Tucked in northwest Portland’s Forest Park is a photogenic stone house known as the Witch’s Castle. The castle has been a destination well known to Portland hikers for years, but there’s no real good reason why. The structure is nothing significant, where there used to be a wooden roof is now open, the windows are hollow, and the interior is empty.
Accessing the stone house is an easily accessible and pleasant hike. Visitors can either walk down switchbacks from the hill situated beside the Portland Audubon Society, or park in the Chapman neighborhoods where the McLeary trailhead is located, equipped with public restrooms. From there, one begins a slight uphill stroll beside a mellow creek.
The uphill walk is a beautiful path through fallen trees and mossy scenery. The area is a green haven tucked in a forest ravine between overlooking homes. Visitors can also meander down paths that sit beside the creek, which offers peaceful spots to dip your toes, yet there are official signs dissuading such activities to mitigate habitat disruption.
Atop a slight incline sits the Witch’s Castle, nuzzled at the intersection of two trails. In spring time the structure is particularly vibrant with its layers of graffiti and moss. For what was once a public bathroom, the Castle is somewhat attractive as a structure. The entrance to the top level is a wide stone stairway to an arched door, where visitors can gaze over the scenery.
According to the Forest Park Conservancy it was used for park rangers and visitors (say when it was used for that), little more than that. Despite the insignificance, the Castle attracts significant intrigue from visitors for the way it is tucked into the hillside, and the layers of graffiti art it has amassed over the years. Its isolated location may also explain its ominous reputation.
The Castle was built by the Works Progress Administration as a visitor’s bathroom and storage area when the land became McLeary Park in the 1930s. This continued until 1962, when an extratropical windstorm hit the pacific northwest, topping wind speeds of 115 mph. This harsh weather destroyed the wooden structures of the house, and it was promptly abandoned.
The Castle is popularly known among students of Lincoln High School as the site of many end-of-the-year parties. Lincoln students were known to gather at the castle to party as an annual tradition, yet concerns began to grow as alcohol, Xanax, weed and other drugs began to be used. Lincoln’s principle, Peyton Chapman, eventually warned parents about the parties, stating in 2017 that “parties in public parks or in the woods gained popularity and with kids having Uber accounts and cell phones, it’s just been harder and harder to track what’s going on,”
Throughout its abandonment the house has amassed an impressive amount of graffiti. The house was cleaned of graffiti in 2017, but since the pandemic has regained its imagery. While most of the art is illegible from erosion and the uneven surface, there are some intriguing pieces.
It remains a bit random as to why the Witch’s Castle generates the amount of attention and lore that it does. Yet residents of west Portland ought to make the trip to see the wild scenery that grows so close to downtown. McLeary trail is a great beginners route for those just getting into hiking. For trail runners, the flat pathway and moderate hills make for a pleasant workout that can be pushed further throughout Forest Park’s trails. Ultimately, the real value of visiting the Witch’s Castle may not be the structure itself, but the journey to get there. Is that a life metaphor? Maybe.
