SWTrails Portland

SWTrails Portland SWTrails is a community group promoting wellness and to support walking and biking in SW Portland

We organize group hikes and sponsor a regular monthly hike
Our volunteer crews build and maintain trails in SW Portland
We work with city, county and state planners to develop new walking biking opportunities in SW
We advocate for more resources for hiking/biking

2nd Saturday Hike, 6/13, 9-12Leader: Dave ManvilleStart Location: We will meet on the circle drive up on Council Crest. ...
06/11/2026

2nd Saturday Hike, 6/13, 9-12

Leader: Dave Manville
Start Location: We will meet on the circle drive up on Council Crest. We will start on the Trolly Trail that is on the Western side of the drive.
Start Time: 9 am (arrive 10-15 minutes early so we can start promptly at 9am)
Distance: 5.5 miles
Elevation Change: 1,000 ft.
Pace: 2.5 mph avg (our faster paced hike)
Bus Service: give a call if you need transportation

Hi hikers. Our regular 2nd Saturday hike for Saturday June 13th will be a route that takes us in the shade mostly from Council Crest over to Hoyt Arboretum where we will hike the Oak, Wildwood and Redwood trails and then return to Council Crest. It is going to be a hot day so prepare accordingly; we will stop at the Hoyt Visitor Center for water and restroom break.

Monthly Work Party with Portland Parks & Rec, Thursday, 6/4, 9-12Help us help the trails for our regular 1st Thursday Wo...
06/01/2026

Monthly Work Party with Portland Parks & Rec, Thursday, 6/4, 9-12
Help us help the trails for our regular 1st Thursday Work Party. We are. meeting at Council Crest Circle 1120 SW Council Crest Dr, Portland, OR 97239 . Park along the circle and look for the big white Portland Parks truck. This month we are working on the Marquam Trail as it circles Council Crest and then goes down toward the Zoo. We will be brushing the trail and working on cleaning some trail drains,. This is the normal Spring work getting trails in shape for lots of walkers and hikers on this section of the 4T trail as the weather warms up. Our partners and leaders for these work parties are Portland Parks and Recreation Natural Area Stewardship.

If you plan to join in the fun, give Dave a heads up via text (503-753-8186) with your name and „I Will Be There“), I can then pass a head count to our Parks leaders. It is also OK to just show up on the workday. Please be at least 15 minutes early (8:45AM) to our work parties to get signed in and be ready to go
As always, our work is guided by the Portland Parks Natural Area Stewardship folks. Parks will bring all the tools, gloves, and materials we need, and also, possibly, coffee, snacks and water. On these work parties it is not necessary to stay for the whole event, and you can work at whatever level your skill and energy allow. It is just great to meet the neighbors and get in a little trail work exercise.

When you join us, please wear work clothing, sturdy closed toe shoes, long pants, long sleeved shirts. It is the Pacific Northwest who knows what weather we will get but several layers are always a good idea. If you like, bring your own water and snacks. We may walk up to a 1/2 mile out and back to our work location, but usually it is much less.

1st Wednesday Urban Trail Run, June 3, 6-7 amName: Revisit the Scene of the CrimeLeader: Tyler WeberStart Location: SW ...
06/01/2026

1st Wednesday Urban Trail Run, June 3, 6-7 am
Name: Revisit the Scene of the Crime
Leader: Tyler Weber
Start Location: SW Terwilliger and Hamilton
Start Time: 5:45am (arrive 10-15 min. early so we can start promptly at 5:45am)
Distance: 5.8 miles (estimated ~1 hour total duration)
Elevation Change: Approx. 1113ft.
Average Pace: ~10 min/mile
Bus Information: Check TriMet for bus information

Time to revisit the scene of the crime where I was victimized by a scary owl - except this time I hope I’m not the only one :). This is a fun route with lots of vert, close to the heart of Portland, but feels like the middle of nowhere! We will aim to run at about a 10:00 minute/mile pace but won’t ditch anyone. Please arrive 15 minutes early so we can start right at 5:45.

Wear running-appropriate shoes and bring water and a snack as needed. As always be mindful of visibiltiy and wear something folks can see.

Hope to see you there.
Tyler

05/22/2026

It’s time for the annual tram maintenance closure over the Memorial Day weekend

05/22/2026

Interested in starting to commute by bike? The city is doing bike buses, including one starting from Hillsdale

Thanks to everybody who came out to visit us at our booth at Sunday Parkways today!
05/18/2026

Thanks to everybody who came out to visit us at our booth at Sunday Parkways today!

3rd Saturday Walk, 5/15, 9-12Name: Marshall and Tryon Parks HI-LO LinkLeader: Bonnie Birch, Deb SmallStart Location: SW...
05/12/2026

3rd Saturday Walk, 5/15, 9-12
Name: Marshall and Tryon Parks HI-LO Link
Leader: Bonnie Birch, Deb Small
Start Location: SW 18th St. Parking Lot
Start Time: 9 am (arrive15 min. early so we can start promptly at 9am)
Distance: 3.6 miles
Elevation Change: less than 100 ft.
Average Pace: 2 mph
Bus Information: Due to schedule changes, check Tri Met for bus information
Special Notes: The route may have damp spots and certainly has roots, rocks, etc. Walking sticks are recommended for those that need them.

