Lace up your hiking boots. We’ve compiled a curated hiking guide for the Portland areawith 18 trails and routes to help you plan your next adventure.

Note: Before heading out, we recommend checking park websites for further info, current trail conditions, and safest practices for the area.

Key: Easy = 🥾| Moderate = 🥾🥾 | Hard = 🥾🥾🥾

Hoyt Arboretum has 12 miles of hiking trails to discover. | Photo by PDXtoday staff

Picture-perfect views

Hoyt Arboretum to Pittock Mansion | 4000 SW Fairview Blvd., Portland

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 3.2 miles, out-and-back or loop
Wheelchair accessible: At the Visitor Center
Pet-friendly: Yes, leashed

A winding descent will take you from the parking lot through land where 2,300 different trees and shrubs grow (including giant sequoias), before crossing West Burnside Road and making the final climb. Most people know the vista from Pittock Mansion is one of — if not the best — in town, but getting a good sweat going on the way to the viewpoint is much more rewarding than simply driving to the top.

It's a long, long way to the bottom. | Photo by @benmcbeephoto

Zig Zag Overlook | Timberline Lodge, 27500 E. Timberline Rd., Government Camp

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 4.4 miles, out-and-back
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet-friendly: Yes, leashed

Once the snow has melted during the summer and early fall, this trail takes you up and down several spurs of Mount Hood, offering a mind-boggling perspective on just how immense the peak really is. The final destination is a vantage point high above a colossal canyon. Celebrate your accomplishment back at Timberline's Blue Ox Bar, a hole-in-the-wall featuring flatbread pizzas, craft beers, and glass mosaic murals.

The first climbers summitted Beacon Rock in 1901, 17 years before the first trail was finished. | Photo by PDXtoday

Beacon Rock | Beacon Rock State Park, 34841 SR 14, Skamania

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 2 miles, out-and-back
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet-friendly: Yes, leashed

Boardwalks installed into the side of this towering volcanic plug switch back and forth as you climb 600 ft, giving you a bird's-eye view of the striking scenery. Fittingly, peregrine falcons call this geologic marvel their nesting grounds.

Keep your eyes peeled for deer, squirrels, rabbits, and birds. | Photo by PDXtoday staff

Best for a workout

Lacamas Heritage Trail | NW Alexandra Ln., Camas

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 7.1 miles, loop
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Pet-friendly: Yes, leashed

This trail's proximity to the city also makes it a popular spot to jog and ride bikes while experiencing relaxing nature vibes. Move at your own pace along the narrow lake and branch off to several other area hikes, including Round Lake Loop and the Lacamas Creek Loop.

You're looking at Oregon's smallest lighthouse. | Photo by @benmcbeephoto

Wildlife walks

Warrior Rock Lighthouse Point | 38151 A&B NW Reeder Rd., Portland

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 7 miles, out-and-back
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet-friendly: Yes, leashed

Your destination is a historic lighthouse — the state's shortest — built in 1930 to warn ships of a bedrock reef that juts out into the Columbia River. Some of Sauvie Island's best birdwatching spots (keep an eye out for bald eagles and sandhill cranes) can also be found along this meandering but flat trail.

We make no promises you’ll see an owl, but it’s possible. | Photo by PDXtoday staff

Cooper Mountain Nature Park, 18892 SW Kemmer Rd., Beaverton

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 2.1 miles (varies depending on path)
Wheelchair accessible: Only at Cooper Mountain Nature House
Pet-friendly: No

Pick your path through this 230-acre reserve, where diverse environments ranging from prairie to oak woodlands and conifer forests attract plentiful wildlife. Make sure to stop at the listening devices that magnify local birdsongs for your ear.

Wildflower meadows are fragile — please stay on marked paths. | Photo by @emma.baumert

Flower-filled

Tom McCall Point | Rowena Crest Viewpoint, 6500 Historic Columbia River Hwy., Mosier

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 3 miles, out and back
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet-friendly: No

You'll follow an old road to an intersection with another old road, thought to be a wagon route built in the 1870s, to reach this trailhead. Power through about 1,000 ft of elevation to enjoy mountain vistas and dynamic views of the Gorge, plus seasonal wildflower meadows. The trail is open May-October.

When a bumblebee lands on a Columbia Gorge lupine flower, its weight pushes down the fused lower petals, exposing nectar. | Photo by PDXtoday staff

Catherine Creek Arch Loop | Catherine Creek Recreation Area, Old Hwy. 8, Lyle

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 1.9 miles, loop
Wheelchair accessible: Only on the paved south loop
Pet-friendly: Yes, leashed

From February to July, you can witness 90 different native species of wildflowers growing on the gentle slopes at the eastern end of the Gorge. Just be sure to time your visit for the blooms you hope to see.

With a hike as long as the Wildwood Trail, be sure to check for any trail closures and detours before you start. | Photo by @irenemayphotography

Urban oases

Wildwood Trail | Newberry Road Trailhead, Northwest Newberry Road, Portland

Difficulty: 🥾🥾🥾
Elevation gain: 3,360 ft
Length: 30.2 miles, one way
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet-friendly: Yes, on leash

The Wildwood Trail is the country's longest soft-surface hiking trail within city limits. Pack plenty of food and water and set a steady pace of 3 miles per hour to complete the entire trail in a single day and obtain legendary local bragging rights. This route ends near the Washington Park MAX Station.

