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Geographic region: Tualatin Mountains
Municipality/town: Portland
Route configuration: loop
Distance: 27.8 miles
Min/max elevation: 349’/938’
Total ascent: 2,028’
Max grade: 10.0% up/7.5% down
Surface: ~16.5 mi dirt path, ~11.5 miles dirt/gravel road, very short (~0.2 mi) paved section on Leif Erikson Dr
Bikes allowed: only on the Leif Erikson Drive portion (gravel or mountain bike recommended)
Obstacles: gates at beginning and end of Leif Erikson Dr, closed to automobile traffic but allows pedestrians and bikers to cross; occasional stairs
Best months: any, but can be muddy during rainy months
Permits: none required
Traffic: no motor vehicle traffic, but light to moderate with hikers on trails and bikers, hikers, and runners on Leif Erikson Drive
Feels safe to go alone (my personal comfort level): yes
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 4 miles
[Click on buttons above to get route links on Gaia GPS or Ride with GPS]
To get to the start: Locate NW Thurmon St in NW Portland. Take NW Thurmon St to its west end, where the Leif Erikson Drive starts. (NOTE: I've also done this route in the reverse direction, starting with the Sellwood Bridge and finishing with the St Johns Bridge. I parked on Hwy 43 in a gravel pull-out 1/3 mile south of the Sellwood Bridge.)
Head southwest on Leif Erikson Dr – go 0.3 mi
@0.3 mi: L on Wild Cherry Tr – go 0.5 mi
@0.8 mi: R on Wildwood Tr – go 15.7 mi
@16.5 mi: R on Cannon Tr – go 0.3 mi
@16.8 mi: R on Leif Erikson Dr – go 11.0 mi
End at 27.8 mi
Forest Park, at 5,200 acres and with over 80 miles of trails through thick coniferous and deciduous forest, is one of the largest urban parks in the country. So much has already been written about this park, but I would be remiss if I didn’t include at least one route from this area.
Bikes are not allowed on the single-track trails, so this route is for runners if you want to do it in its entirety. The route is actually fairly simple to follow, thanks to the thorough signage throughout the park and because I kept the route with the minimal amount of trail changes. The course starts at the Leif Erikson trailhead. You will soon detour to the left on Wild Cherry Trail for just half a mile. After that, you will turn right on Wildwood Trail and follow this for nearly 16 miles.Though there are many other trails branching off, it’s easy to stay on track as the signage is quite clear.
At the 16.5-mile mark, you will be at the parking lot off NW Germantown Road. From here, you take turn right on Cannon Trail for just a third of a mile before connecting with Leif Erikson Drive to head south. It’s a little over 11 miles with more downhill than uphill in this direction, taking you back to where you started. The rocks can be a bit chunky in places, but the last few miles are flat to gentle downhill which helps ease you to the finish.
Geographic region: Tualatin Mountains, Willamette Valley, urban Portland
Municipality/town: Portland
Route configuration: point-to-point
Distance: 21.7 miles (25.7 mi with alternate bike route)
Min/max elevation: 14’/713’
Total ascent: 1,382’ (1,597’ with alternate bike route)
Max grade: 14.0% up/6.2% down
Surface: 10.5 mi paved road (11.5 mi with alt bike detour), ~8.5 gravel/dirt road (~11 mi with alt bike route), ~2.5 mile paved path, ~0.5 mile dirt path
Bikes allowed: yes (gravel or mountain bike recommended) on all but the Ridge Trail in Forest Park; use alternative bike detour shown in directions)
Obstacles: gates at both ends of Leif Erikson Dr, stairs at some bridges
Best months: any
Permits: none required
Traffic: light to moderate with bikers, hikers, and runners on Leif Erikson Drive and the paths along Willamette River; otherwise, heavy vehicular traffic (but with good bike lanes and sidewalks)
Feels safe to go alone (my personal comfort level): yes
Driving distance from downtown Portland: 8 miles to start, 6 miles to end
[Click on buttons above to get route links on Gaia GPS or Ride with GPS]
To get to the start: Locate Cathedral City Park in NE Portland, underneath the St. Johns Bridge. Park in the parking lot next to Cathedral Park Trail.
