Tucked away in the neighborhood near Iron Mountain in Lake Oswego, Beth Ryan Nature Preserve is a 3-acre pocket of forest and seasonal wetland with a trail enjoyed by local neighbors and their dogs. Columbia Land Trust works with volunteers and partners, such as the Oswego Lake Watershed Council, to maintain the trail and restore native vegetation for wildlife.

Recreational Activities: Hiking (short)

Access: Open to walk-in access, no permission needed, day use only

Dogs: Allowed on leash only
Amenities: None
Trails: About 0.3 miles of packed dirt trail, mostly flat, with a wooden viewing deck over the wetland

Acreage: 3.3 acres
County: Clackamas County
Town: Lake Oswego, OR
Directions: View on Google Maps. Street parking is available along Village Drive and in the surrounding neighborhood. Please be respectful of neighbors.

Tips for visiting: This small suburban park has a short trail, about 1/3 of a mile, that is popular with neighborhood walkers. There are two entrances, one at each end of the trail, off Summit Drive and Ridgewood Road. Parking is along public roads in the surrounding neighborhoods; please be respectful of neighbors and do not block driveways. The trail travels along the base of basalt cliffs and overlooks a forested wetland. Birds, salamanders, and deer can be spotted here. Please keep dogs on leash and clean up after them.

Year Conserved: 1991

About: The land was originally donated to the Three Rivers Land Conservancy as a nature preserve by Arthur Piculell and William Cox in 1991. Mr. Piculell named the preserve in honor of Beth Ryan, whom he remembered as an early advocate of natural areas preservation in the area. Columbia Land Trust has owned and managed this preserve for wildlife habitat since 2010, often with the help of volunteers and neighbors. In 2024, the Land Trust, Oswego Lake Watershed Council, and a group of hardworking volunteers planted native plants, including wildflowers and oak trees, along the trail to restore an area where trees fell in an ice storm. Keep an eye out for wildflowers popping up in the spring, and reach out to Columbia Land Trust if you’d like to learn more about how to get involved!

Partners: Oswego Lake Watershed Council