the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 8.4 inches fall in December, the wettest month. The climate in Forest Grove →
Next door
Forest Grove and its neighbors
Forest Grove has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Grove | 12% | 1.2 | 11 | 94% | A |
| Cornelius | 7% | 0.4 | 4 | 99%+ | B+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Forest Grove
Where can I hike in Forest Grove?
The longest trail networks: Fernhill Wetlands, 3.6 miles; Stites Park, 0.5 miles; Rogers Park, 0.3 miles; Lincoln Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Forest Grove is conserved land?
12% of its land, against a typical 4% for an Oregon town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Forest Grove’s trails?
Fernhill Wetlands and Stites Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Forest Grove?
18 miles of bike routes are on the map: 11 of painted or protected lanes and 7.0 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Forest Grove?
22,394 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Forest Grove or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 287 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Forest Grove have?
Ahead of 86% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #34 of 142 in Oregon. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Forest Grove neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →