How To Hike To Witches Castle (Stone House) in Portland
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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”, it was given the name “Witches Castle” by a group of local teenagers many years ago and the nickname stuck.
You can find it in Macleay Park, which itself is located within the much larger Forest Park. All of this is just a mere few miles from downtown Portland, making it an easy way to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.
In this guide, I’ll discuss how to get to the trailhead, trail details, the history of Witch’s Castle, parking details and much more. Let’s get into it!
Getting To Witches Castle and Parking
You can find the castle by hiking the Wildwood Trail. It can be accessed by both Upper and Lower Macleay Park. Lower Macleay Park is located at the corner of NW 30th and Upshur, just outside of a residential neighborhood.
The parking lot is fairly large, but I can see it filling up quickly in the 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.
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 as you cross.
Be sure to spend time here taking all the pictures you can. To me, it was just as much a highlight as Witches Castle. From here, you’re about halfway to the castle. The trail will mostly flatten out with only a few, hardly noticeable elevation changes.
On the way to the castle, you’ll be treated to non-stop views of multiple cascades running through moss covered rocks and downed branches. It’s like stepping into a fairytale novel (similar to Mossbrea Falls in California).
Witches Castle
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. No matter when you decide to hike to Witches Castle, do it early for a near crowd-free experience.
For being nearly one hundred years old, there’s a shockingly large amount of the structure remaining. There are two sets of stairs on each side, both leading to the main area of Witches Castle, which is open to the elements.
The castle is a hot spot for graffiti artists, much like another favorite spot of mine, the historic Donner Tunnels, in California. I’m not generally a fan of graffiti but much like the tunnels, it compliments and elevates the experience, instead of souring it.
Much like the graffiti, moss dominates the stone walls of the castle, providing a pleasant and photographically wonderful color contrast. You’re free to go up the stairs and explore the structure. 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 hiking onward. Less than a mile hike from Witches Castle is the historically significant Pittock Mansion. Be sure to take a self-guided tour of the beautiful grounds and mansion.
Witches Castle History
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 into it!
A Story of Love…and a Bullet
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, would it?
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 weren’t buying it. He was sentenced to death and hanged for his crime (which was the first legal hanging in Oregon, by the way).
Balch’s wife (who is often referred to as the “witch” in this story) 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.
If you’re staying in downtown Portland and are looking for more weird Portland things to do, see 21 of them here! Also, for delicious Italian food, consider dinner at Gilda’s!
