Shane T. Bemis Nature Park

757 SE Gabbert Road

Amenities

Bike parking
Drinking fountain
Forest
Parking lot
Picnic shelter
Picnic table
Restrooms (seasonal)
Trail
Walking/jogging path
Wheelchair accessible

General information

Shane T. Bemis Nature Park, formerly Hogan Butte Nature Park sits on 46 acres on top of Hogan Butte in the Gresham Butte Neighborhood.

At the top elevation of 930 feet, take in a stunning "Volcanic Viewpoint," a panoramic view of Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams, Mt. Rainier, the Columbia River Gorge and city of Gresham. Walk the half-mile paved interpretive loop trail and enjoy picnic areas with views of the forest. Educational signage is available in Russian and Spanish. An ADA-accessible parking lot has 20 spaces.

Park rules and safety

Location

Directions

Project Background
Hogan Butte History

Project Background

Shane T. Bemis Nature Park is many years in the making. The City started the process for acquiring land on Hogan Butte more than 25 years ago, passing a 1990 City bond measure and two later Metro bonds.

Preserved for future generations

Visitors can enjoy this park today thanks to considerable effort from Gresham citizens, the City, and many community partners such as Metro, the Trust for Public Lands, the U.S. Forest Service and the Buttes Conservancy, who all advocated for the conservation of Hogan Butte lands over the years.

Special thanks to our funding partners, who helped build this park:

Hogan Butte History

Hogan Butte’s rich past has geological significance and pioneer history.

The nature park features educational panels and kiosks throughout to share its story with visitors.

Geology

Gresham is one of the few places in the United States to have extinct volcanoes within city limits. Hogan Butte is part of the Boring Lava Field and “East Buttes,” a cluster stretching from southeast Portland to Damascus. At the park, visitors stand at the top of an inactive volcano’s vent that once emitted steam from inside the earth.

Native American heritage

The Clackamas tribe once used Hogan Butte’s nearby Johnson Creek watershed for fishing and hunting.

History

Eli Hogan, a turn-of-the-century pioneer, forested land from the butte that now bears his name. Wood harvested from Hogan Butte’s forests helped build Mt. Tabor’s reservoirs in Portland from 1894-1911.

The historic Brite House sits at the base of Shane T. Bemis Nature Park. Built in 1928, it was once a Prohibition-era speakeasy. The City of Gresham owns the house.