A Bridge and Forest Combo Hike

Today we did another Portland combo hike that went from urban neighborhood, crossed a gorgeous bridge, climbed through Forest Park, and passed through a unique pocket neighborhood. We found this hike detailed here.

We did this hike a little differently than detailed in the link above because we needed to start with lunch. There is a burger chain in these parts called Burgerville. They bill themselves as fresh, local and sustainable and today we tried their veggie burgers and the yummy, seasonal Walla Walla onion rings...not too shabby for a chain!

Once fueled up, we walked across the St John Bridge. Originally completed in 1931, it is arguably the prettiest bridge in Portland. Walking across it was exhilarating; the views were fabulous but the traffic was heavy and very, very close, including lots of BIG trucks! I am amazed the picture below has no vehicles in it!


St John Bridge

It's really difficult to see in the photo above, but from the bridge on a clear day you can see Mt Hood, Mt Adams, Mt St Helens, and the top of Mt Rainier. (If you click on the photo above you'll get a larger a picture and you may be able to see Mt Rainier and Mt St Helens faintly to the left of the bridge and Mt Adams to the right.)

We then traversed another section of the extensive Forest Park.

Then dropped into the funky pocket neighborhood of Whitwood Court that boasts views of St John bridge and snow covered mountains in the distance...and this unusual feature left on the side of the road:

And back over the bridge with Mt Hood, as always, in the background...

Just another exceptional September day in Portland!