“Best” may be debatable, but biggest is not. At 5,200 acres, Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the country, and the largest in Portland. The park has over 80 miles of trails, easily accessible and maintained by Forest Park Conservancy, Portland Parks and Recreation, and Volunteers. (Now’s your chance!)
If you find the size intimidating, an easy place to begin exploring is the Lower Macleay Trail, a well traveled path with a parking area which runs along Balch Creek. Portlanders are familiar with the Witch’s Castle, an abandoned stone structure about .8 miles into the trail, and the path leads up to the Bird Alliance of Oregon (formerly Audubon Society). This is a separate natural area with a visitor center and 4 miles of trails on 172 acres. (I saw an elk there on a rainy day, and there is a bird rescue facility, too)
Drive, or take public transit a bit further up the hill and you may bike, walk or run along Leif Erikson trail, from the trailhead on Thurman Ave. Leif Erikson was the access road for the area when residential housing was planned (and fizzled out in the first half of the 20th century since building was too difficult). From this wider, partly paved path, there are access points to wooded trails like the Wild Cherry and Dogwood trails. It’s easy to walk in-and-out, or to plan a 3-4 mile loop.
The park helps filter air and water, and is home to over 50 types of mammals, 100 species of birds and over 400 invertebrates. You may see owls, snakes, shrews, deer, woodpeckers, and many large slugs.
Enjoy Portland’s green spaces and parks! Beautiful at any time of year, and a reminder of the natural spaces we built on to create our neighborhoods.
