• Rating: Easy
  • Activity: Hike
  • Distance: 2 miles round trip
  • Time:

Nestled in Forest Park, the Macleay Trail offers a walking tour of the city’s signature flora and fauna. The hike traces the banks of Balch Creek, home to native cutthroat trout and Pacific giant salamanders; and less than half a mile up the trail, hikers can marvel at one of Portland’s 282 (and counting) Heritage Trees—a 242-foot Douglas fir thought to be the tallest urban tree in America. Sunday strollers may opt to turn around at the Audubon Society, where injured owls and hawks are cared for, but those wanting to work off the eggs Benedict from Besaw’s on nearby NW 23rd Avenue can continue on the Wildwood Trail to tranquil Holman Meadow.

ROUND TRIP: 2 miles

DISTANCE FROM DOWNTOWN: 2 miles

PACK: 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Portland; The Hiking and Running Guide to Forest Park, 10-map set