The Willamette

Visiting or living in Portland, it's impossible to ignore the Willamette River, a main artery of the city that divides it into two parts. The dense and bustling west side, sandwiched between the river and a long range of hills covered in handsome redwoods, is home to the city's most walkable neighborhoods and amazing parks. The east side, on the other hand, is sprawling and tranquil, with several long commercial corridors spangled with eateries and boutiques. The two sides are connected by a total of 12 bridges, built in different ears with various styles, the most beautiful ones include the St. Johns Bridge (#?), the Tilikum Crossing Bridge (#?) and the Broadway Bridge.

The Willamette runs south-north through Portland before joining the Columbia River at Kelly Point Park in the north-west corner of the city. While tourists often take a stroll in the Tom McCall Waterfront Park or along the East Bank Esplanade near the city center, one has to go further south to fully appreciate the beauty of the Willamette. Runners will easily find a sense of peacefulness in urban trails like the Springwater Corridor or parks like the Willamette Park and Sellwood Riverfront Park.

The Willamette is best explored by the Waterfront Loop. Don't forget to check out the views from various bridges along the loop.

Tom McCall Waterfront Park

This beautiful park on the west bank of the Willamette River runs along the edge of Portland downtown. The space was originally used as Harbor Dr, a major urban freeway. When was removed in 1974, the then Oregon governor, Tom McCall led the effort to replace it with public green space. The project is a milestone in urban planning and the first instance in the freeway removal movement in the US.

Tom McCall Waterfront Park is home to the Battleship Oregon Memorial and the Oregon Maritime Museum (housed in a tugboat moored on the Willamette), as well as the Japanese American Historical Plaza, whose beautiful cherry blossoms every spring turn the waterfront into a wonderland.

For the best view of Portland downtown and the Willamette River, check out the public dock at Riverplace Marina.

St. Johns Bridge

Located at the far out west, St. Johns is one of the most underrated neighborhoods of Portland. St. Johns Bridge, with its colossal 400-foot-tall (120 m) towers, and its green paint that feels so Pacific North West and evokes the like of Vancouver's Lions Gate Bridge, is spectacular from every angle. At the time of its completion, it had the highest clearance in the nation, and longest suspension west of the Mississippi River.

While St. Johns Bridge looks just majestic from street level, the more interesting view comes from right under the bridge, in the Cathedral Park. From the right vantage point, the towering columns that support the bridge will transform into a series of Gothic, cathedral-like arches in a Russian doll fashions. Voilà, that is the secret that gives Cathedral Park its name.

While a visit to St. Johns may seem a detour on the map, luckily for runners, it is a perfect destination for a median long or long run. You can follow the Wildwood Trail (or NW Leif Erikson Drive) deep into the Forest Park and exit the Park through the Ridge Trail (see Route #2 for details) to reach the St. Johns Bridge; or go from the city side and take the Willamette Blvd with a sweeping view of Portland's industrial northern part (see Route #5 for details). The St. Johns neighborhood features several artisanal coffee houses and cafés, making it easy to motive your run and replenish afterwards.

Eastbank Esplanade

On the east waterfront of the Willamette, a multi-use path runs from the Hawthorne Bridge to the Steel Bridge. Though not as spacious nor beautiful as the waterfront park it opposites, the esplanade offers a great view of Portland downtown and the waterfront park, and serves as a key corridor connecting runners and cyclists between northeast and southeast Portland.

OMSI

Right off the Tilikum Crossing Bridge is OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry) and its USS Blueback submarine docked on the Willamette in formidable silence.

Tilikum Crossing Bridge

Named after the local Chinook word for people, this newest addition on the Willamette has a simple and modern design, and extra-wide multi-use lanes in both directions with excellent views of the river and the city. The Bridge is only accessible to public transit, cyclists and pedestrians but not cars, a first for major bridges in the country.

Tip for runners: Both sides of the multi-use path are open to pedestrians of both directions, so take the north side, the view is better and the trail connection is easier.

Broadway Bridge

The bright red color of Broadway Bridge always reminds me of the globally celebrated Golden Gate Bridge. Built in 1913, Broadway Bridge still holds the title of the longest span of its Rall-type bascule design in the world.

