Big Southwest Loop

I mapped out this big loop walk about a year ago to give myself a challenge, and also to help prepare for more difficult multi-day backpacking trips. It's become one of my favorite walks of all time, but I need to set aside a good four hours dedicated to walking. Nearly three of those hours are actually spent walking, with the balance set aside for travel time.

My childhood was spent in Southwest Portland, attending Bridlemile Elementary School and Wilson High School. During some of those years, I walked the southwest hills delivering the evening newspaper, The Oregon Journal. This loop covers some familiar territory, and also a good stretch of new walking trails that have been added more recently.

Today I started near the South Park Blocks in downtown Portland. I walked south through the PSU campus, then followed main streets to Terwilliger Boulevard and Sam Jackson Park Road. From here I entered the Marquam Nature Park and followed the Marquam Trail to the top of Council Crest. I continued along the Marquam/4T Trail, along city streets and then through the woods to Highway 26 and the Oregon Zoo. From there I followed the Wildwood Trail through a section of Hoyt Arboretum and Washington Park, dropping down to the Japanese Garden. I walked along the access road to the Rose Test Garden, down along the Washington Park Reservoirs, to the Vista Bridge. I crossed to the high side of the Vista Bridge and then walked down Market Street Drive back into the city.

The total distance is about 8.5 miles and takes nearly 3 hours, walking at three miles per hour. All of the trails allow dogs, so today I walked with my Shetland Sheep Dog, "Smokey". He was very well behaved and made friends with at least a dozen other dogs that were also out for a walk.