Forest Park

Overview

Large (about 5,000 acres) natural park in Portland with roughly 30 miles of dirt/gravel roads and 30 miles of trails. Most roads are open to bikes, while trails are generally only open to pedestrians. The following Forest Park roads are currently open to bicyclists: Leif Erikson Road, Saltzman Road, Springville Road, BPA Road, Newton Road, and Firelanes 1, 3, 5, 10, 12, 15 & Holman Lane (uphill only). Although Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the country, opponents of cycling (including certain park neighbors) have prevented bikes from getting access to significant singletrack, so all trails (except bit of Firelane 5 above Leif) and other roads in Forest Park are closed to bicycles.

Dogs are allowed on-leash.

Forest Park is a welcome large natural-feeling space in Portland, but was logged in Portland's early days so is largely second-growth and successional vegitation, not the big trees and open under-story that you'll find in an old-growth forest. It is also affected in many areas by invasive species including blackberry, ivy, and holly. Both roads and trails can be muddy in the wet times of year.

Local Info

Although Forest Park is one of the largest urban parks in the country, opponents of cycling (including certain park neighbors) have thus far prevented bikes from getting access to significant singletrack.

If you are looking to "gravel grind" on unpaved roads, it's a nice escape into a natural setting within Portland. If you are looking for mountain biking, you'll need to drive an hour or more to get to good regional singletrack. The only short trail segments are on Firelane 5 (about 1/3 of a mile) and northerly parts of Newton Road which are trail-like for less than a mile.

The main road, Leif Erikson, roughly follows a gently climbing contour as it heads north from the Thurman gate along the length of the park. On nice weekends it's a bit crowded with pedestrians near the Thurman trailhead but gets open a mile or two out. It's somewhat muddy during wet periods.

The fire lanes are steep, short routes roughly perpendicular to Leif Erikson.

Visiting Tips

The roads are muddy during and immediately after rain. The main road, Leif Erikson Drive, can be crowded on nice weekend days near the Thurman Gate entrance, and there are many blind corners, so check your speed as appropriate.

For quality mountain biking you have to drive well out of Portland to the coast range, Mt. Hood, Mt. St. Helens, etc.

Outfitters, Tours, & Shuttles

Fat Tire Farm is a MTB shop near the park on Thurman.