Tip for runners: To access Broadway Bridge from the east, use N Larrabee Ave as a ramp (better than the stairs on Interstate Ave); from the west, take the stairs on NW Naito Pkwy.

Steel Bridge

The double-deck Steel Bridge is one of the most multimodal bridges in the world, with automobile and light rail traffic on its upper deck, while bikes, pedestrians, and trains using its lower deck.

Tip for runners: While most runners prefer the lower deck of the bridge, which naturally links up Waterfront Park and Eastbank Esplanade on opposite sides of the Willamette, one can also run on the upper deck sidewalk, especially when the lower deck is closed. At the end of Eastbank Esplanade, a ramp will take you to the upper deck and street level.

Poet's Beach

Poet's Beach is a small sandy beach at the south end of South Waterfront Park, under the Marquam (I-5) bridge. Engraved in the roadside stones are poems written to the Willamette River by local children, short poem with simple words, yet touching and powerful.

White Stag Sign

Erected above the west side of Burnside Bridge, this sign was initially installed in 1940 and used mostly for advertising, until it was acquired by the City of Portland in 2010. Since then, the new lettering “Portland Oregon” welcomes traffic coming into Portland downtown from across the river. Its vibrant red, green, and golden neon lights and the leaping white stag make every evening like Christmas Eve.

Mill Ends Park

A tiny circle of 2 ft (0.6 m) across, Mill Ends Park is the world's smallest park, according to Guinness World Records. It's located at the street end of SW Taylor St, in the middle of Naito Pkwy.

Washington Park

A park of many things, Washington Park is without doubt the crown jewel of Portland's parks. It encompasses, among others, a zoo, an arboretum and a forestry center, a rose garden and a Japanese garden, a couple of memorials, and most importantly for runners: lots of trails.

A number of trails and roads crisscross in the park, with MAC trail and Wildwood trail the two major trails, meeting in the middle of the park and roughly divide it into two parts. The east half of the park features beautiful gardens, sports amenities and playgrounds, while the west half are highlighted by Hoyt Arboretum, Oregon Zoo and two museums.

The main pedestrian/runner-friendly entrances to Washing Park are located around its northeast corner near W Burnside St, with additional entry point along Wildwood Trail in the north and Marquam trail in the south.

Tips for runners:

Check out this map of Washington Park, or this one detailing trails in the Hoyt Arboretum that is more helpful for runners.
From Burnside St entrance, it takes about 2 to 3 miles to traverse the park to exits in the west. Wildwood trail takes a long detour in the park, which creates a great loop route if you plan to stay inside Washington Park.

Hoyt Arboretum

Occupying the entire western part of Washington Park, the 190-acre Hoyt Arboretum is home to 2,300 species of trees and shrubs from all over the world. 12 miles of trails intertwines in the arboretum, including the Wildwood trail that starts in the arboretum and stretches 30+ miles north deep into Forest Park.

A great place to appreciate the handsome redwood trees is the redwood observation deck located on Wildwood trail at the north end of the arboretum and Washington Park.

Tip for runners: Check out Hoyt Arboretum trail map here. In case you want to start or end your run in the arboretum, there is an MAX light rail station near the zoo with trains going to and from downtown.

International Rose Test Garden

Portland's International Rose Test Garden is the oldest continuously operating public rose test garden in the country. Now it has over 10,000 rose bushes of approximately 650 varieties.

Portland's amicable relationship with roses dates all the way back to 1888, when Georgiana Burton Pittock (yup it's her again) invited her friends to show their roses in her garden. The next year, she founded the Portland Rose Society and Portland' started to be referred as the "City of Roses". However, it was not until 2003 that Portland adopted it as its official nickname.

Tip for runners: International Rose Test Garden is open and free to the public. The Japanese Garden next door, however, charges an admission fee.

Vietnam Veterans of Oregon Memorial

Located in the southwest corner of Hoyt Arboretum and Washington Park, this memorial is dedicated to the 57,000 Oregonians who served in the Vietnam War. A path started from the center of the Garden of Solace and spirals up a small hill, with black granite monuments spaced along the path listing Oregon soldiers perished during each year of the war.

Tip for runners: Instead of running, walk in the memorial.

