Reed College Canyon
Reed canyon is a 28-acre watershed in the heart of the campus, running east to west, dividing north from south, and is spanned by two pedestrian bridges and a land bridge. Home to a growing population of wildlife and native plants, the watershed includes the headwaters of Crystal Springs Creek, a tributary of the Johnson Creek Watershed, and Reed Lake, which has been deemed the oldest naturally occurring lake in Portland.
This website includes details about restoration efforts for the canyon and also its history. Please enjoy the online view, and then make plans to visit. If you are new to the Portland area, you might want to start by looking at our canyon map.
Spring Canyon Day 2013
Saturday, April 6, 9 am to 3 pm near the Reed waterfall, just west of the land bridge.
Join us for one of the college's oldest traditions, Canyon Day! This event welcomes all ages — tools, food, and fun provided. Dress for the weather and bring gloves if you have them. For more information email Zac Perry at perryz@reed.edu.
Fresh from the Blog
Goodbye for now until we meet again
Well, the ground is hardened and the trails are little dusty out there- in the distance, you can see wide-eyed freshman descending on the campus. It must be the beginning of school here at Reed again. The 2012 summer... Continue reading
Stick and Stones can…
It's Summer Time! And in our continued attempt to restore and protect this beautiful resource, Canyon Crew has been diligently removing invasive plant materials, and expanding their "toolbox" of tricks to insure safe travels in and around the canyon... Continue reading
A Continuing Canyon Relationship
Submitted by: Haleigh Ziebol, Class of 2015 Although I am a new member of Canyon Crew this Summer, I am not, by any means, a newcomer to Reed’s canyon. As I gazed over the Blue Bridge when I... Continue reading
Nature being Natural
In typical fashion spring in Oregon is well- predictably, unpredictable. We broke records for the longest stretch of dry weather for the month of May- only followed by wet windy weather which may send non-native residents running for their umbrellas.... Continue reading
Reed Canyon Wildlife
With the restoration of Reed Canyon, we've been accumulating a lot of native critters. Here's a selection of some recent sightings: Otters are making increasingly regular appearances in the Canyon - look for them early morning, particularly by the... Continue reading
Crystal Springs Headwaters Fish Passage and Restoration Project
Summer 2010 had a major restoration project in the canyon. View a video on the restoration or read about the project or view photos of the restoration. There's a great documentary exploring the history, ecology, community and educational opportunities of Crystal Springs and news coverage of the project from KGW TV, and most recently from an article and a video covering the restoration from the Portland Tribune.
Videos! Canyon Field Notes
Find out what's happening in the canyon with Zac Perry, canyon guru, as he brings you info about bees, canyon restoration, and more. View videos.
Canyon Plants
If you're interested in the botany of the Pacific Northwest, be sure to visit our plants page. We have photographs and descriptions of many of the native plants found in the canyon, as well as a page of information about our invasive species.
Weblog
View our weblog for canyon-related notes, updates, and images; canyon users can share their wildlife observations and other notes
about what's going on.
If you have any feedback or suggestions about the blog, drop a note to zac.perry@NOSPAMreed.edu (Take out the "NOSPAM" portion, of course). Thanks!