Forest Park Portland Trail Guide

Forest Park is big enough that one trail rarely tells the whole story. This guide starts with the routes people search for first: Wildwood, Lower Macleay, Leif Erikson, Pittock Mansion, Maple, Ridge, and bike-legal Saltzman / Firelane 5 loops. Use the trail pages to plan a specific outing, then use the Fouragers Forest Park Trail Map to see the whole system: connectors, fire lanes, landmarks, alternate exits, and the route choices that matter once you are in the trees.

Start with the route, then carry the whole park

Forest Park rewards people who plan one trail but understand the network around it. A short hike can become a loop. A closed bridge can change the best connector. A bike-legal route can turn into a prohibited trail if you miss one junction. The trail guides below give each route its own access, parking, condition, and route-planning notes; the printed Fouragers map gives you the whole park in one place.

Best first hikes

Start with Lower Macleay to Stone House for a short creekside outing, Leif Erikson Drive from Thurman for a straightforward out-and-back, or Wildwood to Pittock Mansion when you want a bigger climb and a viewpoint.

Forest Park trail directory

• Lower Macleay to Stone House: a short creekside classic with a clear destination and an easy Wildwood extension.
• Wildwood Trail: the long north-south spine of Forest Park, best planned by segment.
• Leif Erikson Drive from Thurman: a broad, marked route for walking, running, and legal biking.
• Wildwood to Pittock Mansion: a stronger climb from Lower Macleay toward one of Portland's best-known viewpoints.
• Maple Trail Loop: a central connector route for visitors ready to build a quieter Forest Park loop.
• Wild Cherry / Dogwood Loop: south-park connector options that turn Lower Macleay, Wildwood, and Leif Erikson into longer loops.
• Ridge Trail: a north-end access guide with the current parking safety warning placed up front.
• Firelane 5 / Saltzman Bike Loop: a use-specific guide for legal Forest Park bike route planning.

Build a loop

Once you understand the main spines, use connector routes like Wild Cherry, Dogwood, Maple, Ridge, and Saltzman to build loops. Treat these links as planning aids: each route helps answer a different question about access, distance, grade, allowed use, or bail-out options.

Check conditions before you go

Forest Park changes after storms, repairs, and seasonal trail work. Before relying on any route, check current PP&R trail closures and delays. Ridge Trail parking currently needs extra attention, and Wildwood mile 15.2 has had a bridge-bypass caution in the pilot QA notes.

Get the Forest Park Trail Map

The online guide is built for discovery and route selection. The Fouragers map is built for the day of the hike: a durable, offline-ready view of trails, fire lanes, landmarks, and connectors when your plan changes.