Pycon Hike
One of the PyCascades organizers, Eric Holscher, knows a ton about hiking in the Portland area, and would love to show off a side of Portland visitors don’t often see.
This hike is accessible, leaving directly from downtown Portland and ending at the Zoo. The Zoo has a MAX line that will take you right back downtown.
We want to be considerate of the trails and other people hiking there. We’ll therefore limit the number of participants to 40 people so that others can enjoy the area alongside us.
Logistics
This event will be ticketed separately. RSVP here.
- Date & Time: Leaves promptly at Thursday, May 18, 1 PM. Meet at 12:45.
- Start: Lower Macleay Park or Macleay Park Entrance. There is a pavilion at the park entrance where we will gather.
- End: Oregon Zoo – There is a MAX stop here to take us back downtown.
- Visual of the hike
We will be hiking in the amazing Forest Park, the largest urban forested park in the country. It is located in Northwest Portland. You can take transit to get there.
Note
The hike does not end where it starts. Take this into consideration with your planning. There is an out-and-back option if you choose to just go to Pittock Mansion, then return back down.
What to bring
May in Portland can be interesting. It will probably be in the 60s, with a chance of rain. So, please bring:
- Comfortable shoes, that you are comfortable getting a bit muddy.
- 1 Liter of water. There is water available halfway through the hike.
- A light rain jacket. It won’t be cold, but it might drizzle on you.
- High spirits!
The hike
The hike will be around 5 miles long, and have 1000 feet of elevation gain. This classifies as a moderate hike. We’ll be going nice and slow so people can appreciate the views and forest.
Climb
Then we will switchback through beautiful forest until we get to Pittock Mansion. Pittock affords one of the best views of the city, and hopefully Mt. Hood & Mt. St. Helens if it’s clear!
The view from Pittock Mansion
Admire
After this we will descend into Washington Park, and the beautiful Hoyt Arboretum. There are a number of paths through Hoyt, and we can play that by ear. More than 5,800 specimens from around the world grow here, including more than 1,100 species, which are valuable in reforesting damaged habitats.
The view of Hoyt Arboretum
Finish
On the other side of Hoyt is the Oregon Zoo, where we can take the MAX back to downtown. People who wish to stay around in the park or zoo are more than welcome.