I wanted to explore it after I saw some graffiti on Google Earth.

There's a fence on the road that leads to it beside Cathedral Coffee, but its bars were wide enough to pass my bike through.

It did not disappoint. Somebody has spent a LOT of time on this old concrete trellis.

As for the rest of the trail that runs along the slough east of the dump; it shouldn't be marked as a trail on Google Maps at all. Not only is it fenced off (twice) it's not a trail at all on the dump end.

It could easily be cleared to connect to the dump road, but as it is, it's impassable in the wet seasons.

I poked through the brush along the fence, and eventually came to an opening that had been cut by someone. It was just big enough to get a bike through, but the woods were thick with thorns and brambles. I got pretty scratched up getting the bike out, but made it out onto N Portland Rd, exhausted.

Moral of the story, I fuckin' did it! I rode from Kelly Point to Kenton without having to get on Marine Drive!

Next time I'm bringing wirecutters.

The only trails I could find were covered in deer and coyote tracks. They led me down to the edge of the water where the trees didn't grow as thick. Ducks heard me snapping through the dead limbs and took wing squawking in alarm.

Eventually the deer trails ended in mud and I had to cut through the brush to higher ground. I came out on double track with fresh tractor tracks and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Until I came to another fence.

I realized that I had gotten off the trail, but when I went to look for it there was no visible trail at all, just a clearing down a steep embankment that led into a forest of small trees. There was still 8 miles of trail, and it didn't look promising, but I decided it was better than turning back.

When I came upon a gravel covered overpass into the old city dump I thought I had it made. I followed the gravel trail until it came to the street, but there on the bridge was a locked gate. There was no one around to open it for me, so I checked my map and saw that I had gotten off the trail so I doubled back.

Today I decided to throw caution to the wind and see if I could make it through. It started out alright. It's early in the season so the brambles were still dead and cut back. Someone had cleared some downed trees and the marshes were low so there wasn't too much mud.

I found this nice spot next to the slough to sit and listen to the herons and woodpeckers.

When I looked at a map there was another trail deeper in the wetlands above the old city dump that seemed like it should connect and take you the rest of the way along the Columbia Slough to N Portland Rd, where you could pickup the Columbia Slough Trail by the racetack and golf course.