Head northeast through Cathedral City Park under and along the length of the St. Johns Bridge – go ~0.2 mi
@~0.2 mi: R on N Syracuse St, cross to the other side of N Philadelphia Ave and head southwest to cross St Johns Bridge – go 0.8 mi
@1.0 mi: cross NW Bridge Ave and turn L – go 70’. Take the stairs to Ridge Tr – go 0.3 mi
[ALTERNATIVE DETOUR ROUTE FOR BIKE to avoid steep, rough Ridge Tr([adds 3.8 mi): @1.0 mi: Instead of taking Ridge Tr, go R on NW Bridge Ave – go 0.3 mi; @1.3 mi: L on NW Germantown Rd – go 1.3 mi; @2.6 mi: L on Leif Erikson Dr – go 10.7 mi]
@1.4 mi: L on Leif Erikson Dr – go 8.1 mi
@9.5 mi: continue on NW Thurmon St – go 2.0 mi
@11.5 mi: continue straight on NW 15th Ave – go 320’
@11.6 mi: R on NW Naito Pkwy – go 0.6 mi
@12.2 mi: after passing under the Broadway Bridge, take the stairs on the R up to the Broadway Bridge
@12.3 mi: R on NW Broadway Bridge – go 0.2 mi
@12.5 mi: R to go down the stairs and turn R on N Interstate Ave – go 0.5 mi
@13.0 mi: cross NE Oregon St and take the path into Peace Memorial Park which heads to the East Bank Esplanade – go 0.1 mi
@13.1 mi: continue onto the lower deck of the Steel Bridge – go 0.2 mi
@13.3 mi: continue straight on Waterfront Park Tr – go 0.2 mi
@13.5 mi: R on path just past the Japanese American Historical Plaza – go 360’ and then straight on NW Couch St – go 300’
@13.6 mi: L on NW 1st Ave – go 330’ and after passing under the Burnside Bridge, take the stairs on the R up to the Burnside Bridge
@13.7 mi: R on the Burnside Bridge – go 0.2 mi
@13.9 mi: R on stairs and continue on Eastbank Esplanade – go 0.5 mi
@14.4 mi: after passing under the Morrison Bridge, take a sharp L onto spiral ramp up to the Morrison Bridge – go 0.1 mi
@14.5 mi: L on the Morrision Bridge – go 0.3 mi
@14.8 mi: cross SW Naito Pkwy and continue on path toward Waterfront Park Tr – go 0.1 mi
@14.9 mi: R on Waterfront Park Tr – go 0.2 m
@15.1 mi: after passing under the Hawthorne Bridge, take the stairs on the R up to the Hawthorne Bridge
@15.1+ mi: R on the Hawthorne Bridge – go 0.3 mi
@15.4 mi: R on path – go 280’
@15.5 mi: L on East Bank Esplanade – go 0.4 mi
@15.9 mi: L on path toward Tillikum Crossing – go 0.1 mi
@16.0 mi: R on path to cross Tillikum Crossing – go 0.5 mi
@16.5 mi: R on S Moody Ave – go 0.2 mi
@16.7 mi: L on S Sheridan Ave – go 0.1 mi
@16.8 mi: L on S Water Ave – go 250’ then continue straight on S Corbett Ave – go 0.1 mi
@17.0 mi: L up ramp to the Ross Island Bridge – go 0.1 mi
@17.1 mi: cross the Ross Island Bridge – go 0.7 mi
@17.9 mi: L on path just after crossing the bridge and continue straight on SW 6thAve – go 0.3 mi
@18.2 mi: L on SE Division Pl – go 0.1 mi
@18.3 mi: L on SE 4th Pl – go 270’
@18.3+ mi: continue straight on Springwater on the Willamette – go 3.0 mi
@21.3 mi: L on SE Spokane St – go 180’, then L again on short road that leads up to the Sellwood Bridge – go 280’
@21.4 mi: R on the Sellwood Bridge – go 0.3 mi
@21.7 mi: continue straight, crossing over Hwy 43, to a small parking lot on the L
End @21.7 mi (25.5 mi if adding 3.8 mi bike detour)
A point-to-point route, half of which winds through the dense woods of Forest Park, and the other half of which goes through the heart of urban Portland, this is a marked departure from most of the other course in this guide. If you can arrange a shuttle ride, it’s worth it as you will see so much of iconic Portland along the way.
Of the 12 bridges of Portland that cross the Willamette River, this route traverses the nine bridges that allow pedestrians. It starts in Cathedral Park with the striking St Johns Bridge, then immediately heads up into Forest Park via the very steep Ridge Trail (bikers may wish to take Germantown Road instead, as the trail would be tough even for the hardiest of mountain bikers). Either way, you will aim for Leif Erikson Drive to make your way through Forest Park to downtown Portland. Leif Erikson Drive, though initially planned for motor vehicles decades ago, is a gravel and dirt road open only to non-motorized traffic. It winds through the heavy cover of coniferous and deciduous trees, with loads of sword ferns and other underbrush.
Once out of the woods, you will head east toward your second bridge, the Broadway Bridge. From here you will cross back and forth in pretty quick succession over six more bridges, taking the East Bank Esplanade and Waterfront Park Trail for some of the parts in between. After the eighth bridge of this route, the Ross Island Bridge, you will take the Springwater Corridor Trail for three miles to get you to your ninth and final bridge, the Sellwood Bridge.
What I enjoy most about this route is the views of the architecture of downtown Portland juxtaposed with lush trees, the unique designs of each bridge, and the Willamette River with its lively but peaceful boat traffic.
The directions provided are very detailed and may seem like overkill. You’d probably be able to figure out how to cross each bridge without the directions, but if you don’t want to have to think too hard, take them with you as some of the bridges are a little tricker to access.
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