Oregon is known ’round the country for its amazing outdoor recreation, and in addition to its iconic national park and superlative state parks, the Beaver State’s city parks are in a league of their own, too. In fact, Portland, Oregon is home to the largest city park in the U.S., and this urban oasis is nothing short of magical.
Located just a stone’s throw from the hum and buzz of busy PDX, Forest Park is an urban oasis that’s long captured the hearts of Portlanders.
Forest Park Conservancy/Facebook
At 5,200 acres, Portland’s Forest Park is one of the largest urban forests in the U.S. With more than 80 miles of trails, fire lanes, and forest roads, Forest Park stretches for more than seven miles along the eastern slope of the Tualatin Mountains, overlooking Northwest Portland and the convergence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers.
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Forest Park offers an unparalleled opportunity for visitors to experience a true Northwest forest without leaving the Portland city limits.
Forest Park Conservancy/Facebook
This lovely preserve offers a variety of trails for hiking, biking, horseback riding, birding, and wildlife watching.
Mike Rohrig/Flickr
There are nearly 80 miles of roads, firelanes, and trails open to intrepid explorers, each offering a unique experience of the park.
Portland.gov
In terms of hikes, the Wildwood Trail and Lower Macleay Trail Loop is perhaps the most well-known trek in Forest Park. This 3.2-mile trail is a straightforward trek all can enjoy – provided, of course, you aren’t spooked by ghost stories, because it happens to lead to a real-life witch’s castle!
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The fairy tale feel of the Wildwood Trail is felt all throughout Forest Park, a place flush with Douglas fir, big leaf maple, grand fir, red alder, Western red cedar, Western hemlock, and verdant ferns.
Portland.gov
There are also 30 miles of seasonal and perennial streams within the park, originating along the crest of the slope and draining east to the Willamette River.
Forest Park Conservancy/Facebook
Enchanting paths and footbridges wind through the lush landscape of Forest Park, beckoning busy city dwellers to take umbrage in its canopy.
Forest Park Conservancy/Facebook
Come and enjoy a peaceful escape in Portland, Oregon, at this immense – and immensely beautiful – urban park, the largest in the country!
Forest Park Conservancy/Facebook
Have you visited Forest Park recently? Did you know this city park in Portland, Oregon was the largest in the U.S.? What a cool claim to fame!
Forest Park Conservancy/Facebook
Zeb Andrews/Moment Collection via Getty Images
Mike Rohrig/Flickr
Portland.gov
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Address: Forest Park, Portland, OR, USA
