Hiking Up Powell Butte

Living in Portland, I'm lucky enough to have some awesome walking and hiking trails right in my backyard... literally.  We live very close to one of the many entrances to Powell Butte Nature Park.  The butte is a cinder cone housed smack dab in Southeast Portland... pretty much almost Gresham.  There's a main entrance about a mile from our house and several side entrances in between.

Above is a picture I took from the top of the butte during a hike on a sunny fall day last year with Jason and our dog Khloe.

We walked up to the side entrance and were instantly transported into the woods within a manner of steps.  As soon as we hit the trail, all the noise and the hub-bub of the city around us went silent.  We walked up toward the top of the butte, where we found a sunny field that reminded me a lot of Eastern Oregon.

The trail wasn't too busy, so Khloe got to run off-leash for most of the walk.  A lot of runners, cyclists and walkers roam the butte on sunny days, so if you have a dog that isn't super friendly-- know they'll have to stay on a leash.

One thing to Note, if you plan to go to the Butte:  Part of the top is under construction, so there are some trail detours.   Also, there are a lot of trails all over the butte-- it is a nature area, so there's lots to see.  Make sure you keep track of where you're walking. 

*We managed to walk from the 136th Avenue entrance, to 162nd Avenue-- which is the main entrance to the park.