Codee looks out from one of 14 full hookup campsites with four-stall corrals toward Lauri Cash of Beaverton and Sageolena at the Hares Canyon Horse Camp located within Stub Stewart State Park. Photo by Alex Pajunas.

Near a towering stand of Douglas fir, with stars up above and a warm fire at one’s feet, peace and relaxation are usually not far off.

With the July 8 opening of L.L. “Stub” Stewart State Park in Buxton, outdoor enthusiasts have gained yet another place to enjoy what Oregon’s wilderness has to offer.

The 1,654-acre park is located 31 miles west of Portland, and is the first full-service state park to be opened in Oregon in 35 years.

The park is named for Loran L. “Stub” Stewart (1911-2005), a longtime supporter of the parks department who served nearly 40 years on the State Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission.

In the late 1990s, Washington County Commissioners began to lobby the Oregon State Legislature, with the goal of getting a state park built in their county. The parks department was contacted, and potential sites were soon being explored.

A site was chosen, the bulk of the land being acquired through a trade with Longview Fiber Co., and construction began in 2003. The park is currently 75 percent complete with about 50 developed acres, and work will continue for a few more years.

The Mountain Dale cabin village consists of 12 one-room and three two-room cabins, each with a fire ring and picnic table. There is a central building that provides flush toilets and hot showers, and the cabins rent for $39 per night. Photo by Luke Wirkkala.”Our goal for this phase has been to get a mix of everything going so that people can get a nice feel for the park,” said Park Manager Dan Lucas. Lucas is a third generation state parks person and has spent 27 years with the agency. This is the first time he has had the opportunity to develop a new park, though his father and uncle both did so during their careers.

“I was in the right place at the right time,” he said. “It’s the chance of a lifetime.”

The park now offers 12 walk-in tent sites, 23 hike-in camp sites, 78 universal, full-hookup sites with central restrooms and showers, a hilltop day-use area, a 15-unit cabin village, a 16-unit horse camp with corrals, full hookups, restrooms and showers, an equestrian day-use area and 17 miles of multi-use trails. In addition, 3.5 miles of the 21-mile Banks-Vernonia state trail run through the center of the park.

On a clear day, visitors to the Mountain Dale cabin village are rewarded with excellent views of the Coast Range. Photo by Luke Wirkkala.But the majority of the land is being left in, and in some cases returned to, a natural state. Managing the forest and the number of headwater streams that run through the property will be an ongoing project.

The park is capable of accommodating 1,200-1,500 visitors at any one time, and it has its own water, sewage and electrical systems, as well as centralized garbage collection.

“Basically, what we’ve built up here in the woods is a nice little town … insofar as all of our infrastructure is concerned,” said Lucas.

The approaching fall season brings out reds and oranges on a vine maple at Stub Stewart State Park near Vernonia. Photo by Alex Pajunas.According to Lucas, the biggest challenge has been constructing the park on what is essentially the side of a hill. Elevation at the park entrance is 730 feet, and it climbs to 1,250 feet in a relatively short lateral distance.

Maintaining a reasonable road grade was a challenge, as was finding level sites on which to build. One solution was to utilize old logging roads and landings, which also minimized additional impacts to the land.

“It turned out really nice,” said Lucas. “There are some nice things with elevation, and those are the views that you get at the top of the park.”

A.J. Way has been a camp host at the park since April, and he donates his time in exchange for a free RV hookup. Way is a full-time camper, and he likes being able to meet and talk with the people who visit the park.

A horsetail grows along the Brooke Creek Trail in Stub Stewart State Park. Oregon’s newest state park has nearly 15 miles of new trails to explore, whether you are traveling on horseback, bike or foot. Photo by Alex Pajunas.”I’ve enjoyed my time here immensely. It keeps me out of the city,” he said.

Future developments at the park will include the construction of another day-use area, a tent camp area for groups, another loop for the horse camp, a more isolated cabin village, an observation tower and a single track mountain bike trail for downhill biking.

According to Lucas, the value of the park comes in protecting the natural resource and “getting people out to appreciate what Oregon is all about.”

“It’s a unique part of Oregon,” he said. “It’s so close to so much of the population … it gives them a chance to get away without having to travel long distances.”

Camping rates vary from $6 to $40 depending on type of accommodation and time of year, and day use permits are required year-round. For more information, call (503) 324-0606, or log onto www.oregonstateparks.org