"The longest soft-surface hiking trail" within an urban boundary in the USA.

Statistics

1

day +

1,562

m

1,578

m

9

max°

Difficulty

FATMAP difficulty grade

Moderate

Description

"The longest soft-surface hiking trail" within an urban boundary in the USA is found right here in Portland, Oregon.

([Source](https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Wildwood_Traverse_Hike)) Designated as a National Recreation Trail, the Wildwood Trail winds through the expansive Forest Park for an astonishing 30 miles. At over 5,100 acres, Forest Park itself is one of the largest urban forest reserves in the country.

([Source](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest_Park_(Portland,_Oregon))) The park "is a sanctuary of ancient moss-laden trees, winding along the side of ridges with ferns and wooden bridges over small washes that host beautiful streams in the spring," according to Mischa Egolf on [TheTrek.co](https://thetrek.co/one-day-hike-wildwood-trail/). This incredible natural resource of protected green space and developed trails combine to create a world-class trail running destination! For an epic day of trail running right in the city of Portland, try completing a point-to-point run of the entire Wildwood Trail. "The Wildwood is an easy trail for its length, with many ups and downs but also sticking to a level contour for long stretches," writes [OregonHikers.org](https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Wildwood_Traverse_Hike).

"The largest single elevation gain, if you are doing the trail from north to south, is the 640 feet between the Stone House on Balch Creek and Pittock Mansion, the high point of the hike," they continue.

Even still, the route as mapped gains (and loses) about a vertical mile of elevation.  The trail tread itself is mostly-smooth and well-trod, thanks to the popularity of the trails with local runners and hikers.

Bridges cross most of the streams, and technical obstacles are few and far between.

However, during the wet season, some sections can get very muddy, causing additional difficulty. If you do tackle the entire Wildwood Trail in one go, approach it with caution and a healthy respect.

Even so close to the city, traversing 30 miles of singletrack trails deep in the forest is a challenging endeavor!