The Culvert
- Tina McLain
- 16 minutes ago
- 3 min read
A day use area where the north fork of the Clackamas river meets the Clackamas river at north fork reservoir.
Unofficial Name: "The Culvert"
Access: Drive up
Activities: Swimming, kayaking, fishing, hiking
Permits/Fees: None
Note: The day use parking area is seasonally open. During the rest of the year there is room to park along the shoulder of the highway.
Location: Along highway 224 where the north fork of the Clackamas river meets north fork reservoir near Estacada, Oregon, U.S.A.
Managed by: Portland General Electric (PGE)
Date Accessed: January 24, 2025 & February 26, 2025
The Culvert" as it's unofficially named by locals, is a popular swimming hole during the summer, and one of my favorite places to go during the off-season months since there's not usually many people, if anyone there. Google Map's labels this area as "North Fork Tunnel."
During the summer the day-use parking area is open during the day. No overnight camping or parking is allowed. It has some "facilities" with a port-a-pot and a trash can.
During the off-season the day user parking area is gated, but there is plenty of space on both sides of the highway to safely park on the shoulders. Just make sure not to block the gate.
Since I'm writing this during the winter, this post will be written about what it's like in the off-season. It's easy to hike around the gate and walk down to through the day-use area parking lot.
On the east of the lot is an unmarked trail that's called the North Fork Clackamas River Trail. It is considered a lost trail and it leads to a waterfall that requires some ropes to access. The trail can be overgrown, washed out, with downed trees. It can require some navigating if the trail is obscured by brush. I have a post about a shorter section of the trail "Fisherman's Section" which is a shorter route and goes to an island.
On the south side of the parking area is the north fork of the Clackamas River. It's very beautiful water and appears pretty still most of the time. The shoreline is great for putting in kayaks. There is a large culvert that goes under highway 224 and allows the water to feed into the Clackamas River/North Fork Reservoir. There's a foot trail that leads over the east-side culvert and makes accessing the other side of the north fork possible.
On the west side of the parking area is a tunnel meant for foot traffic that leads under highway 224 to the west side of the highway. It goes to the shore of north fork reservoir.
After exiting the tunnel there's a boot path that leads along the shore to the south. It goes to the west-side culvert which is where a lot of people swim during the summer.
To the north along the north fork reservoir is where a lot of people fish during fishing season. It's possible to follow alongside the edge of the water since there's a small path that climbs over rocks. There is a steep boot path that climbs up to the road.
I think the culvert area is a beautiful place to explore, at any time of year.
Map
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