Salmon Creek Greenway and Klineline Pond

The Salmon Creek Greenway Trail accesses open pond, marsh, riparian, and prairie habitat as well as hardwood and coniferous forest. It is accessed from either the west end from NW 36th Ave, or the east end from Salmon Creek Regional Park/Klineline Pond (there is a $3 parking fee here) or the parking lot at Vancouver Girls Softball Association further to the west. The trail is approximately 3 miles one way and is paved, flat and wheelchair accessible. There are additional trails that are dirt or gravel along the southwest boundary of the area, which can be very muddy in the winter. Access to the west end is achieved by exiting I-5 at NE 139th St. (exit 7B) and going west on NE 139th St. This road turns into NW Bliss Rd. Follow until you reach NW 36th Ave, then turn left. Parking is available on the left at the trailhead. Access to the east end of the trail is achieved by following directions from I-5 north or south to Klineline Pond. The parking here has a fee of $3 per day. Free parking can be found by passing the entrance to Salmon Creek Regional Park and continuing west for about 0.5 miles and turning right into the driveway to Vancouver Girls Softball Association access. The trailhead can be found in this parking lot.

eBird Birding Site: Klineline Pond

Klineline Pond is accessed from the parking lot by crossing the pedestrian bridge over Salmon Creek to the pond. This is a park with bathrooms and picnic tables and is popular for swimming in the summer.

One can expect the following birds:

• Expected species include a variety of ducks, Hooded and Common Mergansers, swallows, sparrows, nuthatches, and kinglets.
• Target species: Eurasian Wigeon.
• Specialties for the site include Bald Eagle, California Scrub-Jay.

Name of and link to eBird hotspots: Klineline Pond

Best seasons/weather/water levels to visit:
Winter – a variety of ducks, including Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, wigeons, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Lesser Scaup, Double-crested Cormorants, and mergansers are present.
Spring/Summer – a variety of swallows return to nest, as well as Black-headed Grosbeak, Common Yellowthroat, cowbirds, Bald Eagles, Osprey, and some warblers.

Accessibility type(s): Area is fully paved and wheelchair accessible.

eBird Birding Site: Salmon Creek Greenway Trail, including Turtle Pond (east end of Greenway Trail)

At this eBird Hotspot, the paved trail starts near the softball fields (there is a bathroom here) and follows Salmon Creek through open habitat and riparian woodlands. There is an active Bald Eagle nest in the spring and a variety of ducks at Turtle Pond year-round. There is a pair of Barred Owls often found at the west end where the trail comes to a T-intersection with the southern access to the trail. There is a loop you can do by turning left at the intersection and following the dirt path back along the southern edge of the creek floodplain. This dirt path is very muddy and sometimes impassable in the winter and spring.

One can expect the following birds:

• Expected species include a variety of ducks, particularly Ring-necked Duck and Wood Duck at Turtle Pond, Hooded Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Barn, Tree, and Violet-green Swallow, Vaux’s Swift, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Red-tailed Hawk, Belted Kingfisher, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Willow Flycatcher, Western Wood-Pewee, Warbling Vireo, sparrows, Swainson’s Thrush, and kinglets.
• Target species: Pileated Woodpecker, Red-breasted Sapsucker.
• Specialties for the site include Bald Eagle, Barred Owl.

Name of and link to eBird hotspots: Salmon Creek Greenway Trail

Best seasons/weather/water levels to visit:
Winter – Turtle Pond hosts a variety of ducks and a family of river otters has been spotted here. Be aware that the trail can flood here making it impassable following very large storm events.
Spring/Summer – a variety of swallows and riparian specialists return to nest. Nesting raptors include Barred Owl, Bald Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, and Osprey.

Accessibility type(s): Area is fully paved and wheelchair accessible.

eBird Birding Site: Salmon Creek Greenway (west end of Greenway Trail)

At this eBird Hotspot, there is a large lake filled with a variety of ducks in the winter, as well as both Tundra and Trumpeter Swans. Although it is a bit noisy adjacent to the road, you can get a good overview of the lake with a scope from just north of the roadway bridge over Salmon Creek near the parking area. The paved trail follows the south edge of the creek floodplain adjacent to conifer forest. There is a portable restroom at the trailhead.

One can expect the following birds:

• Expected species include a variety of ducks, swans, Hooded Merganser, herons and egrets,
  blackbirds, swallows, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Marsh Wren, and Belted Kingfisher around the lake.
  The conifer forest hosts Golden-crowned Kinglet, Brown Creeper, Red-breasted Nuthatch,
  Steller’s Jay, sparrows, Spotted Towhee, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, and kinglets.
• Target species: Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, Lesser Goldfinch.
• Specialties for the site include Tundra and Trumpeter Swans, Marsh Wren, Lesser Goldfinch.

Name of and link to eBird hotspots: Salmon Creek Greenway

Best seasons/weather/water levels to visit:
Winter has the largest variety of ducks as well as Tundra and Trumpeter Swans.
Spring/Summer – a variety of swallows and warblers return to nest, as well as wetland and forest specialists such as Black-headed Grosbeak, Common Yellowthroat, cowbirds, and some flycatchers and Western Wood-Pewee. Osprey also nest in the area.

Accessibility type(s): Area is fully paved and wheelchair accessible.