Forest Park

Forest Park is Portland runners’ backyard. At 5,200 acres (21 square kms), it is one of the largest urban forests in the country, and offers more than 80 miles of trails.

Wildwood Trail and NW Leif Erikson Drive are the two main paths in the 8-mile stretch of Forest Park. Wildwood Trail is a 30-mile long, narrow, and serpentine dirt trail shared by hikers and runners that rolls through dense redwoods, whereas 11-mile long Leif Erikson Drive remains relatively flat with smoother turns and a wider gravel path also accessible to mounter bikes.

With numerous connector trails and fire lanes between the two paths as well as to and from various trail heads, it's not hard to pick a route for anyone's desired distance and difficulty level. Forest Park is for everyone, even if you are not a runner, a serene hike in the park is just as wonderful.

Tips for runners:

Forest Park Trail System Map can be found here.
Lower Macleay Park and Forest Park NW PDX Entrance are two south entrances within walking distance to local business district, both are also served by bus 15. Trail heads along NW St Helens Rd on the east side of the park are served by Bus 16.

Forest Park: Pittock ViewpointFor runners, the panoramic view at Pittock Mansion is the ultimate attraction of Portland. It is breathtaking, figuratively and literally. You'll be out of breath climbing up the hill but you will not regret any bit of it. Pittock mansion, a Victorian and French Renaissance style castle, was originally built as a private home for Oregonian publisher Henry Pittock and his wife Georgiana Burton Pittock. It is now a historic house museum with permanent collections recounting early 20th-century life through period furnishings and artifacts.The mansion sits atop the West Hills, its lawn overlooking Portland with undoubtedly the best panoramic view in the city, with the snow peak of Mount Hood straight ahead in the far distance. Come here for the sunrise on a clear morning, it will blow you away. Tip for runners: Burnside St right under the hill isn't accessible to pedestrians (even though Google Maps says so), so the usual way to get here is through Wildwood trail. It's about 3 miles with 900ft elevation gain from the nearest trailheads: Lower Macleay Park from the north, or Washington Park entrance on Burnside St from the south.

Pittock Mansion & Vista Point

For runners, the panoramic view at Pittock Mansion is the ultimate attraction of Portland. It is breathtaking, figuratively and literally. You'll be out of breath climbing up the hill but you will not regret any bit of it.

Pittock mansion, a Victorian and French Renaissance style castle, was originally built as a private home for Oregonian publisher Henry Pittock and his wife Georgiana Burton Pittock. It is now a historic house museum with permanent collections recounting early 20th-century life through period furnishings and artifacts.

The mansion sits atop the West Hills, its lawn overlooking Portland with undoubtedly the best panoramic view in the city, with the snow peak of Mount Hood straight ahead in the far distance. Come here for the sunrise on a clear morning, it will blow you away.

Tip for runners: Burnside St right under the hill isn't accessible to pedestrians (even though Google Maps says so), so the usual way to get here is through Wildwood trail. It's about 3 miles with 900ft elevation gain from the nearest trailheads: Lower Macleay Park from the north, or Washington Park entrance on Burnside St from the south.

Wildwood Trail

If you are serious distance / trail runners, Wildwood Trail End-to-End should be on your list. It's a hard one, but not unfathomable, and it would be one the greatest memories you can have in Portland.

The Wildwood Trail starts near the Vietnam Veterans of Oregon Memorial in Washington Park, it then passes by the Redwood Observation Deck in Hoyt Arboretum and the Pittock Masion en route to Forest Park, where it sets the majority of its 30-mile course. It ends at Newberry Rd in the North.

The first 10 miles of the trail between Washington Park and Fire lane 1 of Forest Park are more challenging than the rest of it. But also more fun, with frequent change of sceneries. If you'd like to take a long run the park but do not plan to go the distance, a great place to exit the park is Ridge Trail (between Wildwood Trail mile 20 and 21), which leads to the charming northwest neighborhood of St. Johns.

Tip for runners: To my best knowledge, there are no water fountains or restrooms in the park, so do come prepared.

Witch's Castle

Witch's Castle is what local folks call the stone house ruins on Wildwood trail, by the Balch Creek between lower and upper Macleay trails. The stone house has lived a few lives before and after it was abandoned as a public toilet and is now a popular photography spot hidden in the Forest Park, famous for its lush green moss and colorful graffiti.

