1.6 hr
Overview
NOTICE: Firelane 1 is closed as far as Leif Erikson Drive as of October 2021. New construction at the trailhead will provide a large off-street parking area and, later, a Nature Center. Planned completion for the parking area is Spring 2022. During this time, the best access to this loop is from the Forest Lane Trailhead, which connects directly to Firelane 1 from the west. Firelane 1 is one of the most unusual entrances to Forest Park, but if you can forgive the hum of activity in the industrial area and the powerlines above, you will catch views to Willamette River and Cascade peaks beyond. The true loop here begins at Leif Erikson Drive and takes you past several notable features, including Rocking Chair Dam and the Munger Creek Big Trees. Take the Nature Trail, one of Forest Park’s oldest trails, back to Firelane 1. