Firelane 7-Springville Road Loop Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Springville Road Trailhead
- End point: Wildwood-Hardesty Trail Junction
- Hike type: Loop
- Distance: 4.9 miles
- Elevation gain: 1120 feet
- High point: 1,075 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: All year
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Only on Wildwood Trail
Contents |
Hike Description
In the central and northern sections of vast Forest Park, numerous fire lanes and old road tracks run down the east slope of the Tualatin Hills. Before the Wildwood Trail was built through here, these were the principal avenues of access. This loop uses Firelane 7 on the way down the slope and Springville Road on the way back, both routes making use of ridge lines where you won't see a lot of other visitors. Springville Road is an old wagon road that Tualatin Valley farmers used to haul their produce up and over the hills to the Willamette River. In between Firelane 7 and Springville, you'll hike along the more popular Wildwood Trail, following contours in and out of gullies in secondary forest. Look for forest wildflowers in spring and early summer and mushrooms in the fall.
Walk down Springville Road through a green gate. In about 30 yards, Firelane 7 peels off to the right. The firelanes and roads in Forest Park are also used by mountain bikers, so keep alert on this section of the hike. Big-leaf maple, red alder, sword fern, salal, western red-cedar, Oregon grape, Douglas-fir, grand fir and a few hemlock saplings make up the woodland here. When you come to the Hardesty Trail-Firelane 7 Junction, keep right. The trail rises briefly and passes the junction with the Trillium Trail, which offers a steep shortcut down to the Wildwood Trail. To complete this loop, however, stay on Firelane 7 in an avenue of alders and maples and then descend again. Then keep right at the junction with the Ridge Trail, after which the wide firelane levels and rises under an arching canopy of red alder. Stay right at the junction with Firelane 7A, also called the Oil Line Road (part of Firelane 7). There are more evergreens on this section, and warning signs declare a petroleum pipeline. Arriving at the Wildwood Trail-Firelane 7 Junction, keep left.
Alders, maples, cascara saplings and old stumps make up the woodland. The forest becomes young hemlocks under Douglas-firs and maples. Sword fern, holly, and Oregon grape make up the understory. Then enter deciduous groves of maple and alder with thickets of salmonberry along the draws. Keep straight at the junction with Firelane 7A. There are glimpses of the industrial area far below and always the sounds of traffic and trains. The woods are very open in the winter on this section as many of the trees are deciduous. After passing a pit next to the trail, you'll hike into a deep draw with cedars, drooping vine maples, and maidenhair ferns. The trail heads gently up after you cross a seasonal creek. Pass the junction with the Ridge Trail, and then descend on an old road bed to hike through a grove of hemlock and cedar, crossing another seasonal creek on a footbridge. At the Wildwood-Hardesty Trail Junction, keep right.
The Hardesty, a wide, packed trail that loses altitude rather quickly, descends to cross a creek. You'll pass the "Big Stump", a huge cedar stump with springboard notches: this tree was brought down over 100 years ago. A creek runs on your right. When you arrive at the junction with Leif Erikson Drive, which is very popular with runners and bikers, go left at Milepost 9. Cedar, hemlock and Douglas-fir predominate down here, with sword fern and inside-out flower verging the road. Ivy crawls high up many of the conifers and carpets the forest floor. On the left are some cement steps from a house that once stood here, a reminder that, beginning in 1914, Leif Erikson Drive (then Hillside Drive) was platted out as a subdivision. A damaged, feathery branched Arizona cypress, snapped off about ten feet up, still survives here. Come to a Forest Park map sign and head up Springville Road to the left. On this slope, the occasional Pacific yew grows amongst the other conifers. When you come to the junction with the Wildwood Trail, cross it to stay on Springville Road. This is at Mile 22 1/2 of the Wildwood.
Ascending Springville Road, you'll see an orange gate on your left before you reach the junction with Firelane 7, where you go right through the green gate to parking.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Park hours: 5:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
- Port-a-potty at trailhead
- Dogs on leash
- Share gated roads and fire lanes with mountain bikes
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Forest Park Topo Trail Map (Portland Parks & Recreation)
- Forest Park (Portland Parks & Recreation)
- 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 Firelane 7-Springville Road Loop Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Firelane 7-Springville Road Loop Hike
Guidebooks that cover this hike
Parts of this loop are described in these guidebooks:
- Urban Trails: Portland by Eli Boschetto
- 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 Forest Hikes by James D. Thayer
- Afoot & Afield: Portland/Vancouver by Douglas Lorain
More Links
- Forest Park (Portland Parks & Recreation)
- Forest Park (Portland, Oregon) (Wikipedia)
- The Forest Park Conservancy
- Firelane 7- Springville Rd Loop - Forest Park (PDX Day Hiker)
- Forest Park, Springville Trail, OR (Outdoor Project)
- Forest Park Guide: The Best Hikes (Portland Monthly)
Contributors
- bobcat (creator)