How To Hike To Witches Castle (Stone House) in Portland
When we were planning our trip to Portland, we found many attractions we wanted to check out. Witches Castle, however, was near the top of the list.
Officially called, “Stone House” (per trail signage), it was given the name, “Witches Castle”, by a group of local teenagers many years ago and it just stuck.
You can find it in Macleay Park, which in of itself is located in the much larger, Forest Park. All of this is just a mere few miles from downtown Portland.
In this guide, we’ll cover how to get to the trailhead, trail details, the history of Witch’s Castle, and so much more!
Getting To Witches Castle
You can find the castle by hiking the Wildwood Trail. It can be accessed by both Upper and Lower Macleay Park.
*During our visit, the lower park and trail were closed due to construction projects and trail improvements. So the upper trail was our only option.
Lower Macleay Park
Lower Macleay Park is located at the corner of NW 30th and Upshur, just outside of a residential neighborhood.
Its parking lot is fairly large, but I can see it filling up rather quickly in the busy summer months. So plan accordingly.
To reach Witches Castle from here, take the smooth, flat trail for 3/4’s of a mile. From what we were told, it is relatively flat and smooth.
Upper Macleay Park
You can find the upper parking lot just passed the Portland Audubon Society. You’ll see a sign (pictured above) indicating you’re in the right spot.
The parking lot can hold a decent amount of vehicles but like the lower lot, it will probably fill quickly during summer time.
There’s a single, portable bathroom and off in the grassy area you’ll find a couple picnic tables. The trail starts where the parking lot ends.
Transportation To The Park
Public Buses: Buses run from the downtown area and throughout Forest Park with multiple stops. For detailed information on, follow this link.
Vehicle: If you have your own vehicle, simply punch “Upper Macleay Park” (or Lower) into your GPS of choice and follow the directions.
Uber/Lyft: Cell reception is good here, so utilizing ride-sharing options is an option (it’s what we did). Just be sure to specify Macleay Park as your drop-off location and not, “Witches Castle”.
The Wildwood Trail (Upper)
From the parking lot to Witches Castle it’s a half-mile, downhill hike up until you reach the bridge. After the bridge, it’s easy going with only minor, barely noticeable inclines and declines.
From the parking lot, you’ll head left on the trail. You’ll almost immediately begin your downhill descent through beautiful moss covered trees and rocks.
As you descend, you’ll begin to hear the sounds of rushing water. That’s because there’s a beautiful creek running parallel to the trail at the bottom.
In a short time, the bridge will come into view. This bridge gets you across the creek and provides an epic view of a beautiful cascade.
Be sure to spend some time here taking all the pictures you can. To us, it was just as much as a highlight as the castle was.
From here, you’re about halfway to Witches Castle. The trail will mostly flatten out with only a few ups and downs from here.
Until you reach the castle, you’ll be treated to non-stop gorgeous views of multiple cascades running through moss covered rocks. It’s like stepping into a fairy tale.
You’ll have plenty of areas where you can step off to the side to get that perfect shot. Just be mindful to not walk through the creek itself.
Before you’ll know it, you’ll arrive at Witches Castle at around the quarter-mile mark (from the bridge). It kinda sneaks up on you through the trees.
As you can see in the photo above, this is a popular place for taggers (graffiti). Every so often the city will clean it off but that’s happening less and less now.
When we were here (early March), we only had to share the space with a few others. If you come in the summer, though, prepare yourself for crowds.
You’re free to go up the stairs and go into the structure all you like. Just be aware that there will likely be others trying to get their own pictures as well.
Once you’re done exploring the castle, either head back the way you came or keep going onward. From here, it’s less than a mile to Pittock Mansion!
History of Witches Castle
By now, you’re probably dying to know how Witches Castle got its name and its backstory. It’s an age-old tale of romance, murder, and hauntings!
Let’s get to it…….
The Property
Danford Balch, who came to Oregon in 1850 with his family, claimed a large parcel of land in what is now Forest Park. He hired Mortimer Stump, a local man, to clean up the property and build a home.
When the home was finished, Mortimer moved in with the Balch family (this included Balch, his wife, and nine children). Eventually, Mortimer and Balch’s eldest daughter, Anna, would fall in love.
Their relationship would continue and eventually, Mortimer asked Balch for his blessing to marry Anna. I’ll give you one guess as to what his answer was…
An emphatic, “NO!”.
Balch felt that Mortimer wasn’t worthy of Anna and to drive his point home, he threatened to kill Mortimer if they ever eloped. Did that stop them?
This wouldn’t be much of a story if it did, right?
Long story short, they eloped in Vancouver in 1858 and came back shortly after to collect their belongings. Balch was waiting and would make good on his threat.
He shot Mortimer dead. On sight.
Balch tried to make excuses for this but in the end, the Police didn’t buy it. He was sentenced to death and was hanged for his crime (which was the first legal hanging in Oregon).
Balch’s wife (who is often referred to as the “Witch”) stayed in the home and lived there until her death. Local lore says the spirits of Mortimer and Balch continue to haunt the property to this day.
The Stone House
When it comes to the actual structure we have today, well, it was never a home. The home that the Balch family lived in was demolished years ago.
The stone structure, what we refer to as, ‘Witches Castle’, was built in 1930 and maintained by Portland Parks & Recreation. Originally, it was supposed to be a restroom and ranger station.
However, in 1962, a big storm came through and heavily damaged the structure. So much so, it was deemed useless and left abandoned.
In the 1980’s, a group of local high school students re-discovered it and dubbed it, ‘The Witches Castle”. The rest, as they say, is history.
Things To Know Before Going
Park hours are between 5:00am and 10:00pm.
Dogs are permitted on the trail but you must pick up after them.
Much like other popular areas, vehicle break-ins are common here. We saw multiple piles of glass on the ground in the parking lot.
This trail is UBER popular. It was quiet when we were here, but it isn’t uncommon to see 150+ other hikers (or more) on this trail.
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