Going Out No. 5: Forest Park

Three essential hikes. One quintessential city park.

Aug 01, 2024

Welcome! This is the “Going Out” edition of Riley’s Recs, where I review a restaurant, bar, or activity here in Portland. Every Sunday, I also share “Staying In” recipe recommendations for your week. What should I write about next? Feel free to leave a comment on this post or submit your idea here. And don’t forget to check out pdxrecs.com for even more recommendations. Enjoy!

In addition to smoking weed, in his spare time Rick Steves—the man famous for essentially inventing guidebooks—likes to protest. Specifically, he sits on the edge of a small fountain located on the roundabout in the center of his hometown of Edmonds, Washington, and waves at cars in order to raise awareness about a proposal (from him) to turn the main strip into a town square.

“I like a lot of things about Europe, but I love the urban energy of Europe. I love the piazza,”Steves told the Washington Post. “We don’t have a piazza.”

He’s right. We need more piazzas. We need more parks. We need to both protect and create more places for people to gather and walk and play.

What would New York be without Central Park? San Francisco without Golden Gate? Austin without Zilker?

In Portland, it’s Forest Park: a densely forested trail system located just five minutes from downtown.

The “Rick Steves” behind Forest Park are the Olmstead Brothers, sons of Frederick Law Olmsted who designed Central Park. They arrived in Portland in the early 1900s and proposed that an 8-mile stretch of land on the westside of town to be turned into a “forest park.” It took more than a decade, community activism, and one mysterious fire that burned down a planned development, but eventually the idea became a reality.

Today, Portland has nearly 80 miles worth of trails in its backyard. If you want to run, bike, or stroll there’s a trail for you.

The entire park is cut by a 40-mile loop called the Wildwood Trail, which serves as the main thoroughfare. Dozens of tiny splinter trails stem from the Wildwood, leading to an almost overwhelming amount of hiking options.

Despite the large number of trails, many of the hikes feel more or less the same; that is, canopied by large oak and pine trees and peppered with occasional views of the Willamette River or downtown. This means you can’t really go wrong with whatever hike you choose. It also means that the few hikes with unique features see a lot of traffic.

Most famously, the popular hike to Pittock Mansion, the former residence of the founder of our state’s legacy newspaper The Oregonian. The mansion is genuinely fun to tour, but admission is $15.50 so most people hike (or drive) there just to sit on the mansion’s grounds and look at the unobstructed view of downtown.

While Pittock may be the poster child of Forest Park, there’s so much more to explore. In fact, Forest Park is so big that in 2004 a trail runner stumbled upon a man and his daughter living in an “elaborate camp” carved into the side of a cave. They had everything from a rope swing to a garden to a library, and they’d gone undetected for years. The story eventually became a feature film called Leave No Trace.

Today’s Going Out edition features three Forest Park hikes. If you live here, you’ve probably done at least one of them before, but maybe they’ll inspire you to either revisit an old favorite or discover something new.

BPA Road Firelane 15

Distance: 4 miles

“Real Feel” elevation gain: a lot of gains. Specifically, 1000 feet.

Good for: If you want to hike up a very steep hill, see a cool old fire lane and a beautiful view, and then hike straight back down.

Minutes from Mt. Tabor: 20 minutes

Address: BPA Rd, Portland, OR 97231

This is the trail you take people to when you’re like “Yeah, I know a good hike in Forest Park.” It feels undiscovered because it’s unmarked and starts at a pulloff on Highway 30. If you are coming from Portland, try to safely pull a U-turn to avoid having to run across the highway. Otherwise, park on the right shoulder and sprint towards an entrance with a gate on the other side. You’ll probably see a handful of cars there on the weekend so you’ll know you’re in the right spot.

You’ll also know you’re in the right spot if you start climbing immediately. The first half of the trail is an unforgiving uphill climb. The hike follows a series of decommissioned roads—fire lanes and Bonneville Power access points—and makes the whole thing feel like you’re walking through overgrown roads in an abandoned city.

