Tryon Creek State Park

There is no shortage of public green spaces in Portland, but not all of them are city parks. One of the more popular green spaces in the area is the only Oregon state park that’s within the boundaries of a major city – although it’s south of the city center. Tryon Creek State Natural Area is a great place for hiking, bicycling and even horseback riding.

Covering 645 acres, Tryon Creek Park is situated between Boones Ferry Road and Terwilliger Boulevard in SW Portland. Tryon Creek itself runs through the center of the park, and is one of the only streams in the city with a run of steelhead trout. There are a total of eight miles of hiking trails, three miles of paved cycling trails and three-and-a-half miles of horseback riding trails within the park. In addition to these trails, there is even a fully accessible trail for those with mobility issues – the Trillium Trail.

Although Tryon Creek State Park is (as the name suggests) a state park, there’s a group of volunteers who do most of the park’s caretaking and organize events in the park. They’re called Friends of Tryon Creek State Park. Among other events, the group holds a “forest market” each year to raise money for the park and puts together nature day camps and classes throughout the year for grade school aged children.

Hours: Winter hours, 07:00-18:00 every day (for current hours see this page)
Admission: Entrance to the park is free
Tours, Events & Programs: There are events scheduled throughout the year by the Friends of Tryon Creek State Park. See their website for details about what’s coming up, and how you can get involved!
How to Get There: Tryon Creek State Park is in southwest Portland; for directions see this page
More Information: Official state park website is here, Friends of Tryon Creek State Park website is here; the official park brochure, including trail maps, is here (in PDF form).