Tip for runners: Lower Macleay trail meets Wildwood trail here. Lower Macleay Park is of the two most convenient access points to Forest Park from Northwest District, the other one is Forest Park Northwest Entrance at the end of NW Thurman St.

Southwest Hills

Marquam Park

Overshadowed by the colossal Forest Park and attraction-packed Washington Park, Marquam Nature Park is their lesser-known little brother along the Tualatin Mountains. The southwest hills area centered around the park, however, has many hidden gems much appreciated by local runners.

Marquam Trail starts in Washington Park way outside of Marquam Nature Park. The dirt trail connects these two parks through a largely residential area by way of Council Crest Park summit. It then runs roughly north-south through the woods in Marquam Nature park and ends at Terwilliger Boulevard. Several trails split off Marquam Trail towards different directions, notably to Duniway Park and Track, OHSU campus, and Fairmount Boulevard. There are lots of options to mix up the trail run with some urban elements.

The picture above shows the view at the south end of Marquam Nature Park on Terwilliger boulevard, at the corner of Chart House restaurant’s parking lot.

Council Crest Park

At 1,071 ft (326m) elevation, Council Crest Park is the highest point of Portland. One hundred years ago, an amusement park operated at the hilltop and was served by a streetcar line from downtown. Neither the amusement park nor the street car line survived, only the views remain. From here it is possible to see Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Hood in the Cascade Range.

Terwilliger Boulevard

Terwilliger (pronounced with a hard g as in go) Boulevard is a parkway between downtown Portland and Lake Oswego, meandering in parallel to the Willamette River on the hillside. The segment between Duniway Park and Interstate 5 intersection has a wide, shady multi-use path popular among local runners. This segment also offers occasional but amazing views of the city and the Cascade Range.

Take the climb above Duniway Lila Garden, the first bend up the hill has a nice, though somewhat blocked view of Portland downtown (as seen in the above picture). The view opens up again at the smooth curve between SW Bancroft St and SW Hamiltion Park. A third view point, also my favorite, is mentioned in the section of Marquam Nature Park.

Tip for runners: Terwilliger Blvd is the best running route to connect Portland with Lake Oswego as well as Oregon City from the west side. Outside Tryon Creek State Natural Area, parkway shoulders narrow or disappear therefore the road becomes unsuitable for running. A parallel trail inside the park should be used instead.

Vista Bridge

Portland has twelve bridges over the Willamette River, some are great beauties themselves (like St. Johns Bridge). Nevertheless, in my opinion, none of them has a better view than that of Vista Bridge, an overpass just outside Portland downtown. I guess the bridge and street are called “Vista" for a reason.

Tip for runners: Don't stop just yet. Keep going up on Vista Ave and there is another fantastic vista point right around the turn of the road before SW Carter Ln.

Fairmount Boulevard

I'll go ahead and call the Fairmount Boulevard Loop the #1 hidden gem of Portland running.

At first sight, this loop looks so ordinary, even indiscernible on map, completely blending into the complex web of streets in the hillside. Nothing seems exciting except maybe for the potential connection to Council Crest Park encircled by this loop. However, once you have traced the loop with you feet instead of your eyes, I assure you can't wait to do it again (or in the opposite direction).

The pedestrian-friendly, mostly-flat loop is 3.5-mile long with no traffic lights, light local traffic, lots of shades. and from time to time grand views of the city (see the picture above). Alongside the boulevard, big hillside houses are on constant display, ranging from very fancy to somewhat funky.

Tip for runners: Most runners start and finish the loop at the intersection of SW Fairmount Blvd and SW Talbot Rd, which is served by Bus 51. You can also run up here from Burnside St via SW Vista Ave and SW Patton Rd, a strenuous climb of 715ft in 2.3 miles. It's worth it though.

Mt. Tabor Park

Mt. Tabor park is my favorite park in Portland. Modest in size yet imposing in form, it finds a sweet spot between the calm and beauty of nature and the convenience and excitement of urban life.

Built on top of an extinct volcano in Southeast Portland, Mt. Tabor Park is home to three open-air reservoirs, various grass and wood spaces, a series of walking trails, and long flights of stairs. It also offers the best view in the city from the east side.

