About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breathtaking view. It's a distraction for the weary traveler, but anyone else can go and find it, too. More Information can be found on the SideTracked Website.
This cache also qualifies for the Disappearing RR Blues bonus cache. This series highlights the railways of NW Oregon.
About Hillsboro Airport/Fairgrounds MAX Station
Welcome to the Hillsboro Airport / Fairgrounds MAX Station. Like the rest of the Westside MAX alignment, this station sits on the former Oregon Electric Railway (OE) line, which once connected Forest Grove and Portland. Based on historic OE timetables and maps, this station appears to be near the location of the old Sewell stop. Sewell Avenue still runs just north of the Hillsboro Airport, and since the airport opened in the 1920s—around the same time the OE was operating—this is very likely the same general location.
MAX History
The station opened in September 1998 as part of the Westside MAX extension to Hillsboro. At the time, it was known as Fairplex/Hillsboro Airport, reflecting its position between the Washington County Fairgrounds and the airport across Cornell Road.
For many years, the MAX Blue Line was the only line serving this station. That changed in August 2024, when the MAX Better Red project extended the Red Line west from Beaverton Transit Center to this station. The project added a pocket (turnaround) track just east of the platform, along with a crew breakroom to support Red Line operations. Today one can take the MAX Redline from Hillsboro Airport to Portland Airport.
Most days, this is a relatively quiet station—homes on one side, a large park‑and‑ride on the other. But during the Washington County Fair and the Hillsboro Airshow, it becomes one of the busiest stops on the entire MAX system.
Station Artwork
The Hillsboro design team created artwork celebrating the spirit of competition and displays of skill—fitting for a station located between the fairgrounds and an active airfield.
- An ivy‑covered trophy engraved with “The World’s Greatest”
- “Tree rooms” offering shaded resting spots along the path through the parking area
- Historic model airplanes by Glen Geller and Curt Oliver, spinning above an aerial‑view landscape northwest of the station
About the Cache
The cache is a short walk from the station and the park‑and‑ride.