Forest Park, Portland, OR

If you are into running or trail hiking Forest Park, located in the northwest corner of Portland Oregon is the place to be. With over 5,100 acres it is one of the largest urban parks in the United States. There are approximately 80 miles of trails, some paved roads like this one and other small winding trails that take off through the forest.

I highly recommend you take a fully cell phone and/or GPS with you, especially if you get off the main trails. We started fairly late in the afternoon and due to the darkness and my cell phone going out on me I\’m embarrassed to admit I got seriously lost.

The forest is so damp that ferns and moss grow everywhere, with ferns growing off tree limbs, and small streams and water seeping from the hillside. For a guy from Texas this scenery is seriously different! Once the sun starts going down there is very little light coming through the thick canopy of trees making finding your sense of direction pretty challenging. If you are taking off on a long hike have a map and a better sense of direction than I do!

When my son is in training he\’s off without me leaving me to fend for myself – I need a bike to keep up with his pace but nevertheless we have a great time hitting the trails and these in Forest Park are really amazing.