Who clears the leaves off the trails between Skyline Boulevard and Forest Park before the winter rain sets in? On the Forest Heights side of the park this fall, the answer is whoever shows up with closed-toe shoes on three Saturdays in November. The Forest Park Conservancy has put raking work parties on its calendar at Fire Lane 1, the Springville Road Trailhead and the Thundercrest entrance to Firelane 3. Those are the trailheads at the neighborhood's own edge of the park.
Taken together, the Conservancy's listings for those three mornings have room for about 65 volunteers. Their work sets what the northwest trails feel like underfoot from December through spring.
Why the leaves have to come off before the rain
The Conservancy states the reason plainly in its Rake-A-Thon listing. Leaves left on a trail "hold water, hide tripping hazards, and create mud," and raking them off each autumn "helps keep them in good shape throughout the winter, as well as keep trail users safer."
The Thundercrest listing takes that further. Clearing leaves from the trail surface reduces erosion and supports natural water flow, and removing "this moisture-trapping organic matter helps prevent trail damage during the wet and freezing months ahead."
That is why the schedule bunches up in November. Once the leaves are down, there is only a short stretch before the season's rain and freezes start working on whatever is still lying on the tread. A trail raked in mid-November drains through January. A trail left alone holds a wet layer that turns to mud under boots, paws and bike tires.
The three mornings at Forest Heights' edge of the park
All three run 9 a.m. to noon on a Saturday, and each trailhead has its own parking situation.
| Date | Trailhead | Address / parking | Restroom | Open spots when last checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 7 | Fire Lane 1 / Forest Lane | 3501 NW Forest Ln; limited parking, last quarter-mile is unpaved gravel with potholes | Portable restroom | 19 of 25 open |
| Sat., Nov. 14 | Springville Road Trailhead | 10820 NW Old Springville Rd; limited parking | Portable restroom | 0 of 20 open |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Thundercrest / Firelane 3 | No trailhead parking; park on NW Mears Dr. or NW Devoto Ln. and cross Skyline Blvd. | None | 15 of 20 open |
Fire Lane 1, November 7. The Fire Lane 1 raking work party comes first and has the most room, with 19 of 25 spots open when last checked. The Conservancy says the final quarter-mile into the trailhead is unpaved gravel with potholes and encourages carpooling, because parking is limited. A low-clearance car will appreciate a slow approach.
Springville Road, November 14. The Springville Rake-A-Thon is part of a coordinated morning, with crews raking at several trailheads across the park at the same hour. Springville's 20 spots showed as full when last checked. On the same morning, the Conservancy's Leif Erikson at Thurman site, at 4040 NW Thurman St., had 9 of 20 spots open. That site sits at the southeast end of the park, so it means a longer drive from Forest Heights, but it lets you join the same Rake-A-Thon if Springville stays full.
Thundercrest / Firelane 3, November 21. The Thundercrest raking work party has the most specific logistics. The trailhead is on a private drive, so the Conservancy asks volunteers to park across the street along NW Mears Dr. and NW Devoto Ln. Its listing adds a direct warning: "Take care crossing Skyline Blvd!" This site has no restroom.
What a morning on a rake actually involves
The Conservancy's listings say the trail work can involve up to 3 miles of hiking and up to 2.5 hours of physical labor in the forest. All three Forest Heights-area work parties are listed for ages 12 and up.
What the Conservancy requires or recommends you bring:
- Long pants, long socks, and sturdy closed-toe shoes or hiking boots with good traction. The Conservancy lists these as required for safety.
- Long sleeves and layers for sun, wind or rain.
- A water bottle, plus a small backpack if you like.
- Any allergy medication you might need in an emergency.
The Conservancy provides the rest: training, tools, work gloves, snacks and coffee.
How sign-up works
The Conservancy's events calendar asks for advance sign-up for most events. Each work party has its own page on the Conservancy's volunteer portal with a Join button, plus a Join as Team option for groups.
- Open the listing for the morning you want from the table above.
- Check the open-spot count. The figures above are a snapshot and change as people register.
- Choose Join, or Join as Team if you're bringing a group.
- Plan your carpool before the day. Fire Lane 1 and Springville both have limited parking, and Thundercrest has none at the trailhead.
Questions go to the Conservancy's volunteer team at [email protected], and its newsletter sends out weekly updates on new work parties.
The path from one Saturday to raking on your own time
The Conservancy also trains volunteers to rake on their own schedule. An Independent Volunteer (Raking) training is set for Saturday, October 31, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Springville Road Trailhead. It opens with a 30-minute program overview and trail-raking instruction, followed by about 2.5 hours in the field. It is open only to people who have already attended at least two of the Conservancy's public volunteer events, and it showed 10 of 20 spots open when last checked.
That October session comes before the November raking mornings, so those mornings can't qualify anyone for it. They do count as public volunteer events, which is the attendance record the Conservancy asks for before it trains someone to work the trails independently.
If those Saturdays don't work
Two more options in the same window are farther from Forest Heights but on the same theme.
- Halloween morning ivy pull. Portland Parks & Recreation is holding an English ivy removal event at Forest Park's Holman Meadow on October 31 from 9 a.m. to noon. The city says ivy removal makes room for native plants to regrow, improves wildlife habitat and reduces erosion. Registration is required. Children are welcome, with an attentive adult for anyone under 14. Parking is along NW Savier and NW Aspen, and the city asks volunteers not to park on Holman Lane.
- A Thursday raking slot. The Conservancy's Birch at 53rd raking work party runs Thursday, November 19, from 9 a.m. to noon at 1767 NW 53rd Dr. It had 12 of 20 spots open when last checked, and there is no restroom on site.
For a gentler morning in the park, the Conservancy is also hosting a guided herb walk at the Lower Macleay Trailhead on Saturday, November 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. A National University of Natural Medicine student leads the two-hour walk, which covers medicinal uses of local plants. Parking is limited, and the Conservancy suggests carpooling or parking in the neighborhood and walking in.
If one of these mornings gets you thinking about the trailhead streets near Skyline and the homes along them, I'd be glad to talk it through. Julie Williams knows Forest Heights from the trail edge in. Schedule a consultation.
