6 Breathtaking Forest Parks In Portland for Hikers (2024)
About Portland
Portland which is the largest city in Oregon has been facilitated as the best American city and is known for its beautiful landscapes, gardens, and parks. The city of Portland offers something or the other to everyone who visits here or is a resident. Right from adventure enthusiasts to bird watchers to hikers it has something for everyone. Traveling has never been an issue for the people visiting Portland as it is very well connected through public as well as rail transport.
For people who love spend their time outdoors camping, hiking, or mountain climbing, Portland is perhaps the best place to be. It has the largest urban forest in the United States and is just a drive away from places where hikers and mountaineers would love to go like Mt. Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. However, Portland receives plenty of rainfall which is more than the average across the United States but this does not dampen the spirits of the hikers and they still have plenty to cheer about while they are in Portland. Read below to find out 6 best Forest Parks in Portland that hikers would love to pay a visit to.
6 Breathtaking Forest Parks In Portland for Hikers
- Ridge Trail: This is one of the prettiest forest parks in Portland where hikers would have an unforgettable time. The sheer beauty of the view that the Ridge Trail gives is worth the walk. The narrow path drops a whopping 1000 feet vertically from close to the Skyline Boulevard. This is a section of the trail that is seldom visited by visitors but is a treat to watch for hikers. If you get tired from the walk, you can take rest at a bench that has been carved out from a wooden log. Once hiking throughout the trail you can come out of the park through Highway 30. The trees surrounding the entire Ridge Trail adds to its beauty and gives the hikers the much needed breath of fresh air.
- Tolinda Trail: This hiking trail is one of the toughest around Portland. Within a mile of entering the trail, it vaults nearly 400 feet upwards to Leif Erikson. The trail is surrounded by fireweed and lilies all around it. Hikers then move up the Waterline Trail which is quite steep and even middy where they have to course along a ridge to reach the water tower at the top of the Skyline
Boulevard. The who trek is filled with breath taking views of the surroundings and after a long walk even though tiredness sets in but it is worth the time that is spent at Tolinda Trail in Portland. - Lower MacLeay to Stone House: This trail in Portland is tailor-made for hikers. It is set along the largest stream in the Forest Park called the Batch Creek. Along the way you will come across a barrage of licorice ferns, salal bushes full of leaves, and simple fascinating firs. You will also come across a giant 240 feet fir which is the tallest in the United States. If you have a fascination for colors then you can hike further to go to the Stone House. It is the remains of a Works Progress Administration–era structure that was built in 1936. It is a perfect place to have a quiet morning or afternoon in the middle of the woods.
- Maple Trail Loop: Maple Trail is one of the prettiest sites that a hiker can have while in the Washington Park. Nearly 75% of the trail is covered by bigleaf maples and red alders. In the fall season, loads of crimson colored leaves fall on the trail magnifying the beauty of the place even more. Maple Trail is also a go-to place in the summers as well. There is a two and a half mile stretch between lower Saltzman Road and Wildwood Trail that is right in the middle of dense woods and canyons covered by firs and hemlocks. The Maple Trail Loop is by far a place for hikers that they cannot miss while in Portland.
- Dogwood Loop: it is just 15 minute drive away from downtown Portland. Just get down the parking lot and keep left to get into the Dogwood Trail. The place is peppered with Doug fir and bigleaf maple soaking every drop of fatigue and tiredness you may have after a daunting day’s work. You can take a look at the scenic view of the riverfront below. During the spring season, the area is filled with yellow woodland violets and trilliums. In the summers you can see candy flowers and fairy bells in plenty for a perfect end to the day after a short hike.
- Nature-Wildwood Loop: If you are a hiker and want to spend an entire day outdoors then this is the place to be. You can fill in your picnic basket and enter the trail through Firelane 1. You can hike through the Nature Trail cross the footbridge to the Rocking Chair Creek. Walk through the path and end up where you started at Firelane 1.
