Quick facts

• Starting points: Visitor Center or North Entrance
• Difficulty: Easy
• Distance: 2 or 3.2 miles
• Route type: Out-and-back or loop, depending on the season
• Elevation gain: 42 ft
• Trail surface: Gravel
• Wheelchair accessible: Only at trailhead viewpoint
• Open: Year-round, dawn to dusk
• Dog friendly: No

Brief overview

Why you should try it

Pro tips

• Portland Hip-Hop Week | Tuesday, Aug. 20-Monday, Aug. 26 | Times vary | Locations vary | Prices vary | Celebrate the culture with events across the city, with plenty of music, comedy, and even wine tasting.
• Lainey Wilson “Whirlwind” Listening Party | Tuesday, Aug. 20 | 5-6 p.m. | Vinyl Resting Place | Free | Be among the first to hear this country star’s new album.
• Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail | Tuesday, Aug. 20-Sunday, Oct. 13 | Locations vary | Times vary | Free | Track down all 31 decorated sculptures of “Cat” inspired by LAIKA’s award-winning film scattered around downtown Portland; download the app to aid your journey.
• Piano. Push. Play. | Tuesday, Aug. 20-Saturday, Aug. 31 | Times vary | Locations vary | Free | Summer is winding down, so make sure to visit these instruments and works of art to share your skills.

• Annual Dahlia Festival | Wednesday, Aug. 21-Sunday, Sept. 29 | 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. | Swan Island Dahlias | Free | The country’s largest dahlia grower invites you to explore nearly 40 acres of rainbow-hued blooms representing 370+ varieties.
• Cirque du Soleil: “Kooza” | Wednesday, Aug. 21-Sunday, Oct. 6 | Times vary | Portland Expo Center | $25+ | Everything is grand under the big top, where costumed acrobats and hilarious clowns tell a story of self-discovery.
• Music on Main: Melao De Cuba | Wednesday, Aug. 21 | 5 p.m. | Southwest Main Street between Broadway and Park Avenue | Free | Scintillating sounds of conga, horns, and cowbells will have people salsa dancing in the street.

• “Color Outside the Lines” Opening Reception | Thursday, Aug. 22 | 5-7 p.m. | JSMA at PSU Fariborz Maseeh Hall | Free | This special collection explores how creatives use their palette to challenge the status quo and ignite novel thought.

• Welcome to “Giraffic Park.” So reads the sign outside a home at Northeast 76th and Burnside, and inside the Giraffe House, you’ll find thousands — perhaps Guinness World Record-breaking numbers — of the animal. On Friday, Aug. 30, you can attend a garden party fundraiser to see them yourself. (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

• Cyclists across Portland are set to get more sturdy protection. City leaders announced an effort to “harden” miles of paint- and plastic-delineated lanes over the next five years with concrete barriers. PBOT estimates upgrading all 20.5 miles could cost between $5 and $8 million. (Bike Portland)

• Portland Pickles, West Coast League champions. It’s the team’s first title in their seven-year history and it came to pass in dramatic fashion. Facing their final out with the score 5-4, Diego Castellanos earned a walk with bases loaded, and an error on the next hit gave them the walk-off win. (Portland Tribune)

• The mouth of the Columbia River is notoriously dangerous — but that didn’t deter local open-water swimmer Peyton Scott from overcoming the more-than-five-mile trek (and personal trauma) to reach the other side. (OPB)

• Couldn’t make it to the PDX Adult Soapbox Derby over the weekend? That doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all of the cart-building creativity.

• Will Oregon football expel their demons of the past two seasons and handle the Huskies? Locked On Ducks host Spencer McLaughlin was joined by his UW counterpart Roman Tomashoff to talk over the two teams’ trajectories as they head into the unfamiliar territory of the Big Ten.
  

• Unexpected vet bills can get real pricey real quick. That’s why Lemonade Pet Insurance offers ultra-customizable coverage plans on an easy-to-use app. You get peace of mind + your furry friends get the top-notch care they deserve.*