Since moving into our Portland apartment we try to get out and explore as much as possible. Pretty quickly we found some awesome hikes near downtown Portland that make for a quick day adventure.

Just to clarify, when we say downtown Portland we mean right where the action is, smack dab in the middle. Some of these hikes are considered to be in Downtown Portland but because they are not walking distance from the skyrises we consider it to be near downtown instead of in downtown.

We love hiking near the city of bridges because the views are unbelievable. It's crazy to think right by a big city is SO MUCH GREEN.

All of these hikes are easy enough for gym shoes but be prepared for some rain. The tree cover helps but you are in the PNW so there's almost an equal chance of rain and sunshine.

We've hiked these trails in all seasons and different types of weather and we love them every time. The paths are well maintained making them the perfect Portland day hike.

Disclosure: Links throughout the Mindful Nomadics site may make us a small commission at no additional cost to you. See our Affiliate Disclosure for more information.

Forest Park

Forest Park is probably one of the more popular city parks in Portland with a lot of trails to choose from. The best part is most of the trails are a loop and connect to each other.

This is hands down our go-to spot for a quick day hike. It's so close to downtown located in Northwest Portland.

Currently, the trails are marked with one-way directions to help with social distancing so make sure to double-check you are going the right way. It's pretty simple to follow so that helps.

Getting There

There is free parking at the Forest Park NW PDX entrance. You can park up the hill at the end of NW Thurman street but this area fills up fast.

Luckily there is a lot of street parking just a few minutes down the road. There are also a lot of side streets nearby for even more options.

You'll walk down NW Thurman Street and will come to a gated-off road called NW Leif Erikson Drive. This is where the trail begins, the gate is just to stop cars.

After walking up NW Leif Erikson you come to some trails to choose from. There are maps stationed along the trails which help you find your path.

Trails

Wild Cherry/Dogwood Loop

Our favorite trail to do is the Wild Cherry/Dogwood Loop. It's a pretty easy and quick hike but is filled with lots of views.

The entire loop is about two miles with only a slight incline. We love the dirt paths surrounded by overgrown vegetation.

You'll head up NW Leif Erikson Road and the trailhead for Wild Cherry is on the left. Here's where it gets a bit tricky as you'll be walking on the Wild Cheery trail but at some point take right and use the Wildwood trail to get to Dogwood.

The trails pops you out further up the NW Leif Erikson road so once you get there, you just walk on back down and keep going until you pass the Wild Cherry trailhead.

Springville Loop

We haven't done this one yet but it's kind of the big trail of Forest Park coming in a little under five miles. You can get to it from several trails but the park itself suggests using the Upper Springville Trailhead located off of NW Skyline Blvd.

The main reason why we haven't tried this one is that the trailhead is located even more Northwest than the other options. Since we're trying to get as close to downtown as possible the other trails always win out.

Lower Macleay Park

We're gonna count this as it's own hiking spot even though it's technically part of Forest Park. Lower Macleay Park is on the outskirts of the park and is a decent walk before getting to the main Forest Park Area.

Plus this area has plenty of its own viewpoints. We're talking about walking under a metal bridge, walking over several wooden bridges, and running into an abandoned stone building.

Getting There

The trail is located two miles west of Pearl District so when we say this one is close to downtown...it's CLOSE to downtown.

There is free parking on NW Upshur St which is the street leading to the trail. Whenever we go we typically park on NW 29th ave which is another street nearby but is typically less busy.

You'll walk down NW Upshur St and after it ends goes another block or two. You'll know when you get there because there is a GIANT bridge (Thurman Street Bridge) you walk under as the trail begins.

Trails

Lower Macleay Trail

If you want to check out the stone house in Portland, this is the trail to take. The entire trail is about two miles with little elevation gains.

The first part of the trail is paved but it does become more of a dirt path but it's still very well maintained. Not sure if we did the loop wrong but we ended up doing a more down and back but there were trails to take in order to make it a loop.

This trail is great because of the views along the way. Like we said before, you get to walk under a bridge, you get to walk over a wooden bridge and you get to see an infamous stone house witches castle slowly decaying away.

