Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint
{{Short description|State park in Oregon, USA}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox park
| name = Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint
| photo = Bald Peak looking southeast.JPG
| photo_width =
| photo_caption = Looking southeast from the park.
| map = Oregon#USA
| map_width = 220
| type = Public, state
| location = Yamhill County, Oregon
| nearest_city = Newberg
| coords_ref = {{cite gnis |id=1117187 |name=Bald Peak State Park |access-date=2011-06-23}}
| area = {{convert|26|acre|0}}
| created =
| operator = Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
| visitation_num =
| status = Day use only
| parking = Yes
| open =
| coords= {{coord|45.3945606|N|123.0551045|W|region:US-OR_source:gnis|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
}}
Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint is a state park located atop Bald Peak located in Yamhill County, in the United States. The day use only park offers picnic tables and a hiking trail for views of the Willamette Valley and the Cascade Range. The state of Oregon acquired the {{convert|26|acre|0}} in 1931 after Yamhill and Washington counties requested a park from the state.
History
Bald Peak was acquired by the state in 1931 after county officials in Washington and Yamhill counties lobbied the state parks commission for a state park for the two counties.{{cite book |last=Armstrong |first=Chester H |year=1965 |title=Oregon state parks history, 1917-1963 |location=Salem, OR |publisher=Oregon State Highway Dept |oclc=447721826}} The land was purchased from Samuel Otto on June 4, 1931, with the park originally named Bald Peak State Park. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps built picnic tables, restrooms, and a parking area at the site. In the mid-1930s an annual service on Easter began at the park, organized by local churches that continues to be held as of 2019.{{cite news|last=Lennon|first=Clare|title=Sunrise Easter service at Bald Peak has drawn a crowd for more than 70 years|url=http://www.oregonlive.com/forest-grove/index.ssf/2014/04/bald_peak_early-morning_easter.html#incart_river_default|access-date=12 April 2014|newspaper=The Oregonian|date=April 12, 2014}}
In 1939, the location was considered by the parks department as a memorial to the pioneer women of Oregon.{{cite book |last=Bannan |first=Jan Gumprecht |title=Oregon State Parks: A Complete Recreation Guide |publisher=Mountaineers Books |year=2002 |isbn=0-89886-794-0}} State officials decided against this location due to the lack of water and its isolated location away from major roads. In 1996, the park was one of over 50 parks that the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department proposed closing due to a state budget deficit that reduced funding for the department.{{cite news |last=Green |first=Ashbel |title=State may fold tent on some parks |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=June 6, 1996}} However, Bald Peak and the other parks remained open after political pressure forced the department to reconsider their plans.{{cite news |last=Gold |first=Matea |title=Despite reprieve, parks aren't out of the woods yet |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=August 10, 1996}}
Details
Bald Peak is on top of the Chehalem Mountains at an elevation of {{convert|1629|ft|m}} above sea level, the highest point in the mountain range.{{cite web |url=http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_110.php |title=Bald Peak State Scenic Viewpoint. |publisher=Oregon Parks and Recreation Department |access-date=2011-06-23| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110614032555/http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_110.php| archive-date= 14 June 2011 | url-status= live}} The closest community to the {{convert|26|acre|0|adj=on}} park is Laurelwood, Oregon, with the park generally situated between the cities of Hillsboro to the north and Newberg to the south near the county boundary line between Yamhill and Washington counties.{{cite news |last=Gardner |first=Fran |title=A little looping the loop |newspaper=The Oregonian |date=August 22, 1991}} At the park are restrooms, picnic tables, parking, a trail, a forest with Douglas fir trees, but no drinking water. In clear weather, the park offers views of Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, Mount Jefferson, Mount Adams, and Mount Rainier. The viewpoint also gives panoramas of the Tualatin Valley to the north of the park and the Yamhill Valley to the south, with both valleys being parts of the larger Willamette Valley.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Protected Areas of Oregon}}
{{authority control}}
Category:State parks of Oregon
Category:Parks in Yamhill County, Oregon
Category:Civilian Conservation Corps in Oregon