Explore 11 write-ups tagged with Tualatin Mountains

What will you find under the canopy of Forest Park? Dirt single tracks weave through verdant woodlands, passing Douglas firs and bigleaf maples bedecked with licorice ferns. Explore some of Forest Park's charmingly ridges and ravines on this 3.5-mile loop with 510 feet of elevation change. Although Wild Cherry Trail and Alder Trail are the most notable members of this hike, this circuit actually comes together with the use of a few other trail: Leif Erikson Trail, Wildwood Trail, Keil Trail, and a sliver of Dogwood Trail. ...Read more.

Looking for a Forest Park hike that can be completed in about an hour? Delve into the woods on this 2.5-mile loop that explores a soothing swath of Forest Park. The loop has 515 feet of elevation change, traveling downhill from Northwest 53rd Drive on Wild Cherry Trail before rising back up Dogwood Trail. Wild Cherry Trail – Dogwood Trail Loop starts from one of the roadside parking area along NW 53rd Drive, 0. ...Read more.

Forest Park is a wonderful place to take a short hike in Portland. For a 5-trail, four-season outing, check out Dogwood Trail – Alder Trail Loop, which actually uses Keil Trail, Dogwood Trail, Leif Erikson Drive, Alder Trail, and Wildwood Trail to form a 2.8-mile circuit with just over 400 feet of elevation change. In the summer, these Forest Park trails offer cooling shade. ...Read more.

George Himes Trail explores a small patch of forest in Southwest Portland between Interstate 5 and Terwilliger Boulevard. The single-track trail rises to a view over Johns Landing and the Willamette River toward Mount Hood before looping through woods bedecks in licorice ferns, moss, and English ivy. The top of the loop touches a picnic area in George Himes Park. ...Read more.

Located just five miles from downtown Portland, Tryon Creek State Natural Area preserves 658-acres of lush second-growth forest made up of mossy red cedars and Douglas firs. Many miles of trail and 8 bridges allow visitors to explore the Tryon Creek Watershed. At first glance, the web of trails on the park map is overwhelming, but it actually allows for numerous easy to moderate outings. ...Read more.

Want to learn about the native plants growing in Tryon Creek State Natural Area and elsewhere in the forests around Portland? Take an easy stroll (or roll a wheelchair) around Trillium Trail. This pair of paved loops is located next to Tryon Creek Nature Center and totals just 0.37 miles in length. Markers identify the green things growing along the trail and viewing decks peer into different layers of the forest to add insights to Trillium Trail. ...Read more.

Forest Park offers nearly instant access to the outdoors for people in Portland, Oregon. Pittock Mansions and the Stone House are popular destinations that can attract weekend crowds in Forest Park. For a quieter hike, combine Holman Lane, a section of Wildwood Trail, and Birch Trail for a 2.7-mile loop with 425 feet of elevation change. Holman Lane and Birch Trail leave NW 53rd Drive next to each other and connect to the major hiking trail through Forest Park to explore charming woodlands in the Tualatin Mountains (better known as the West Hills) Set out from the Birch Trailhead along NW 53rd Drive, which is half a mile from NW Cornell Road and offers ample parking. ...Read more.

Marquam Nature Park is walking distance from downtown Portland, but is tucked away and remains less well known than other parks in the West Hills. Marquam Nature Park provides ample woodland solitude, despite its proximity to downtown. To explore most of this underused parcel of the West Hills near OHSU, create a a 4.25-mile loop with 500 feet of elevation change that combines multiple trails: Shelter Loop Trail Marquam Trail Flicker Trail Towhee Trail Upper Marquam Hill Trail The loop is oddly shaped and nearly connects at two points along the way, allowing the hike to be shortened to 1. ...Read more.

Do you like to hike but suffer from a little bit of fomo (fear of missing out)? Make your way to Northwest Portland for an outing in Forest Park that has a bit of everything. Start up Lower Macleay Trail along Balch Creek, the park's biggest year-round stream. Hike less than a mile through a verdant rainforest to arrive at Stone House (imaginatively nicknamed the Witch's Castle), where the ruins of an old building are alluringly grown over with moss and ferns. ...Read more.

Hike a couple miles through the temperate rainforest in Forest Park and you could easily forget how close you are to downtown Portland. Jog your memory by hiking up to Pittock Mansion for a major view over the city. This 5.4-mile hike with 850 feet of elevation change starts from Lower Macleay Park in Northwest Portland. Stroll along Balch Creek on Lower Macleay Trail to Stone House and examine captivating ruins that make a fine destination on their own. ...Read more.