Best Value Inn - Troutdale

Depot Park

by glabah

Troutdale's preserved train station sits at the east end of downtown, with a caboose on display. There are several benches along a trail that runs for a very short distance along the Sandy River. The trail leads right up to the edge of the railroad right of way at the bridge over the Sandy River.

From the parking lot, this trail is visible between the caboose and the old train station (see photo, taken in March 2003).

Oregon Gateway to Gorge and Local Shopping

by glabah

This photo shows old downtown Troutdale, which is a fairly small area along the old Columbia River highway. It is completely dwarfed by the new, relatively unattractive commercial area along Interstate 84. In the background you can see the forested knoll overlooking Lewis & Clark state park. Parts of downtown Troutdale are still in commercial distress: the building on the far right (mostly out of the photo) is an abandoned old gas station - old enough to have a brick driveway that has never been paved. In a different location it might have been turned into a historic attraction, but here, right now, it has yet to see any restoration effort - or even the more typical demolition and conversion to other development.

For many years Troutdale was ignored by most tourists. The old downtown area stood neglected for a long time, while most traffic went by on nearby I-84.

The development of the large new factory outlet stores meant that much of old Troutdale lost its pure historic nature, but on the other hand it also brought in visitors.

Today, Troutdale's downtown still lacks the huge number of visitors that it has the potential to attract. The factory outlet stores have a huge potential to be used as a springboard to help the rest of the community. Alas, to date, they have not been used as such and remain an isolated parking lot, for the most part.

"Great Views, Interesting Parks, Small Wilderness"

A few small but interesting wilderness areas are scatted about this city.

Other local parks include Sunrise Park, which features a wonderful view of Mount Hood and the forests to the east.

By far the biggest attraction is the Columbia River Gorge, to which Troutdale is basically Oregon's gateway. However, most people don't bother stopping in Troutdale but instead head straight through to the gorge.