Virtual Tour MapPortland's Bureau or Environmental Services has created a virtual tour map that can be accessed via a desktop or mobile interface. Click the link below to explore the watershed, see photos, videos, and hear audio clips about the watershed.
View Walking Tour in a larger map 
Participants of our Sept 8, 2012 Walking/Cycling Tour arrive at the Reed Canyon orchard at the end of the tour.
Walking Tour Map
Click on the image above to view / download map PDF (click here for 2 page version with brochure side)
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Welcome to the Crystal Springs Walking TourThe best way to see the watershed is in person, and out of doors. Many of the locations listed in the tour are wheelchair accessible.
An annotated map / brochure is available at the Woodstock Library and the Sellwood-Moreland Library. Contact us if either library locations are out of maps. A PDF can be viewed / downloaded here. Walk Your Watershed ~ Know Your Neighborhood! Tour Length = about 2.5 miles. Crystal Springs Creek arises from a series of springs in Reed Canyon (on the Reed College campus) and meanders down through Eastmoreland Golf course and the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, where several other springs contribute to it. It then passes under McLoughlin Blvd. and through the backyard of Westmoreland's Union Manor retirement home. The stream then makes it's way south, running through Westmoreland Park. Until 2014 the the creek passed through a large duck pond constructed in 1936, which posed a variety of problems to the health of the creek and to fish passage, which were corrected with a redevelopment which included removal of the duck pond. The pond has been replaced by a meandering stream channel and emergent wetland, opened in June 2014. The plan may be viewed here. Once the creek leaves the park it continues south through the Westmoreland and Sellwood neighborhoods and under SE Tacoma St. From there it travels a few more blocks before joining Johnson Creek at Johnson Creek City Park. Along the way, Crystal Springs Creek runs into many obstacles. Culverts, Crystal Springs Lake, and invasive plant and animal species, just to name a few. All these things alter the creek's natural hydrology and ability to support the historic set of native plant and animal species that once thrived there. Fortunately, there are some positive factors which make Crystal Springs Creek uniquely resistant to the degree of degradation seen in many urban streams. These include physical factors such as the steady supply of clear, cold water from the springs and the stream's relative independence from surface runoff, and social factors such as the engaged and educated community that has realized the value of the watershed before it was degraded severely. The Crystal Springs Creek Community Partnership encourages you to go and explore this amazing watershed! Use this electronic map to navigate between some of the most exciting points along the creek. |
