When I moved from western Montana to Beaverton last February, there was one thing I knew I was going to miss: my Rattlesnake. Well, it’s everyone’s Rattlesnake. But the Rattlesnake Wilderness just 10 minutes from downtown Missoula was my favorite place to escape into the wild for cross-country runs second to none in the area.

Nine months later I still haven’t found a Rattlesnake. But I did find a jewel hidden away in the middle of Beaverton where I can get my oxygen and nature fix while pumping along wooded trails. The Tualatin Hills Nature Park is managed by the Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District and is located just off of Millikan Way and 160th.

At slightly more than 220 acres, the park has 1.5 miles of paved trails. Most interesting to me, however, are the four miles of secondary dirt and bark trails that wind through the park’s interior across a diverse habitat of oak, pines, marshes and meadows. I was thrilled early one Sunday morning last spring to have a four-point buck still in the velvet leap across the path then turn its gaze on me as I ran past.

There is plenty of other wildlife, including numerous birds, rabbits and chipmunks that whisk across the trail or flicker in the moss-draped trees overhead. Occasionally I encounter another runner or a couple taking a stroll, but the silence is a welcome sanctuary from the hum of humanity outside the park.

I recently introduced my 13-year-old daughter to the park. As we pounded along dense, tree-lined trails with names like Old Wagon and Coyote, Rachael turned to me, her eyes shining. “It’s like running through Middle Earth,” she said, grinning from ear to ear, before sprinting on ahead.

So maybe I lost my Rattlesnake. But it appears I found the Shire. And the miles keep rolling past.