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From the Preface
“The city is most fortunate, in comparison with the majority of American cities, in possessing such varied and wonderfully strong and interesting landscape features.”
So wrote the Olmsted Brothers, landscape architects of Central Park fame. More than a hundred years later, most Portlanders and visitors agree with the assessment. Portland is a walking mecca, in large part because walkers are rewarded for their efforts with stunning views of volcanoes, rivers, and cityscapes at just about any elevation.In this city, where the largest river and lava floods on the face of the earth once took place, the land reveals its fascinating past in varied landforms the cataclysms left behind. The twenty walks in Portland Hill Walks take you through every aspect of Portland’s landscapes and through every section of the city. Twelve walks explore the long, steep ridge of hills on Portland’s west side, with its fabulous views of the city and distant Cascade peaks. Some walks lead you along the broad valley floor with its spring-carved ravines and gentle inclines. Some lead you up the slopes of volcanoes. One walk lets you dip your feet in the Willamette River, while another carries you up and down a 4-mile ridge of gravel and sand laid down by Ice-Age floods.
Every walk celebrates Portland’s successful weaving together of natural areas and neighborhoods, as walks thread their way in and out of the city’s numerous parks and cemeteries. I have a fondness for city staircases and unmapped pedestrian access paths, and many of these have been included.
Portland is not only a walking mecca but an eating mecca too, where local foods are celebrated and a person can walk for miles without seeing a chain restaurant. Most hill walks pass by, or near, interesting restaurants or coffee shops.
Like the city, the book is laid out in five sections: Northwest, Southwest, Southeast, Northeast, and North. In all, thirty-seven neighborhoods are covered. In Portland, neighborhoods and their personalities have formed independently of the automobile. Many started out as separate towns, and most have thriving business districts with shops, libraries, restaurants, and community centers just steps away from residents’ front doors.
Each chapter begins with an overview of the walk, including how to get to the starting point and what to bring along. Mileage, elevation, safety issues, and the location of restrooms and drinking fountains are also included. A map of each walk follows the route through a series of numbered route junctions that correspond to the text. Route junctions appear as <RJ>1, <RJ>2, <RJ>3, and so on. TriMet information is given from downtown Portland for bus or MAX light rail routes and stops. Call TriMet at 503-238-RIDE or visit www.trimet.org for specific bus schedules and routes.
All but three of the walks in this book are loops. Some can only charitably be called hill walks, specifically the Albina Riverfront to Hilltop Loop and the Willamette Cove to Saint Johns Bridge Loop; the hills on these walks are gentle inclines rising away from the Willamette River, but they are included because of the rich history of these areas, both of which are often neglected by walking books. Some of the walks are steep enough to challenge a marathon walker. Some, such as the Multnomah Village to Vermont Hills Loop, are short and not too steep, while others, such as the Hillsdale to Healy Heights Loop, are long and calf-building. In every case, walks can be shortened by a detour of your own design back to the starting point. For that purpose, each map shows streets that are contiguous to the walk route. The difficulty of each walk can be gauged by the elevation gain and distance of the walk, provided at the beginning of each chapter.
I hope you enjoy Portland Hill Walks and walking around Portland. The American Podiatric Association says that Portland is among the country’s most walkable cities. Come see why