[4] The Mark O. Hatfield Memorial Trail features several waterfalls, forested land, mountains and valleys.

Common vegetation seen on the trail includes Douglas-fir, western hemlock, vine maple, and large cedar tree.

The trail is in old-growth for only short sections, as logging and the Yacolt Burn of 1902 destroyed much of the forest.

On August 1, 2012, the Oregonian newspaper reported that the Portland Police Bureau were loaning FLIR surveillance equipment to the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office for the purpose of detecting people in the Bull Run Watershed.

The name comes from former Senator Mark Hatfield, a key figure in conserving the wilderness through which the proposed trail runs.