For those of you in the Portland area or looking for things to do while you are in the Rose City here is a fun way to burn a few hours, burn a few calories, and see some of the city's parks and forests. Try finding some of Portland's Hidden Stairways.
Portland is riddled with beautiful green spaces. All throughout the town there are parks and trails great for getting out and being active. Many of these trails make up what is known as the 40 Mile Loop (map), and they are made up of varying distances and difficulties. Much of it is constituted by the Wildwood trail through Forest Park, one of the largest parks within city limits in the country. Large enough in fact that you and your family can live up there for 4 years and have no one notice*. Forest Park and the 40 Mile Loop are parts of town that Portlanders wear like a badge of honor. They are well known, well used, and beloved by the citizenry.
But if you're looking for a beaten path that is, well, off the beaten path look for the hidden stairways of the West Hills. As I was looking for some fun hikes through the 40 Mile Loop I came across information about these Public Hidden Stairways. Who would have guessed, but there is a big public stairways culture out there. Little internet nooks like publicstairs.com celebrate these charming, quaint, and yes, necessary fixtures in cities across the country. There is in fact a book dedicated to the topic by Laura O. Foster, aptly named "The Portland Stairs Book".
I haven't read the book, and I've only been on a few of the stairways (so far), but the walks I have been on have been fun, even on gray drizzly Portland spring days. I look forward to learning more about and seeing new segments of my city. Let me know if you check 'em out, or if you have other interesting spots I should seek out...
*not recommended by the Polymouth
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