Hares Canyon or Hare’s Canyon is a short valley in the Northern Oregon Coast Range

Northern Oregon Coast Range

The Northern Oregon Coast Range is the northern section of the Oregon Coast Range, in the Pacific Coast Ranges physiographic region, located in the northwest portion of the state of Oregon, United States. This section of the mountain range, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, contains peaks as high...

 south of Vernonia

Vernonia, Oregon

Vernonia is a city in Columbia County, Oregon, United States. The city is located on the Nehalem River, in a valley on the eastern side of the Northern Oregon Coast Range. It is located the heart of the most important timber-producing areas of the state, and logging has played an important role in...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Located in Washington County

Washington County, Oregon

- Major highways :* Interstate 5* Interstate 205* U.S. Route 26* Oregon Route 6* Oregon Route 8* Oregon Route 10* Oregon Route 47* Oregon Route 99W* Oregon Route 210* Oregon Route 217* Oregon Route 219-Demographics:...

 the canyon is named after local timber businessman Joseph C. Hare

Joseph C. Hare

Joseph Coulson Hare was an American politician and lumberman in Oregon. A native of Hillsboro, he was the son of William D. Hare, both of whom served as mayors of Hillsboro. Hares Canyon in Washington County is named in his honor....

 and much of the canyon is now part of a state park.

Details

The entrance of the canyon is near Oregon Route 47 north of the Sunset Highway

Sunset Highway (Oregon)

The Sunset Highway No. 47 , in the state of Oregon, is an official designation for the portion of U.S. Route 26 between its western terminus, south of Seaside, and the interchange with Interstate 405 in downtown Portland...

. The elevation of the canyon at this point is 315 feet (96 m) above sea level. Hares Canyon is drained by Williams Creek which then drains to the West Fork of Dairy Creek

Dairy Creek (Oregon)

Dairy Creek is a tributary of the Tualatin River in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins at the confluence of its east and west forks near the unincorporated community of Schefflin and meanders southeast across the Tualatin Valley to the Tualatin River near Hillsboro, in Washington County...

 and on to the Tualatin River

Tualatin River

The Tualatin River is a tributary of the Willamette River located in Oregon in the United States. The river is approximately long, and it drains a fertile farming region called the Tualatin Valley southwest and west of Portland at the northwest corner of the Willamette Valley...

. A Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad

Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad

The Port of Tillamook Bay Railroad is a shortline railroad in northwestern Oregon, United States. Purchased from the Southern Pacific Transportation Company in 1990 by the Port of Tillamook Bay, the railroad was used to transport lumber and agricultural products over the Coast Range between the...

 line runs through the canyon, while a former rail line through the canyon became part of the Banks–Vernonia State Trail. Other portions of Hare’s Canyon are within L.L. "Stub" Stewart Memorial State Park which opened in 2007. The namesake of the canyon, Joseph Hare (son of Oregon Senator William D. Hare

William D. Hare

William Davenport Hare was an American politician in Oregon. He served as a Republican member of the Oregon Legislature and the 8th mayor of Hillsboro, Oregon. His other duties included those of customs collector and presidential elector...

), was a local lumberman.