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Print Friendly MapThe 23-mile Banks-Vernonia trail runs between its namesake towns of Banks and Vernonia in the deep suburbs of Portland, OR.
About the Route
Most of the route consists of an 8-foot-wide hiking and bicycling trail paralleled by a 4-foot-wide horse trail. The trail rises from Banks to Vernonia on an average 2% to 5% grade. One exception is the Horseshoe Trestle bypass, which switchbacks up 700 feet and descends 300 feet at Tophill.
Equestrians will find ADA-accessible loading platforms and hitching posts at several trailheads. Please use caution cycling on any speedy downhill shots. Yield to horses and be visible or audible when approaching.
Thirteen bridges, as well as two 700-foot-long, 80-foot-high railroad trestles at Buxton and Horseshoe, offer amazing views along the length of the Banks-Vernonia Trail. The gentle grade (in all but one area) provides beautiful scenes of the Coast Range from forested hills, as well as access to side trails displaying railroad relics and to a number of rivers and creeks. A variety of flora and fauna also populates the trail.
From Banks, enjoy a gentle 5-mile incline—good for families—through pastoral farmland. The grade steepens a bit on mostly wide and sweeping switchbacks as the route approaches the Buxton trailhead in a canopy of trees. The Horseshoe Trestle was half-destroyed by fire, but bikers and hikers can cross the curving 700 feet of the restored Buxton Trestle at about mile 6. A ground-level equestrian bypass crosses Mendenhall Creek.
The route continues to the Buxton trailhead, where trail users may picnic and wander interpretive trails. Trail users will then pass through L. L. Stub Stewart State Park, a 1,700-acre full-service state park and campground. Just before reaching the Tophill trailhead at mile 12, the route descends into short, steep switchbacks across Nehalem Highway, bypassing the Horseshoe Trestle, and then climbs back to the trailhead.
After the Beaver Creek trailhead at mile 17, the path emerges from the woods and hugs the highway for a gentle descent into Vernonia. Prepare for a few bumpy spots and tight turns near Vernonia. The route goes through Anderson Park, just blocks from downtown Vernonia, and continues for a couple more miles to Mill Pond/Vernonia Lake. Vernonia offers shops, galleries, and a museum.
Trail History
The Banks-Vernonia State Trail stretches through the hills (east of the Coast Mountains) between its two namesake towns. The former railroad corridor—once part of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway—hauled timber from mills in Vernonia and Keasey to Portland beginning in the 1920s until 1957. For five years during the 1960s, the line was used for passenger excursions. Oregon Parks and Recreation gained official ownership of the right-of-way in 1990.
The Vernonia-Banks Trail runs between NW Banks Rd & NW Sellers Rd (Banks) and Vernonia Lake (Vernonia), with parking available at both ends.
Additional parking can be found at:
There are multiple parking options along this route, please see TrailLink Map for all parking options and detailed directions.
What a stunning trail! Absolutely gorgeous . We are gravel bikers so the terrain felt amazingly smooth with some bumps here and there— but they are marked. The elevation gain from Banks to midpoint (Stubs state park) is 1000 feet. It’s a slow grade incline and manageable on a good bike. Oregon takes such good care of its state parks and trails. Bravo!
My wife and I were concerned about the reviews that we read about this trail regarding the pavement being in poor shape.
We rode from Banks to the State Park (cannot remember the name of it). The state park is about 10 miles into the trail from Banks.
Most of the trail was in decent shape. There are roots that have elevated the pavement to make bumps, but they are mostly avoidable.
There is one section where the trail is in really rough shape. It was even bumpy on a mountain bike. But still very rideable.
We did see several people on thin tired road bikes. So it does not scare everyone away.
I personally would not ride it on a road bike.
From mile 5 to 10 it is a steady up hill grade. We were able to average 6 mph on this section without a lot of effort.
Coming back was very fast. I hit 21 mph at one point.
Overall it was an enjoyable ride. I would ride this trail again if I was in this area again.
Overall this is a very nice but in need of better maintenance. I echo those that would love a new surface, but fully understand the challenge of finding funding. I rode the Vernonia to Stubb Steward state park section the other day. While some efforts have been made to improve the bridge approaches several still need additional work. And efforts to demarcate other trail hazards (dips, root bumps etc) should be repainted to highlight them for safety’s sake. Due to the shade/sun nature of the trail for much of its length old eyes don’t adjust as quickly as the once did and the faded paint warning are not as affective as they were when first new installed
Some of the complaints about the trail from earlier in the year seem to have been resolved. There are new approaches to some of the bridges and attempts made to partially fill the worst of the cracking in the pavement. Bumps and dips are well-marked, so often avoidable if you're paying attention. So thanks to whoever is doing this good work! A tree across the path on our way to Vernonia was - surprisingly - completely cleared by the time we biked back, so someone is paying attention! Great ride!
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