Walking trails in Washington County (Portland, Beaverton: apartment, home, construction)

[Daylightcrashes]

I'm looking for paved trails near Beaverton/Hillsboro/Forest Grove. I usually walk at least six miles so something at least three miles long would be good.

I've been to Tualatin Hills Nature Park (too short/muddy), Noble Woods (same), Orchard Park (too short, no trees), Audubon Sanctuary (nice, but too short) and the Pittock Mansion/Macleay Park Trail (whew!).

The trail from the Audubon to the Japanese Garden was awesome, but a little too hardcore for everyday use. I just want something mostly paved and out of the sun with free parking. The walkway along the river by the OMSI in Portland would be perfect, but parking isn't free so that's not an option. The paved trail along 47 in Forest Grove is terrible; no trees, barriers or scenery. It's like walking on the highway itself.

I know there are dozens of trails I haven't tried, but I'm starting to get frustrated. Someone please help!

Thanks : )

[Sherwoody]

I often park here at Sellwood Riverfront Park (free) and ride toward OMSI on "Springwater on the Willamette" paved trail with my kids.

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Sellw...lwood&t=h&z=18

[EnricoV]

Try Googling it. You'll turn up all kinds of suggestions, including books on the topic that you can preview a fair bit of. Enough to get some ideas.

But I do think that you're going to have to get over wanting your walk to be exactly how you want it. Nothing is likely to be perfect. Enjoy what you find, rather than focusing on what you'd rather it be like.

[hamellr]

The Banks-Vernonia Trail may be what you want. 21 miles one way, goes through farm lands, over a couple of creeks, has two picturesque wooden trestle bridges, passes through three ghost towns, has a great campground about halfway, and climbs up into the hills to end in the little town of Vernonia.

And if that doesn't work, check Portland Hiker's Field Guide. Fanno Creek, Cooper Mountain, Rock Creek Greenway are all good easy hikes.

[Sean33]

You could try the Fanno Creek trail. It's entirely in Washington County and it's paved the entire way. It starts by the Garden Home Rec Center and is part of the Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation district http://www.thprd.org/pdfs/document46.pdf. Eventually it crosses Scholls Ferry and continues as part of Tigard's park system http://library.oregonmetro.gov/files...creeknorth.pdf. Not sure how long it is, at least several miles. I take my kids on various sections of this path sometimes for them to bike around. Lots of ducks, nutrias, there is even a beaver dam (or was; haven't been there in a while) in the Greenway Park section. Is it, however, mostly open, not sure if that's an issue, and Fanno Creek is very prone to flooding and can block sections of the trail, though not very often. There are a few sections where instead of a trail you take sidewalks for short sections, but the route is well marked. The section over 217 is a bit unpleasant, but not because it's difficult (you cross over on the Denney overpass), just lots of traffic, but that part's pretty short. And parking on the path is entirely free.

[eabcan]

Both Rood Bridge Park and Jackson Bottom Wetlands are in Hillsboro and offer walking trails. The trails are not fully paved but are well maintained and mostly shady. You might see some interesting wildlife on those walks. Tryon Creek would be further for you (SW Portland/Lake Oswego area) but their trails are also pretty well maintained and visually interesting. Summerlake Park in Tigard (near SW Scholls and Murray area) has paved trails. They may not be as long as you'd like but you could always do a couple of loops.

[5cents]

There's a trail that winds along Bethany Lake Park - I just rode along it the other day. It is mostly open but reasonably flat, or at least the hills are not like around the Japanese Garden area. It's paved from Rock Creek at the West to Kaiser at the East (which is 3+ miles one way) but continues a bit beyond that as a dirt trail I think. There are some playgrounds and benches etc. along the way too.

[SETabor]

Is there a particular reason you need the trails to be paved? That might add some more trails to the growing list.

[Daylightcrashes]

Thanks everybody for the great tips and links! I'm going to try every one of them.

Sherwoody: Google map says the walk from Sellwood to Riverfront is an hour 19 min., but at my pace I'll finish in under an hour. Even if I can't make it all the way down Waterfront, Sellwood might be good enough on its own. I'll try it tomorrow morning.

SETabor: I actually wouldn't care and used to not care, but for the past few years I've worn only sandals. It's kind of a bummer to come out of a walk and still want to do errands with dirty feet. As a matter of fact, I almost always rinse my feet off as is. I keep a towel the car just for that purpose, lol.

Friday: Sellwood
Saturday: Banks-Verona
Sunday: Fanno-Creek
Monday: Rood Bridge/Jackson Bottom
Tuesday: Bethany Lake

I'll get this figured out!

[Daylightcrashes]

I'm on schedule, but with a route change. I got to the end of the SotW trail (the archway) in 50 minutes and continued past the OMSI, across the Hawthorne Bridge and along the Waterfront Esplanade. I really enjoyed it. The high points were passing the blue building (sanctuary?) hearing all the bird sounds and seeing all the twinkling lights (it wasn't light yet) on the hills across the water from the small concrete plant. The negatives were the two concrete plants and all the construction going on. The area past the museum is an urban explorers dream. Lots of nooks and crannies to check out. All and all, pretty cool. I couldn't gauge the sun situation because the sun never came out on Friday.

Today I did Fanno Creek. More of a suburban experience. I passed a lot of playgrounds and apartment buildings. I started at Fanno Farmhouse to the Tigard Library. Lots of greenery, in and out of sunlight, squirrels, Canada geese and a bunch of chickens in one back yard : ). Very nice, with the exception of the busy street connections.

I'm saving Banks-Veronia for when I feel like the 30 minute drive, which interestingly, is the same from Beaverton and Forest Grove.

Does anyone have ideas for free parking near the OMSI?