Pdxguide

Lying on the floodplain of the Columbia, Smith and Bybee lakes are a freshwater estuary, at the convergence of the Columbia River and Columbia Slough. The marshy area is good for observing a variety of wildlife, or just to chill out and get away from the heaviness of urban living for a bit. If it wasn’t for the constant drone of I-5 traffic (a couple miles off, even) and the occasional train noise, you would think you were far from the city, when in reality, it’s only about 8 miles from downtown. A paved path leads from the entry point to a couple enclosed bird-watching shelters. The entrance is off N Marine Drive west of N Portland Road (a couple miles east of Kelley Point Park).