Quick facts

• Starting point: 45°42'38.8"N 122°54'47.0"W
• Difficulty: Easy
• Distance: 2+ miles
• Route type: Loop with spurs
• Elevation gain: 337+ ft
• Trail surface: Gravel (main trail), dirt (side trails)
• Wheelchair accessible: No
• Open: Year-round
• Dog friendly: No

Brief overview

Why you should try it

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• Reindeer in Rockwood | Tuesday, Dec. 19 | 3-6 p.m. | Rockwood Market Hall, 458 SE 185th Ave., Portland | Free | Bring the kiddos to meet Santa, pet some friendly reindeer, and enjoy tasty treats.

• “George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker” | Wednesday, Dec. 20-Sunday, Dec. 24 | Times vary | Keller Auditorium, 222 SW Clay St., Portland | $25-$113 | The Oregon Ballet Theatre will carry you away to a land of toy soldiers, dancing snowflakes, and sugarplum fairies set to Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable score.
• The Midwinter Revels: “Emerald Odyssey” | Wednesday, Dec. 20-Saturday, Dec. 23 | Times vary | Alberta Abbey, 126 NE Alberta St., Portland | $16-$74 | Find out what happens when a mysterious stranger wanders into an Irish community during winter solstice festivities in this performance with singing, dancing, and mumming.
• Church of Film: Russian Fairy Tale Animation | Wednesday, Dec. 20 | 7-9 p.m. | Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St., Portland | $8 | You may be familiar with some of these short fairy tales thanks to Disney, but Moscow-based animation studio Soyuzmultfilm’s abstract and “phantasmagoric” approach lends new perspective.

• Slamlandia | Thursday, Dec. 21 | 7-9 p.m. | Literary Arts, 925 SW Washington St., Portland | Free | Share your poetry or listen to works presented by those vying to move on to a championship round in February.

• Cats are commonplace in Portland’s suburbs — except when they weigh as much as a Saint Bernard. A cougar was caught on camera wandering through an Aloha yard over the weekend, but the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said it’s not unusual for one to pass through urban areas. (KOIN)

• $76,000. That was the median household income in 2022, marking a nearly 37% increase from 2017, according to data from the American Community Survey. Some Portland area neighborhoods, like Cully, shared that growth while others, such as Centennial, saw declines. Take a look at your neck of the woods. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

• One of just two homes in Oregon designed by Austrian-born architect Richard Neutra is on the market in South Portland’s Riverdale community for $3.55 million. The home, built in Neutra’s modernist/International style with three levels, high ceilings, and panoramic windows, has been largely restored to its original look. (Portland Monthly)

• The Oregon State women’s basketball team is undefeated so far this season. The team is one of 17 Division I programs in the US protecting a perfect record, with three nonconference games left before the Pac-12 schedule kicks off with a matchup against the Ducks on New Year’s Eve. (Portland Tribune)

• A former Burger King location is slated to become a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen next year. The site at 1525 SE Grand Ave. sat vacant for years and was damaged by a fire in 2020. Popeyes, which already operates a dozen locations in the metro area, is currently in the permitting process. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

• The New York Times went looking for the best 23 meals in the country this year and found one of them in Portland. Food writer Melissa Clark praised Clandestino’s whole-grilled dorado as a “brilliantly executed — and rarely found — dish.” Our compliments to the chef (that’s you, Lauro Romero). (The New York Times)