We will meet in the small parking lot on 18th Pl., which is south of Taylor’s Ferry Rd. If the lot is full, there is street parking on Collins Ct., just south of the park entrance on the other side of the road.

This out-and-back trek will continue our exploration of the new HI-LO Trail that we did last month. It will take us on the portion that connects Marshall Park to Tryon Creek State Park. We’ll walk through idyllic Marshall Park, past the playground and over the stone bridge.

Bring a snack, water, good footwear, and dress appropriately for the weather (raingear? sunglasses?). Note that smoking on our walks is not permitted for health reasons. Kids and well-behaved pets on leash are welcome. Restrooms are at times hard to come by but we will try and find one along the way. Check the weather before you walk. Right now rain is predicted for Saturday and cooler than it has been

Come find us at our booth at SW Sunday Parkways this Sunday, 11-4, at the top end of Spring Garden Park!There will be an...
05/12/2026

Come find us at our booth at SW Sunday Parkways this Sunday, 11-4, at the top end of Spring Garden Park!

There will be an option for a self-guided walk and Tyler is offering a trail run at 3 pm.

Sunday Parkways Loop Run
Date: May 17 @ 3 pm
Starting Point: SW Trails Vendor Booth located at the top (South End) of Spring Garden Park
Pace: ~10 min/mile (estimated ~40 minutes)
Distance: 3.9 miles

SWTrails 2nd Saturday Hike, May 9th, 9am to Noon. River Front Wander with Tilikum Bridge (new route)Meet at 5221 S Corbe...
05/08/2026

SWTrails 2nd Saturday Hike, May 9th, 9am to Noon.
River Front Wander with Tilikum Bridge (new route)
Meet at 5221 S Corbett Ave, Portland, OR 97239, Elephants Deli out front

Name: 2nd Saturday Hike - River Front Wander with Tilikum Bridge over and back and more...
Leader: Dave Manville

Start Location: Meet at 5221 S Corbett Ave, Portland, OR 97239, Elephants Deli out front. The parking in this area is sketchy; I suggest carpooling if you can. There is on street parking on several of the side streets a block or so away from the Elephants Deli on Corbett. Do not use the deli parking.

Start Time: 9 am (arrive 10-15 minutes early so we can start promptly at 9am)

Distance: 6.3 miles
Elevation Change: 300 ft.
Pace: 2.5 mph avg (our faster paced hike)
Bus Service: give a call if you need transportation

Hi hikers. Our regular 2nd Saturday hike this month will be a new route that takes us to some places we have not been in a while. We will start at the Elephants Deli on Corbett and make our way down to the Willamette River trail heading north then cross the Tilikum Crossing Bridge and return and head further north down past the Poets Beach and to the River Place Marina and Shops. On the way back we will take the Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge and wander our way back to the Deli.
Join us! and remember this is our longer and faster paced 2.5 mph average speed hike with usually more than 6-mile distance and some moderate elevation change.

Bring a snack, water, good footwear, and dress appropriately for the weather (raingear? gloves? sunglasses? sunscreen? many layers?). Note that smoking on our hikes and walks is not permitted for health reasons. Kids are welcome and well-behaved pets on leash are welcome also. We always try and find restrooms along the way on these hikes, but sometimes it is several miles to find one so prepare accordingly.

Work Party with Portland Parks & Rec, Thursday, May 7th, 9-12Help us help the trails for our regular 1st Thursday Work P...
05/06/2026

Work Party with Portland Parks & Rec, Thursday, May 7th, 9-12
Help us help the trails for our regular 1st Thursday Work Party at Dickinson Park (10555 SW 55th Ave, Portland OR 97219). This month we are working on SW Trail #5 at the South end of Dickinson Park. We will be reforming and cleaning some trail drains, armor the trail surface, get out some weeds. Possibly we will work also up by the playground on the new trail placed earlier in the year. This is the normal Spring work getting trails in shape for lots of walkers and hikers as the weather warms up. Our partners and leaders for these work parties are Portland Parks and Recreation Natural Area Stewardship.

We will meet near the playground on SW 55th, parking is limited so park at a diagonal in that small area. The big white Portland Parks truck will mark our gathering spot.

If you plan to join in the fun, give me a heads up via text (503-753-8186) with your name and „I Will Be There“, I can then pass a head count to our Parks leaders. It is also OK to just show up on the workday. Please be at least 15 minutes early (8:45AM) to our work parties to get signed in and be ready to go.
As always, our work is guided by the Portland Parks Natural Area Stewardship folks. Parks will bring all the tools, gloves, and materials we need, and also, possibly, coffee, snacks and water. On these work parties it is not necessary to stay for the whole event, and you can work at whatever level your skill and energy allow. It is just great to meet the neighbors and get in a little trail work exercise.

When you join us, please wear work clothing, sturdy closed toe shoes, long pants, long sleeved shirts. It is the Pacific Northwest who knows what weather we will get but several layers are always a good idea. If you like, bring your own water and snacks. We may walk up to a 1/2 mile out and back to our work location, but usually it is much less.

Address

Portland, OR

Telephone

+19716781635

Website

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