This is a lovely little park and the start of a great hike! The trail is beautiful. The only flaw would be that theres little parking... Every time weve been there we park on the street a few blocks away. It can get pretty crowded but a short little walk through the surrounding neighborhood to get to the trail isnt a big deal at all!

Trail is easy. Meanders through a heavily forested canyon with a somewhat seasonal stream. Only issue is poor parking, at Forest Park, narrow entrance with no escape for cars. Must back up. 3 park employee spaces and 3 physically challenged spots and 4/5 regular parking spaces with a few more around the round about. Lots of folks on trail and at Stone Cabin/Witches cabin

Love this trail! They recently fixed the trail adding new support in areas that were less stable, making it more reasonable and safer for multiple people to pass. Glad to have it back open again after the great upgrades!Its a perfect trail for a nice light, dog friendly hike or a run.

An absolute joy to take a hike through the forest. Great facilities like bathrooms, mini playground with swings, picnic tables, and even limited parking spots. Easy enough to get to using public transportation. Easy access to the stone house. Expect some decent foot traffic near the stone house but the many miles of snaking trails nearby are a great way to enjoy nature without a large crowd. Minimal foot traffic with well crafted and well marked trails.

Great little hike for dogs or family. Pretty busy on a nice.sunny afternoon in February. The castle at the end is really fun for kids and interesting even for an adult! Restrooms at the beginning are great, some picnic tables are around as well. Connects to other hiking trails but if you just go to the castle and back it can easily be walked in an hour

As a place to start a hike in Forest Park, this is a good spot. As a park of its own its not great. Parking is impossible, its gross, and theres nothing here.

Parking is always full because this is the easiest access to Forest Park. The Balch creek trail is ela nice easy trail for anyone that doesnt want too long a walk or too many hills.

Very easy, very beautiful! Super neat Witches Castle and the Audubon Society along the wayGreat views at Pittock Mansion and lots of pretty flowers!

Gorgeous trail, easy intro to hiking in Portlands wilderness area. The first 300 yards is wheel chair accessible. A nice stream along side, with lots of wildlife viewing.

Dog friendly trail close in to NW Portland. Its a beautiful little hike that ties into other great trails in the Forest Park trail network. Its pretty easy and good for families. There are a few drop offs and some creek access along the trail, so keep an eye on little ones. Feels like youre in the forest, but youre minutes from downtown hot spots and NW gems like 23rd/alphabet district. Go for a hike & enjoy a meal, coffee, or treat after.

Overall well upkeep. Public facilitys kept in decent working order, clean and no trash on the trails.

Absolutely beautiful park. Well-maintained, quiet... what else could you ask for?

Been visiting regularly for 20 years, and its still a magical place of wonder and enchantment! Dont forget to feed the bridge troll! (Blurry picture of a crane hanging out at the bend in the trail beyond Witchs Castle.)

Such a pretty and easy hike, especially with kiddos. Only down fall is that it is always busy!

Classy Portland Forest Park trail head. Only issue is its been getting croooowded lately and especially since the cdc hoax hit.

Trails. Its a trail but with some beautiful greenery. The parking is limited. There are 2 parking spots that are for handicapped persons. And the bathrooms are open still so i believe they are open for the season. One of the five out of all of the many parks in oregon. Theres no playground but room for kids to play and dogs to be walked.

One of my favorite trails in the city! It’s not too difficult and there are great sights like the stone house. The creek running along the trail, and all of the bridges.

Beautiful trails. Great place to walk.

Public bathrooms are open and plenty of parking nearby. Great place to picnic outside before entering the park.

Great Park on a lot of history to it bro clean people were real nice if you like uphill hikes and beautiful scenery this is the place for you the lower Park is good for kids the higher Park where the Mansion is is more advanced for adult

The sunrise is beautiful. The clouds reflect the suns light making a beautiful scene. You should see it.

Nice moderate level walk if you have any mobility issues, easy if you dont.For those that do, there are a couple of inclines that may be slightly difficult, up and down, with rocks and awkward dips. There are places to stop & sit. The first 300 yards are paved. This is the easier trail to get to the stone bldg Witches Castle

This a peaceful forest next to the city.

Beautiful Park I cant believe I lived in Oregon my whole live and never been to this park. Over 5000 sq Ft and absolutely Gorgeous. If you like hiking, jogging, or just nature this the place to go!

Nice short hike to an old stone house. Very pretty.

Very green, clean, and pretty. Family friendly. Men in kilts.Parking is very limited.

Wearing a mask makes it harder but its worth it for the views and for the smells

The stone house is really cool, easy trails.

What a beautiful area. Was just driving on by on my way back to Portland and had to stop at the spark to check it out. Its pretty hidden and you would pass on by if you werent looking for a place to pull over. Right there with my dogs and just hooking all the beautiful scenery. Lots of Wildlife and a bridge to look over it down at the water. Its a great area, I didnt notice anybody else around oh, so it was nice having the place peaceful

Beautiful natural scenery giant salamanders and friendly people popping out of the woodwork

Saw some girl with a bow and arrow here. Lit

One of my all-time favorite hikes. Beautiful, flowing stream to look at and listen to. Not steep at all, so a good hike for warming up for something more strenuous or for bringing those that need an easier hike.

