The North Willamette Escarpment, also known as the Overlook Bluffs,[2] is composed of several areas managed by Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R).

[3] The bluff rises abruptly to the west of the Fremont Bridge, and extends northwest above Union Pacific's Albina rail yard.

Metro purchased the cove in 1996 with the goal of making it part of a proposed trail called the Willamette River Greenway.

[17] According to Portland Parks & Recreation, the Willamette Escarpment formed as a result of the Missoula Floods approximately 15,000 years ago.

Winds quickly spread the flames up the bluff and extended the blaze for nearly 2 miles (3.2 km), making it one of the worst urban wildfires in Portland's history.

A Portland Fire Bureau spokesman said this was due to the lack of Himalayan blackberry bushes and dry weeds that covered the bluff the year prior.

[22] In 2007, the city received a $945,000 grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to improve the ecological health of the Willamette Escarpment and reduce the risk of fire.