Hiking in Forest Park

I love going on day hikes, and living in Portland offers plenty of places to explore. A few weekends ago a few friends from Levé decided to go on a hike in Forest Park to enjoy the outdoors and catch up on life. We started the day by meeting at St. Honoré Boulangerie on NW Thurman Street. 

After grabbing a quick bite and a coffee we started our adventure. We had a vague idea of where we were going but figured we would work out the details as we went. We approached the bridge and decided to take the stairs down to Macleay Park. 

We started along the Lower Macleay Trail and followed along the creek until we reached what locals call 'Witches'. It is known on the map as Witches Castle and many believe that it has a haunted past. Not to spoil anyone's fun, but the creepy stone building was actually a ranger station and restroom before it was abandoned. 

None the less, it is a great place for a photo opportunity.

We continued along the trail, commenting on the citrusy floral smell that was emanating from the woods and our curiosity was confirmed by some strangers that passed by discussing the same smell. A short way past 'Witches' the trail split and we walked along the Wildwood trail for a bit. Wildwood winds through all of Forest Park and is much more than we were looking to take on for the day so when we came upon another split we chose the Aspen Trail and headed back into the nearby civilization. 

Winding through the old northwest homes we talked about which houses were our favorites and where we imagined living some day. My favorite part of the whole hike was stumbling upon a Dinosaur National Park. It was such a fun surprise to see and so creative. 

The hike lasted a little over 3 miles and took us just over an hour (and the rain held off until I reached my car). It was a perfect way to spend a Saturday morning and I look forward to the next day hike in or around Portland.