Hiking opportunities abound in the Portland area. For shorter hikes, you don't even have to leave the city, just head to Forest Park. Bordered by West Burnside Street on the south, Newberry Road on the north, St. Helens Road on the east, and Skyline Road on the west, this is the largest forested city park in the country. Within this urban wilderness, you'll find more than 50 miles of trails. One of our favorite access points is at the top of NW Thurman Street in Northwest Portland. (After a hike, you can stop by a neighborhood brewpub, an espresso bar, or bakery along NW 23rd Ave. or NW 21st Ave. for a post-exercise payoff.) The Wildwood Trail is the longest trail in the park and along its length offers lots of options for loop hikes. For a roughly 2.5-mile hike, head up Leif Erickson Drive to a left onto the Wild Cherry Trail to a right onto the Wildwood Trail to a right onto the Dogwood Trail, and then a right on Leif Erickson Drive to get you back to the trail head. There are also good sections of trail to hike in the vicinity of the Hoyt Arboretum. To reach the arboretum's visitor center, 4000 SW Fairview Blvd. (open Mon-Fri 9am-4pm and Sat 9am-4pm), drive west on West Burnside Street from downtown Portland and follow signs to the arboretum. You can get a trail map here at the visitor center.
About 5 miles south of downtown, you'll find Tryon Creek State Park on Terwilliger Boulevard. This park is similar to Forest Park and is best known for its displays of trillium flowers in the spring. There are several miles of walking trails within the park, and a bike path to downtown Portland starts here.
You can buy or rent camping equipment from REI Co-Op, 1405 NW Johnson St. (tel. 503/221-1938). This huge outdoor recreation supply store also sells books on hiking in the area.
