NW 53rd Dr trailhead — Attraction in Portland

climate: went here on a thursday afternoon in August, around 4:00 PM and it was both well shaded and bright. I imagine if we got here earlier it wouldnt have been too hot either.

traffic: few people were on the trails so lots of street parking available. we left by 5:30 and it was still relatively bright and we saw a few parties start their hike as we left.

Scenery/hike: the scenery is gorgeous (ferns, pines, birds, and even a banana slug) but the trees are more or less the same for what seems like the whole way through. you dont hear much of the roads at all except when at the trailheads so its very nice and peaceful. elevation is very gentle. for the most part, paths are just barely wide enough for two people. from this trail head and about 2 miles in, i think we saw about 2...

So. Pretty. So. Serene. It's not busy at all here which is gr8! The other areas of the park (i.e.: those near Washington Park) are always busy and comparatively noisy. This part of the park is super lush, quiet, and peaceful. I absolutely adore this trailhead, and region of Portland. It's the perfect example of Forest Park - a true forest, unimpeded by the city. The only down side is that, due to it's proximity to Portland's industry district, you can hear loud crash noises from time to time. But really, this place is...

You can go right or left from this trailhead. I went right along the one way trail you can see in the attached photo. It was nice, but a little too steep for me.

My impression of Forest Park based on this hike is that it’s one big forest, so the direction you go doesn’t matter too much because it’s all mostly undifferentiated very beautiful trees, ivy, ferns, moss and so on. Perhaps there are portions that are unique that I...