Forest Park

Happy Wednesday Folks!  Let's continue with our look at some of my favorite Portland Hikes and Walks, shall we?

Last week, I introduced you to Council Crest and told you about a recent hike Jason and I went on.  Today, I'm going to talk about another great hike in Portland:  Forest Park...

Courtesy: Portland Monthly

This is the best map of the park I've seen, if only for the illustrations.  You can walk, hike, bike, run or saunter through the forest for some awesome views of Portland, the Willamette and several bird and animal species.  The eight-mile long park backs up to Northwest Portland and connects to the Oregon Zoo, Washington Park, The Hoyt Arboretum, The Audubon Society and The Pittock Mansion.

Jason and I don't utilize this park enough, probably because we live all the way on the other side of town-- but still, I wish we made more of an effort to explore.

Courtesy: Zak Pacholl

The last time we hiked in Forest Park, Jason's friend Zak was in town.  We parked up at Pittock Mansion and did a 4-Mile loop.  You can make your hike as long, or short as you want it.  The other thing I love about this park is that there are several places to pick it up, and there are so many things to see. 

We've only been here one other time, in the fall.  We did a similar loop-- but we started at the bottom of a steep hill and hiked all the way to Pittock Mansion.  It was a gorgeous hike because we got to see all the fall colors, and Khloe really enjoyed herself.

The only gripe I have with Forest Park is this:  There are a lot of people, and many of them like to take their dogs.  But, not all of them pick up after them.  The last time we went, Khloe stepped in a pile of another dog's crap.  Disgusting right?  Yeah, I thought so too!