Views of Mount Hood greet visitors in the parking lot. | Photo by Ben McBee, PDXtoday

Powell Butte Nature Park | 16160 SE Powell Blvd., Portland

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 1.8 miles (varies depending on path)
Wheelchair accessible: At Visitor Center
Pet-friendly: Yes, leashed

From atop this volcanic cinder cone, you'll be greeted on clear days by the Cascades (Mount Hood, Mount St. Helens, and Mount Adams), diverse wildlife, and wildflowers in the spring. Parking at the visitor center can be difficult, even during the week, but there are various other park access points in surrounding neighborhoods.

Fall colors loading in 3... 2... 1... (scroll down for the transformation) | Photo by @cambrieee_

Do go chasing waterfalls

Trail of Ten Falls | South Falls Lodge Trailhead, Silver Falls Hwy. SE, Silverton

Difficulty: 🥾🥾🥾
Length: 7.4 miles, loop
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet-friendly: No

You might lose track of the jaw-dropping waterfalls you see on this trail if it wasn't so aptly named. You can actually walk behind three of them, which makes for some unforgettable, mist-in-the-face moments.

See Pleasant Creek Falls (left) on the way to Niagara Falls. | Photo by @sshawnbarton

Niagara Falls | Niagara Falls Trailhead, Niagara Rd. Beaver

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 2 miles, out-and-back
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet-friendly: Yes

Just two hours outside of Portland, you'll find the most famous Niagara Falls (this side of the Rockies) in the Siuslaw National Forest. You actually get a two-for-one deal on this outing: The trail first passes Pheasant Creek Falls, which drops from an overhang and crashes onto rocks where hikers can cool off on a warm day.

This waterfall is brought to you by pristine Mount Hood H2O. | Photo by @benmcbeephoto

Little Zig Zag Falls | Little Zig Zag Falls Trailhead, 39 Road, Rhododendron

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 0.8 miles, out-and-back
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet-friendly: Yes, leashed

About halfway between Rhododendron and Government Camp, pull off of Highway 26 at the sign for "Mt. Hood Kiwanis Camp" and follow the road to a parking lot beneath an exposed cliff face. A short, storybook walk transports you through a verdant forest to a roaring waterfall, where you can sit on a log and have lunch.

The Northwest Thurman Street Bridge Rehabilitation Project was completed in 2014. | Photo by @benmcbee

Take it easy

Balch Canyon Loop | 2960 NW Upshur St., Portland

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 2.1 miles, loop
Wheelchair accessible: Partially, first 700 ft from Lower MacLeay Park
Pet-friendly: Yes, leashed

While there are many entrances to Forest Park, this one offers several memorable sights, including Oregon's oldest intact bridge, the Witch's Castle, and Portland's tallest tree. At the end of the journey, you'll descend 101 stairs painted like a rainbow — a great spot for a post-hike Instagram pic.

Children follow a guided tour of the Ape Caves in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, Washington. The cave was formed nearly 2000 years ago from lava streaming down the southern flank of Mount St. Helens. It was discovered in 1950 by a logger and his friends who called themselves Mount St. Helens Apes. (USDA Forest Service photo by Cecilio Ricardo)

Hikes with something a little extra

Ape Cave | Ape Cave Interpretive Site

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 3 miles, out-and-back or loop
Wheelchair accessible: Only at the paved parking lot, visitor area facilities, and trail leading to lower cave entrance
Pet-friendly: No

Take a hike with a splash of spelunking in this lava tube (accessible May-October), named for the scout troop that first explored it — the St. Helens Apes. When open, facilities offer lantern rentals, as everybody is required to have two sources of light (phones don't count).

Banks-Vernonia State Trail, six trailheads: Banks, Manning, Buxton, Tophill, Beaver Creek, and Vernonia

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 3 miles to 5.2 miles (varies depending on trailhead)
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Pet-friendly: Yes, leashed

Explore Oregon's first "rails-to-trails" park, which stretches through forested foothills and over gurgling creeks on wooden trestle bridges. You may have to share the trail with cyclists and horse riders.

You may have seen this scene on your smart TV screensaver. | Photo by @benmcbeephoto

Moulton Falls Regional Park | 27781 NE Lucia Falls Rd., Yacolt

Difficulty: 🥾🥾
Length: 5.2 miles, out-and-back
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Pet-friendly: Yes, leashed

The bridge perched 54 ft above the East Fork Lewis River in a wooded canyon is certainly screensaver worthy. After you make it back from your stroll, take a dip in the swimming hole below the arch — just be cautious not to float too far downstream.

Oak Island Nature Trail | Oak Island Trailhead, NW Oak Island Rd., Portland

Difficulty: 🥾
Length: 2.7 miles, loop
Wheelchair accessible: No
Pet-friendly: Yes, leashed

Only open April 16-Sept. 30, this trail is visually stunning, with panoramas of West Sturgeon Lake, as well as educational. Signs with QR codes will teach you about biomimicry, or ways that nature has inspired human imitation and innovation.

Get the right gear

Get the most out of your trip with comfortable, handy, and helpful hiking gear:

For the best footwear, check out Nordstrom Rack’s sneaker edit for hiking.
If your trail demands a proper hiking boot, we like Columbia’s collection on Amazon.
Travel light (but still have room for snacks) with lululemon’s Everywhere Belt Bag.
Get a good bulk deal on Perfect Bars, Clif Bars, or Kind Bars at a warehouse store like Sam’s Club.
Don’t forget to bring a compact, portable phone charger (you’ll thank us later).
We like this Teton hiking backpack.
We like this lightweight water bottle.
Psst — to be ultra-prepared, here are the 10 items you should never enter a national park without, according to the National Park Service.