The Pacific Northwest is a mecca for hikers of all levels of experience with over 150 miles of hiking trails in Portland’s city parks alone.
Forest Park is the nation’s largest forested urban park, covering over 5,000 acres of massive Douglas firs, canyons, and creeks, and over 60 miles of interconnecting trails. Looping throughout the park is the 30-mile Wildwood Trail, a well-marked trail that is considered easy navigation, especially at the southern end. The trail actually begins at the Oregon Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington Park as the shorter 4-mile Hoyt Arboretum Trail which then links to the Wildwood Trail.
An easy to moderate hike is the McLeay Trail. The trailhead is located at the end of NW Upshur Road. This wooded, dirt-packed trail offers a view of the tallest tree in the city of Portland (and possibly the U.S.), at 241 feet. The first 2.8-mile leg of the hike goes to the Audubon Society which rehabilitates injured predatory birds that are caged for viewing, and they also have an excellent gift shop. The upper portion of McLeay Trail adds another 2.4 miles and winds uphill to the Pittock Mansion parking lot for a grand view of the city.
Another easy-to-moderate hike is the 3.7-mile Marquam Trail just off Sam Jackson Boulevard. This trail winds its way through a shady woodland canyon and climbs past some of Portland’s more prestigious homes to the 1070 foot summit at Council Crest, the highest point in the city, where you can see Beaverton to the west, and on a clear day, Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Jefferson, and Mt. Ranier to the east.
Tryon Creek State Park offers a total of 8 miles of nature trails throughout the 545-acre state park located between Boones Ferry Road and Terwilliger Boulevard. The .35-mile Trillium Trail is a paved walkway with benches along the way and is suitable for anyone with mobility disabilities.
Other trails of varying difficulty can be found along Oregon’s Pacific Coast, in the Columbia River Gorge and the Mt. Hood National Forest.
For more information contact:
Portland Oregon Visitors Center
» www.pova.com
» 503.275.8335
Trail Clubs of Oregon
» 503.233.2740
Oregon Chapter Sierra Club
» 503.238.0442
Columbia River Gorge Visitors Association
» www.crgva.org
» 800.98.GORGE
Mt. Hood Area Chamber of Commerce
» www.mthood.info
» 888.622.4822
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