Alder-Wildwood Loop Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Northwest 53rd Trailhead
- End point: Leif Erikson Drive-Dogwood Trail Junction
- Trail Log:
- Hike Type: Loop
- Distance: 2.9 miles
- Elevation gain: 460 feet
- High Point: 900 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: All year
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Yes
Contents |
Hike Description
This is a short loop for those needing an outing in nature before going on to other activities in the city. The route passes through mainly deciduous forest, so the prime time to hike it is in the fall, when the big-leaf maples will be putting on a spectacular display. You’ll use the Alder Trail, completed in 1980, and walk along the remains of a canal dug out for the 1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition.
Hike in from the parking pullout and head left at the first junction on the Keil Trail. There’s a memorial plaque set in a stone here. Hike up to the top of a rise, the high point on this hike, and go left at the sign for the Dogwood Trail. Drop down the slope past a pole fence protecting a replanted area. You’ll pass the biggest conifers on the hike here, some stately Douglas-firs, in a carpet of sword fern and Oregon grape. Reach the Wildwood Trail at the Wildwood and 53rd Trailhead and continue left (north) on that trail.
You’ll now hike along a slope that is primarily composed of deciduous red alder and big-leaf maple with a few assorted conifers: Douglas-fir, western hemlock, grand fir, western red-cedar. Pass the 9 ¼ mile marker on the Wildwood Trail and reach the Wildwood-Alder Trail Junction. Descend the Alder Trail on a slope of the trees that gave this path its name. Cross a small creek and traverse on a level contour. Head into a gully and cross a footbridge before dropping to the Leif Erikson Drive-Alder Trail Junction. A plaque here commemorates the completion of the Alder Trail in 1980.
Go right on Leif Erikson: you're at the 1 ½ mile point of the road. There’s deep gully down to your left. Hike around to another gully where Leif Erikson cuts into the bedrock of the Tualatin Hills – the rocky faces are now festooned with licorice fern. Pass the 1 mile marker at a cottonwood, and then reach the Leif Erikson Drive-Dogwood Trail Junction.
Ascend the Dogwood, crossing a footbridge and switchbacking twice under maple trees shading a carpet of sword fern and invasive ivy. The trail rises up a ridge crest and comes to the Wildwood-Dogwood Trail Junction. Go left and make a generally level transit of the slope. You’ll notice a ditch on the upslope side of the trail. This is the remnant of a canal constructed to deliver water to the 1905 Lewis & Clark Exposition. Pass a bench, and then cross a couple of footbridges. Reach the Wildwood-Wild Cherry Trail Junction and head up the latter trail. Wind up and switchback at a bench and memorial plaque for Nancy Bergeson. Continue up a slope of Oregon grape and sword fern to the Northwest 53rd Trailhead.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Dogs on leash
- Share Leif Erikson Drive with bikers
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Forest Park Trail System (Portland Parks & Recreation)
- Forest Park South (Forest Park Conservancy)
- Green Trails Maps: Forest Park, Hoyt Arboretum, Washington Park #426S
- Forest Park Conservancy: Trail Map and Visitor's Guide to Forest Park
- Northwest Portland Bike/Walk Map (Portland Bureau of Transportation)
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Alder-Wildwood Loop Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Alder-Wildwood Loop Hike
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- Best Easy Day Hikes: Portland, Oregon by Lizann Dunegan
- One City’s Wilderness: Portland’s Forest Park by Marcy Cottrell Houle
- Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
- Hiking & Running Guide to Forest Park by Friends of Forest Park
More Links
- Trek #13: Wild Cherry –> Wildwood –> Alder –> Leif Erickson Loop (52 Treks)
- Forest Park (Portland Parks & Recreation)
- The Forest Park Conservancy
- Forest Park (Portland, Oregon) (Wikipedia)
Contributors
- bobcat (creator)