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Arboretum to Pittock Mansion Hike

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

Mt. Hood through the maples from Pittock Mansion (bobcat)
Stand of young sequoias and redwoods, Hoyt Arboretum (bobcat)
Pittock Mansion (bobcat)
Basket of Air, Bamboo Garden, Hoyt Arboretum (bobcat)
The Wildwood Trail route between the Hoyt Arboretum and Pittock Mansion (not a GPS track) (bobcat) Courtesy: Caltopo/MapBuilder Topo

Contents

Hike Description

This section of the Wildwood Trail connects two of Portland’s most visited sights: the stately Pittock Mansion and Hoyt Arboretum. You’ll enjoy a variety of conifers from all over the world at the Arboretum, and then cross busy Burnside Road to ascend the slope to historic Pittock Mansion, which exhibits an attractive garden and views across Portland's downtown to Mount Hood. In October 2019, an attractive new pedestrian bridge was opened to convey hikers safely over Burnside Road. It is named the Barbara Walker Crossing after a tireless advocate for Portland parks who passed away in 2014.

From the Visitor Center at the Hoyt Arboretum, cross Fairview Boulevard, and descend the steps towards the Stevens Pavilion, a covered picnic area. Before reaching this shelter, go right on the Fir Trail and then left on the Spruce Trail. You'll pass by some Grecian firs and cross Fischer Lane. Then keep to the Spruce Trail along a sword fern slope under a variety of spruces. You'll soon enter a clearing, where you'll stay on the Spruce Trail above Bray Lane. The trail passes above a small field, the “Wedding Meadow”. Across the meadow are a couple of large examples of dawn redwoods, rare deciduous relatives of North American redwoods and sequoias from China. Then the Spruce Trail comes to its junction with the Fir Loop, where you'll go left and drop under red pines and redwood cultivars to reach the Wildwood-Spruce Trail Junction. Here, make a left.

The Wildwood Trail switchbacks at the Redwood Deck in the Arboretum’s redwood/sequoia plantation and then switchbacks again. Keep right at the junction with the Redwood Trail, and switchback down to the junction with the Creek Trail, passing under an arching dawn redwood. You need to head right to cross the footbridge over Johnson Creek and switchback up under western red-cedars. Keep right again to continue on the Wildwood Trail out of the Arboretum. The trail is level at first and then begins a descent along a trail cut above Burnside Road that drips with licorice ferns. Next, you'll cross the elegant curving new footbridge, the Barbara Walker Crossing, that spans Burnside.

The trail traverses a salal/sword fern slope and then turns up a gully to pass under a graffitied wall bolstering a gravel, gated section of Verde Vista Terrace. You'll cross the road and make two switchbacks up the south slope of Pittock Hill, passing a large Douglas-fir. A trail to Valle Vista Terrace leads off to the right. Pass the 3 ½ mile marker on the Wildwood Trail, and switchback up to Pittock Drive. Across the street, find a rock-buttressed new section of trail that switchbacks four times up to the parking lot for Pittock Mansion.

Now you can walk down to a restroom building and gift shop. There is a fee to tour the inside of the mansion, but it is free to stroll around the gardens designed by C.C. Colburn. Roses bloom in abundance from spring into fall. The eastern lawn provides spectacular views of downtown Portland and Mount Hood. Below Pittock Mansion is the Italianate-style four-story Gate Lodge, which first housed the Pittocks' chauffeur and his family. The Gate Lodge was a tea room for a number of years and is now being restored as a period museum.

On your return, you can take another path through the Arboretum. After you cross the footbridge over Johnson Creek, keep left on the Wildwood, and then go right on the Redwood Trail. You should stay on the Redwood Trail until you reach the junction for Bray Lane. Go left here, and switchback up to cross Fischer Lane. You can go right to admire the bamboo garden and the Basket of Air sculpture by Ivan Maclean. Then head up the hill to the Stevens Pavilion and your car.


Maps

Regulations or Restrictions, etc.

  • Parking fee
  • Dogs on leash
  • No bicycles on trails
  • Hoyt Arboretum open 5:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
  • Hoyt Arboretum Visitor Center open 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday; 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Saturday
  • Pittock Mansion: $16.50 admission for adults
  • Pittock Mansion hours: Closed in January; Open daily 10 - 5 July through October, 10 - 4 November through June; opens at 12 on Tuesdays throughout the year; closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, and maintenance days in January.

Trip Reports

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this hike

  • 100 Hikes: Northwest Oregon by William L. Sullivan
  • Discovering Portland Parks by Owen Wozniak
  • Forest Park: Exploring Portland's Natural Sanctuary by Marcy Cottrell Houle
  • One City's Wilderness: Portland's Forest Park by Marcy Cottrell Houle
  • Portland Townscape Walks #1 by Tyler Burgess

More Links


Contributors

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Oregon Hikers Field Guide is built as a collaborative effort by its user community. While we make every effort to fact-check, information found here should be considered anecdotal. You should cross-check against other references before planning a hike. Trail routing and conditions are subject to change. Please contact us if you notice errors on this page.

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