Nice scenic park and trail, easily accessible from the NW Portland area. Small amount of car parking at park and trail head. First portion of trail is wheelchair accessible. Park and trail can get a bit busy on nice weather days.

Love this place!!

A little bit muddy this (wet) time of year, but absolutely beautiful forest path following Balch Creek. There are lots of Elder Berries towards the begining of the trail that are worth snacking on if you find any :-)

Nice 2.5 mile hike to Pittock Mansion. Dog friendly. Some muddy areas with rain. Very few parking spots at park, most likely will have to park in neighborhood.

Beautiful trail! Super crowded and busy on the weekends.

Great starting point for your Forest Park trek. Covered picnic tables and restrooms. Great view of the underside of the bridge. Nice easy path is smooth and slowly inclines to the witchs house. Easy to access from the neighborhood but sidewalks are limited and there are only 3 parking spaces.

An amazing hiking trail. Beautiful and easy hike. Great while visiting Portland!

Nice place to stay!

I appreciate that theres always parking (though I never go to Forest Park on the weekend). Its pretty flat so its a good place to warm up before hitting the steeper hills.

Beautiful park under a bridge. A nice hike to the Pittock Mansion from here.

Restrooms, drinking fountain, covered picnic tables, grassy field.

Cute park, nice hike up. Can be crowded

Lucked out with parking..Loved it

Beautiful & nice hike!

Very nice trail to walk on, a few narrow spots next to the creek however even with people going down we are still able to pass going up. Great place to walk a dog, just remember poop bags because there are none supplied here. There is a bathroom building just before the trail begins. Extremely clean I only saw one piece of garbage on the trail.

Nice park. Trail in good shape but pretty crowded.

They have signs, there are trash cans at trail heads, good paths and a place to clean your shoes.

Beautiful fall day

Super fun little hiking spot with more difficult trails branching off.

Great access to nature

Great place to go and just enjoy

When walking through this park you could forget you are still in the city

So nice.

Easy access to awesome trails, pretty well marked. All levels of trails. Parking is challenging since spots are very limited.

A convenient trailhead for walking the Balch Creek trail that joins with the Forest Park trail system, leading to Pittock Mansion with its wonderful views of downtown Portland and east to the Cascade range and its volcanoes.Parking can be tight, often requiring a search in the neighborhood for a place. The curbs need some painting by the city, because its not clear whether a space is a legal parking spot. The yellow curbs have faded to the point that they are very hard to see clearly.

Beautiful park and hike. One of my favorite places in Portland.

Gorgeous park with many trails, waterfalls and wildlife to observe!

Peace in the inner-city remarkable

Easy trail. Beautiful. Stone House is on it .

A great area for a hike in the woods without living the city. This stretch is good for novice and experienced hikers. The elevation changes are mild and the trail is a gravel path with a small portion at its entry that is paved. Lots of nature to be found on this trail which makes it great for exploring with kids.

Did a witches shoot here in Nov. Images are lovely.This actually used to be a bathroom that was never repaired after a storm. But now it looks like a old house. Great for cute little shoots.

Great trails!

Best trail running park in Portland. Wish we lived closer! Beautiful and shaded.

Great hike in a cool shaded valley. Quick access from town

Its beautiful

Beautiful trail

Nice hiking trail. We went all the way to Pittock Mansion. Wonderful views.

Great hike to the mansion

Great hiking

Forest feel in an urban environment = WIN!

So worth it! A must visit!

About 1 mile to the Stone House from the steps at the bottom of the bridge on Thurman. Incredibly pleasant and a nice little adventureNo cougars!

Ok park with a nice truss bridge.

Watch for the mud because it gets slick.

Nature is incredible ! Go try here if you still did not

Great trailhead

Good walk just come prepaired for street parking as there is none close by.

I love the peace of Forest Park, this is an easy stroll.

This is a great get away in the heart of Portland. Its a breath of fresh air after being stuck on 1-5

Nice slice of peace in NW Portland.

Could kill hours at this park easily

Super chill park just outside downtown. Cant wait to go back.

Beautiful wide open river front park with lots of room to play with the whole family

Nice place for a run in the city

This is a great trailhead to take into Forest Park.

Really nice park that is clean and a cool hike.

Probably one of the busiest parts of Forest Park. A portion is paved and the rest is well worn and packed down ... So probably good for casual hikers and even jog strollers.

Place is beautiful

The BIGGEST park in Portland Metro area.

Beautiful forest and awesome hike! A little bit crowded for my taste, but well worth the time.

Serene.

Aa

I havent been there in 30+yrs. I was a teenager, and sadly to say, I was probably intoxicated at the time. Taking that into consideration the hike up there and beyond wasnt too bad, its mostly up hill though.

Very nice hike!

Stunning forest oasis near Portland

Trees are dope

No one was wearing a mask

Fabulous trail and neat bugs