Cannon Trail
A short, steep rung from Leif Erikson up to the Wildwood — named for a man, not a cannon.
On this trailThe Walk
The Walk
From Leif Erikson, the Cannon points uphill and doesn’t waste time about it, gaining most of its elevation across a third of a mile of second-growth forest before delivering you onto the Wildwood. It’s over quickly, which is the point. There’s nothing to linger for and no view to wait on — just a brisk, shaded climb doing the honest work of connecting a low artery to a high one.
Runner’s note This is a legitimate little grunt, not a stroll — a fast way to trade the wide, forgiving grade of Leif Erikson for the singletrack of the Wildwood (or vice versa) when you’re building a loop up in the Germantown corner. Run it as a climb, not a shortcut; your legs will file it under “hill,” and the descent back down to Leif is quick enough to be fun.
Before you go
The trail is the easy part; getting to this corner of the park is the real errand. The Germantown Road end is remote, the trailhead lot is small and fills on good-weather weekends, and there’s no useful transit out here — most people arrive already walking, on Leif Erikson or the Wildwood. Come with daylight to spare and plan the drive, not just the run.
It’s a foot-only trail, and dirt underfoot: expect the usual west-hills mud through the wet months, and stay in the center of the tread when it’s soft rather than skirting the puddles and widening it.
No cannon, then, and no ceremony. Just a well-made little climb, quietly named for the man who helped pay for it.
Getting there
One way · from No trailhead of its own
- Start
- No trailhead of its own — pick it up off Leif Erikson Drive in the Germantown Road area and climb to the Wildwood; nearest formal parking is the Germantown Road Trailhead at the top of NW Germantown Rd
- Orientation
- North-central park, up near the top of NW Germantown Rd where Leif Erikson Drive and the Wildwood Trail bracket the road — foot access only
- Parking
- No parking at the trail itself. The nearest lot is the Germantown Road Trailhead at the top of NW Germantown Rd — small, and quick to fill on sunny weekends; from there you walk in along Leif Erikson or the Wildwood
- Other access
- From the Wildwood Trail, dropping down to Leif Erikson Drive
- From the Germantown Road Trailhead at the top of NW Germantown Rd
- Ends at
- Tops out at the Wildwood Trail after the short climb. From there, run the Wildwood in either direction, or turn around and drop back to Leif Erikson the way you came up
- Transit
- None practical — this corner of the park sits well off any TriMet line; nearly everyone arrives by car, or on foot along Leif Erikson or the Wildwood
- Accessibility
- Not an accessible route — a short, steep natural-surface climb reached only on foot, with no paved segment and no facilities at the trail
- Dogs
- leashed
- Best
- year-round, in daylight