Portland's best runs, according to local teens.
by Jackson Schroeder ‘21 and Kellen Woodcock ‘21
As schools switched to Zoom and sports practices were cancelled, Portland’s teens hit the streets, Strava recording, mask in hand. These are the favorite places of 12 teen runners.
As coronavirus cases went up, so did the number of people out running. This graph shows the correlation in United States Google search trends for “trails near me” and “corona near me” over the past five years.
Westside Trail: Hansen Lian, Catlin Gabel School 19’, and Kellen Woodcock, CGS ‘21
Kellen Woodcock.
Hansen (not pictured): “I like that it's very close to my house so it's pretty accessible, there’s some nice hills and elevation, and that even though its in Beaverton and crosses many roads there’s plenty of nature.”
Kellen: “Whenever I leave my house to go on a run, I always find myself on the rolling hills and paved paths, with power lines overhead, on the Westside Regional Trail. Although it’s challenging at times, the views from the top of the hills are well worth it, and getting outside and surrounded by trees is always a good thing. The easy access, mix of elevations, and scenic views make for a great run in Beaverton.”
Miller Trail: Sophia Spry, CGS ‘21
“It's nice to have access to natural spaces less than a mile away from my house and I feel like I'm a lot more relaxed when I take the trail over the sidewalk. The trail isn’t super wide so I haven’t been taking it as much because of COVID, and I want to be able to avoid people as much as possible. Especially during the beginning of summer there were exponentially more people than I had ever seen walking around my neighborhood. Now that more people wear masks and the weather isn’t as nice, I appreciate the trails even more than I used to, because I never go anywhere anymore, so being in nature after so long feels refreshing.”
Springwater Corridor: Jackson Schroeder, CGS ‘21
“This paved path following Johnson Creek in deep SE is a human-powered treasure! I first biked the Springwater in April, but have since started biking to it, then running a residential/Springwater loop back to my bike. The path is wide enough to socially distance, completely flat, and yields a surprising amount of nature views within city limits. If you’re so inclined, you could take the Springwater all the way to Boring!”
Waterfront: Evan Williams, CGS ‘22
“As a runner, one of the most exciting things you can do is vary up where you run to get a change of scenery and environment. One of my favorite places to run is on the waterfront, doing a loop from Mt. Tabor, across the Tilikum bridge, over the Morrison, and back up the long hill home. I find that the minimal cars, specifically on the waterfront sections, give way to a much more enjoyable and peaceful run. A strategy I have employed in pandemic times has been to run on the north and south waterfront only when it's raining, as it means there are far less people to have to deal with. The waterfront is definitely one of my top locations for my long runs.”
Rocky Butte: Lila Fenner, CGS ‘20
“One of my favorite running spots in Portland is Rocky Butte. Though it’s a bit of a climb to get to the top, on a clear day you get a great 360 degree view of Portland. There's some nice forest on the way up and during the summer there are blackberries galore, making it an ideal east-sider jaunt.”
Forest Park: Paige Yerton, Lincoln ‘21
“My favorite place to run is Forest Park, the biggest urban park in the United States. I love running on the 30 miles of singletrack trails lined with green ferns and towering trees. I feel so at peace breathing the fresh forest air amongst the chirping birds and the banana slugs.”
Leif Erikson: Madison Fassiotto, Lincoln ‘18, and Dawit Dean, CGS ‘20
Madison: “My favorite Portland running trail is Leif Erikson because it is a great trail no matter your ability. I like that there are people running, walking, biking, out with their families or dogs because it makes me feel like I am a part of my community. During the pandemic, it has been an even better option for running because it is so wide so I felt like I was able to socially distance from other trail goers. Lastly, I like that there are mile markers because it makes running go by so fast, and training a lot easier when you can slowly increase your mileage.”
Dawit: “My favorite trail is Lief Erikson. I have a lot of amazing memories of doing long runs (10 miles) every Sunday with my teammates. The trail is wide and relatively soft so it’s not as hard on your joints. On top of that the trail is marked every 1/4 mile which is motivating because you get to see your progress. Additionally, I think it’s cool that you see a wide variety of people on trail. Some are just enjoying their daily walk, others are biking, and sometimes you get to see other teams running and professionals training there.”
Wildwood Trail: Jalen Javurek, Lincoln ‘18
“I really like running Forest Park and Wildwood trail. You sometimes see pro runners out there, which is fun and also having all the trails and nature so close to downtown is incredible.”
Fairmount Loop: Haley Bernard, Catlin Gabel ‘19
“The Fairmount loop is approximately 3.4 miles and fairly flat. I like it because it is uninterrupted (no crosswalks), has some nice views, and is covered by trees. If I want to go longer I head up to Council Crest to get a glimpse of the mountains on a clear day or head down into the trails of the Marquam Nature Park. Fairmount is quite popular with cyclists and runners, but there are no sidewalks and the shoulder can be narrow at some points so stay alert!”
Mt. Tabor: Craig Barber, Franklin ‘21
“My favorite place to run is Mt. Tabor. It has a lot of trails so there’s a lot of places to run at the park. At the top of the mountain, you can see all across Portland. Also, it’s in the middle of the city which makes it a convenient place to meet friends.”
No matter where you live, there’s a route near you. To see an aggregation of running routes near and far, visit the Strava heatmap. Stay healthy and stay safe out there!
All images from their subjects, screenshots from snazzymaps.com, and GIFs from Kellen and Jackson via giphy.com.