Pittock Mansion Hike

After checking out the stone house you can keep going to the Pittock Mansion. It's a little over five and half miles from the Thurman Street Bridge with more elevation gain than some of the other hiking trails.

But if seeing a giant mansion and getting a little bit of history is important to you then we think this hike is worth it. The best part is you start on Lower Macleay Trail so you can also make a game-time decision to keep going or just call it a day and turn around.

Tryon Creek State Natural Area

Tryon Creek is our go-to spot for hikes in Portland. We've probably hiked here over 10 times in our first month after moving here.

It's located in Southwest Portland and is only about 10 minutes from downtown. If we're being really honest this is one of our favorite hiking spots but the reason why we go so often is that it's so close to a lot of stores making it a good way to start our day of errands.

Getting There

The easiest way to get there is to use the main parking located at 11321 SW Terwilliger BLVD, Portland, OR 97219. It's free and if you put "friends of Tyron creek" into google maps it will take you right to the lot.

Because we like to make things difficult we park on the street where SW 4th ave dead ends. We don't think it's a secret per se but we've never seen another car. It's a small area so maybe that's why most go for the parking lot option instead.

We like using the SW 4th ave entrance because it puts you on the 4th ave trail and Lewis and Clark trail leading to the bridge.

There are other trailheads with parking options such as Tyron Life Community Farm parking lot and Boones Ferry horse trail but we've never tried those.

Trails

Here's where it gets tricky. Even after visiting this park weekly, Kelsey still gets turned around and confused. The park states there are over 8 miles worth of trails including biking oaths and trails for horses.

There are about 13 trails in total all varying in distance. So in one aspect, it's nice cause you can really make it your own but it gets confusing quickly.

If you want to feel like Lewis and Clark then we say wing it. Pick a trail and just keep picking left or right when you get to forks in the road.

We have Phil and his Garmin watch to navigate the way so we typically just go for it and turn around once we feel ready. However, not everyone can have Phil as their awesome hiking guide.

If you want a little bit more organization we suggest doing the Horse Loop Trails. They are very well marked and over a mile so you get a good hike without having to change paths a million times.

North Horse Loop Trail

Probably the most straight forward trail is the North Horse Loop Trail. You can get there from the parking lot and it's a little over 1.5 miles.

West Horse Loop Trail

Like we said before, we typically park at the 4th Ave trailhead and take the Lewis and Clark Trail to Highbridge. From there we like going on the West Horse Loop Trail which is a mile but once you add in the getting there part it ended up being a little under 1.5 miles.

If you are parking in the main lot this loop might be located a little too west. You'll have to go further to get there and the HighBridge is currently under construction.

* As a little side note...the North and West Horse Loop Trail make a figure 8 with the crossover at the High Bridge. So if you are wanting a longer hike, combining these two trails might be a good idea *

Woods Memorial Natural Area

We stumbled upon Woods Memorial Natural Area after getting our car emissions testing. We were waiting in line for our turn and decided to see if there were any close parks nearby and viola!

Kelsey picked this hike only because of a picture on Goole of this stone floor thing and she wanted to check it out in person. It's SW of the city a little under 10 minutes.

Getting There

Parking is free on the street and you really have two main options. You can use S Wood Parkway to the Stairway Trail or SW Marigold St to the Marigold Trail.

Trails

The trails do all have names but it's a very small park with a lot of very short trails that connect. As long as you get to the park you can bop around and you'll be able to hit every trail in a day for a total of under a mile.

As for the flower thing, just look out for the Marigold Trail and you'll see it. It's pretty cool and unique.

If you wake up and think, I'm going on a hiking adventure today...maybe skip this park. It's more a chill stroll for family or small side adventure.

Having Fun Hiking Portland

We knew Portland was an amazing city but the hikes nearby make it even better. They are so close you'd almost be silly to not try at least one.

Hopefully, the longer we live in the city, the more places we can explore. As we find more hikes we'll update this post.

For a Hike Outside the City try Multnomah Falls