Trojan Park Trail

   A one mile paved trail circles around this pretty little lake. There isn’t any mention of the troubled history of this site but just a short distance away, in the far corner of a gated lot, 34 containers of spent nuclear fuel sit waiting for transport to an approved repository location.

   The power plant went online in 1975 despite years of opposition from Oregon residents. After less than 2 years of commercial use, major construction errors were discovered which necessitated a complete shutdown for nine months. In October 1979 the plant was shut down again to repair a steam generator tube leak. Finally in 1992 a leak of radioactive water doomed the plant and it was permanently closed.

    In 2001 the reactor was encased in concrete foam and barged up the Columbia River to be buried at Hanford Nuclear Reservation. The cooling tower, central office buildings, and the reactor building were demolished between 2006 – 2008 so little is left of the site. A mysteriously gated parking lot was part of a visitor center complex but the building was torn down in 2004 after it was damaged by flooding. An elevated walkway shaded by two rows of trees is all that remains.

    The trail around the lake is in poor condition with heaves and patches of crumbling asphalt. It’s still accessible but wheelchair users may need assistance.

      

   There are gravel pull offs on either side of the park entrance road. Go past these, continue into the park and take the first right which leads to large paved lots and easier access to the trail.  Park  46.03649, -122.89277