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 Goose Hollow/SW Jefferson MAX Station
Welcome to the Goose Hollow MAX Station, the final stop in Portland before trains enter the Robertson Tunnel on their way to Washington Park and Beaverton.
To the west, the tracks slip into a narrow canyon leading directly to the tunnel portal. Overhead is the iconic Vista Bridge, carrying Vista Avenue high above both the MAX line and Jefferson Street.
To the east, the tracks curve north onto SW 18th Avenue. The roundabout you see is Collins Circle. During the construction of the Westside MAX line, crews uncovered an old cable car winch wheel near this very spot. Portland’s cable car once climbed 18th Avenue, then continued up a long, steep wooden trestle toward Willamette Heights. If you look south, you can appreciate just how steep that climb would have been.
The station opened on September 12, 1998, as part of the original Westside MAX project.
A fun detail: the goose statue on the eastbound platform is believed to have been relocated here after the nearby Kings Hill/SW Salmon station closed.
Goose Hollow is served by the MAX Blue and Red Lines.
Station Artwork
Westside design team, 1998
The Goose Hollow neighborhood is celebrated by the Westside design team artists.
- Houses and buildings rise up from tile “streets” to form seating
- Goose wings stretch across the canopy glass
- A house etched in the canopy is illuminated by the sun onto the “street” below
- A fictitious letter from a resident is etched on the shelter windscreen
Best access: Arrive by MAX, or park near the cache on SW 20th.