Charlee and I have had some great foggy walks this week at the newly mowed Ocean Avenue landfill. There is a 1.5 mile path that circles the capped landfill hill.

How to get there:
Park at the Quarry Run Dog Park on Ocean Ave Portland, and walk straight back from the parking lot. You can access the field from either end of the dog park gates.

What we like:
We love the wide open spaces, especially now that all the briars and Burdocks have been mowed over.
Great place to bring binoculars to watch for birds.

The landfill is surprisingly beautiful.

What the kids say:
Great place to catch grasshoppers and crickets. Since it has been mowed, my kids say the top looks like the moon, and they love that they can see the Back Cove from the very top of the hill.
Great place to sled.

Kids think the rock on a rock is "cool".

Here Charlee tries on her Stonehenge hat.

Beware:

Of the Quarry pit! There is plenty of openings for your dog to enter the Quarry near the large rocks. Dog owners have told me they are concerned that their dogs could fall in the Quarry by accident while running, and other (bad!) dogs that I know have found various trails down and have gone exploring for hours.

Avoid the area straight back from the dog park all together. We no longer walk all the way around the loop anymore, and I question the purity of the water that runs through the dump and pools there at the bottom. The first time my dog went in water down there she turned a strange golden color and I couldn't wash off the color or the smell, even after numerous baths.
Be respectful of the birders. There is plenty of space there for everyone.

What we hope:

If the land is taken over by Portland Trails, we (dog owners) hope the landfill remains an off leash area. The land is hardly utilized at all as it is, and there is fenced dog park so close by that it is unlikely to develop as a hotspot for unruly dogs.

Read about other areas where Charlee has romped off leash-
Click here for Capisic Pond,
Click here for Evergreen Woods
Click here for Riverton Trolley Park
Click here for Hinkley Park