Tualatin Ice Age Trail
Discover the Ancient History of Tualatin
The Tualatin Ice Age Trail is a self-guided tour of sites representing the ancient history of our area. Along the trail, you’ll discover evidence of centuries-old ice, rock and bone, including the sites where a mastodon and ground sloth were unearthed. The trail also leads to a portion of the Tualatin ArtWalk, featuring sculptures, engravings and other Ice Age-inspired works of art.
There are seven self-guided tours for the Tualatin Ice Age Trail, where you can read and learn more on interpretive signs, as well as on the Tualatin Trails website.
Self-Guided Tours
The Full Tour includes all 12 stops, spanning 18,000 years of history, geography and archaeology.
The Big Hairy Beasts Tour has 7 stops where you’ll find the unearthed fossils and bones of ancient creatures including a prehistoric ground sloth and a 13,000-year-old mastodon. The tour takes you to the displays featuring these bones as well as the dig sites where they were excavated.
The Raging Waters Tour takes you back to the Ice Age floods that carried erratic boulders here and shaped the Tualatin River with landslides and deposits. The water-themed artwork at Tualatin Lake of the Commons is also a nod to that history.
The Tour for a Rainy Day is just four stops, taking you inside the Tualatin Heritage Center, library and the Tualatin Visitor Information Center to learn all about city’s history. Inside the library is where you’ll find the actual bones of the mastodon and learn what scientists know about her prehistoric life.
The Kids View of the Ice Age Tour starts at the Tualatin Community Park playground, where little future scientists can play in the sandbox/fountain featuring fossil sculptures and rocks that reflect the actual bounders and fossils found in the area.
The Existing Exhibits Tour makes it easy to discover the history of each site. Established signage and exhibits explain the significance of each stop.
The Rock ‘n Roll Tour will show you all about erratic boulders, which are believed to have been carried hundreds of miles by Ice Age floodwaters.
Ice Age Trail Gallery
This is a enchanting addition amidst the bustle of this popular Tualatin shopping area. Walking or cycling the trail allows for nature lovers to stay in the present with the beauty around them while simultaneously learning about Tualatin Valley’s prehistoric past.
Whether you want to explore our wine tasting rooms, explore Oregon’s Tualatin Valley by car, bike, foot or kayak, or view the art and culture of the region, we have the scenic tour routes and trails to help you accomplish your mission.
The Tualatin ArtWalk is a nearly six-mile walk through the heart of the city. Discover public art pieces, such as bronze sculptures, murals, mosaic drinking fountains and garden art along a series of interconnected trails.
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