Midway between the coast and Portland, US-26 reaches the 1,635-foot crest of Sunset Summit, then winds east through the verdant delights of the leeward Coast Range, zipping through tunnels and sliding down slopes to the farm country of northwest Willamette Valley. Banks-Vernonia Linear State Park, 20 miles from downtown Portland, is a 21-mile stretch of abandoned railroad that runs north from US-26 between the town of Banks and the tucked-away timbertown of Vernonia. Six well-marked trailheads along Hwy-47 provide access to the fairly level gravel trail, Oregon’s first rail-to-trail park.