The view from the top is worth the climb. The power lines frame the descent of the hill all the way down to the Sauvie Island Bridge. There’s a picnic table where you can stop to have lunch and take in the views of Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams before you head straight back down.

Your knees might hate you, but it’s both beautiful and a rewarding workout.

Leif Erickson Dr.

Distance: 11 miles, but can be shortened. Link below is for a specific loop you can do, but it’s a DIY out-and-back trail system.

“Real Feel” elevation gain: On the way out you’ll feel some gains, but it’s easy peasy.

Good for: when you want to run or walk in the forest without having to worry about getting lost, elevation gain, or having to commit to a specific mileage.

Minutes from Mt. Tabor: 10 minutes

Address: Leif Erikson Trail, 4198-4100 NW Leif Erikson Dr, Portland, OR 97210

Leif Erickson Dr., aka every high school cross-country runner’s practice turf, is a popular trailhead. One of the many reasons people love Leif Erickson is because you can easily pick your distance. You never have to over or under commit. There are mile markers along the way so you know exactly how far you’ve gone, and when it’s time to turn around.

If you go, you’ll see walkers and mountain bikers and lots and lots of runners. Back when I was a runner, I loved to come here and run for the entirety of a This American Life episode. Whenever I go now, I’ll remember audio snippets from episodes I was listening to as I passed specific sections of the trail. Here’s a good one, in case you’re looking for a podcast recommendation.

Another reason Leif Erickson is so popular is because of the many splinter trails that connect to it. Some are short little offshoots that reconnect quickly, while others lead you further into the park.

When I was in high school, a bunch of us celebrated the last day of school by “drinking” at the water towers at the base of the park. I say “drinking” because I really don’t recall anyone actually taking a sip of anything at 11 am. Regardless, police were called and everyone fled in different directions. My friends and I managed to make it to the Leif Erickson trailhead, while a few unfortunate others re-emerged on Skyline Boulevard a few hours later. Point is: it’s easy to wander.

Assuming you’re not hoping to drink illegally, this is a great multipurpose, versatile trail to visit over and over again.

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Wildwood Trail

Distance: 5 miles, but can be shortened or lengthened up to 10 miles

“Real Feel” elevation gain: no gains

Good for: If you have a reactive dog and want a less populated section of the trail

Minutes from Mt. Tabor: 25 minutes

Address: Wildwood Newberry Trailhead, NW Newberry Rd, Portland, OR 97231

Sometimes you have to drive farther to get a little peace and quiet. Sometimes farther means like 10 minutes.

The end of the Wildwood trail is only about 25 minutes from my house, and serves as a great starting point for a hike. Because it’s less frequented, parking isn’t as chaotic, and I feel comfortable walking my reactive dog because there aren’t a bunch of other dogs around. Note: dogs still need to be on leash.

To get there, take Highway 30 to Newberry Road and then follow that until you reach the trailhead. You’ll see a wooden sign.

The trail is relatively flat and winds through a canyon of forest. There are lots of little wooden bridges along the path, but generally it’s a straight-forward trail frequented by runners and walkers.

My brother—the cook I mentioned in last week’s Staying In—has walked the entirety of the Wildwood Trail several times and typically starts at this section of the trail. If that’s something you’re interested in doing, let me know in the comments, and I can pass along a few tips. But generally, it requires getting to the trail by 7 am so that you can be out before it gets dark around 7.

For those of us who can’t hike 40 miles in a day, a little 5-mile out-and-back does the trick.

Pack a Lunch

If you’re looking to pick up food on the way for a mid-hike lunch break, here are a few places I recommend:

Bagels from Bernstein’s
Tamales from Tamale Boy
Sandwiches from Snappy’s
Charcuterie or sandwiches from Negociant
Coffee from Electrica (inside Schoolhouse Electric)