A statue of American Pioneer Harvey W. Scott was installed at the summit in 1933 but recently toppled in October 2020 and months later replaced by a bust of York by an unknown artist, which was toppled again and removed in July 2021.

Tip for runners: Mt. Tabor Park Trail Map can be found here. An outer loop of the park is roughly 2 miles, with a modest elevation gain of 280ft (85m), definitely not a flat city park run. For more serious runners, a stretch of East Tabor Dr at the back of the park is perfect for hill repeats, and the long flights of stairs between SE 69th Ave entrance and the crest of the park ensure a fun stairs session.

Mt. Tabor Reservoirs

Mt. Tabor is know for its sunset views but I never get to see it while running since I'm strictly morning runner. Nevertheless, an afternoon picnic in the reservoir lawn stuck this image in my head. As the merry crowd chattered and chuckled, first it's the sky that gently turned into shades of golden, then the shimmering refections in the reservoir subdued and the Portland skyline in the distance retreated into its backdrop of west hills. Before we knew, evening fell, yet no one was ready to leave. It may not be the most amazing view of city, but it's a lovely view of life in the city of Roses.

Reservoir Loop Dr between the two reservoirs gives the best view of city skyline from Mt. Tabor, while on the east side of the park, you'll find several lookouts where Mt. Hood frequently makes guest appearances on clear days.

Mt. Tabor Steps

Mt. Tabor features two long sets of steps. The (relatively) shorter one is located in the west between Reservoir 5 and 6 (the two big ones), with a stunning city view. The longer one in the north starts at the SE 69th Ave entrance and goes up all the way straight to the summit in 282 steps.

The fun part of these steps is that you don't have to take the same steps down. Instead, there are plenty of trails around to take you back to the start or other parts of the park.

More Parks

Overlook Park

One thing I rarely see and miss seeing in California is trains. On the contrary, Portland has lots of them, especially in the Northwest. When I moved here, I was really to see trains crossing the Willamette on Steel Bridge, right next to the multi-use path where I was running on. Then I got used to it, and then I started to complain about how every now and then my runs were stopped by slow moving freight trains.

Nevertheless, the view of Portland's Northwest Industrial district from Overlook Park never bores me. Under the bluff are numerous long railroad cars parked on parallel tracks, the Willamette River runs through the middle of the view, with the mountain ridge alongside it in the background. Fremont Bridge then completes the picture with an elegant curve and draws our eyes to Portland downtown not too far upstream.

Tip for runners: the best viewpoint from Overlook Park is actually outside the park, in the parking lot of Kaiser Permanente building directly to the south of the park.

Rocky Butte

Powell Butte

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge

Tryon Creek State Nature Area

Peninsula Park

Laurelhurst Park

Kelley Point Park

Willamette Park

Foothill Park

Tracks

Duniway Track

A few blocks away from downtown under the foot of West Hills, Duniway Track is the most popular track in Portland. You will see local runners of all levels at Duniway Track. Rain or shine, it's always good energy here.

This is an eight-lane track with surface made from recycled rubber, including athletic shoe soles donated by Nike.

Fancy some variety in your run? Head to the trails in the surrounding Duniway Park or go for hill repeats up Terwilliger Blvd.

* Restrooms onsite.

Grant Park Track

Grant park is named after Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States.

The beautiful state-of-the-art synthetic track is opened in 2013. Though next to Grant High School, the track is open to the public during park hours.

There are plenty of short trails in Grant park to jog around. One can also head north and add a loop around Wilshire Park for extra fun.

* Restrooms onsite.

Fernhill Park Track

One of the popular cross country running locations n Portland, Fernhill Park offers runners an all-terrain workout experience: there is a 400-meter all-weather track, a mile long dirt trail around the irregular shaped park, and big grass fields with small mounts along the edge.

Just outside Fernhill Park is NE Ainsworth St, a boulevard with relatively slow local traffic that takes runners to Alberta Park and the fun and funky Alberta Arts District.

* Restrooms onsite.

Buckman Track

Conveniently located in the Kern neighborhood in Central Eastside, Buckman Track is another track near the city center, although it is by no means a standard track. It has only four lanes and one loop is one third of a mile (about 536m).

* No restrooms onsite.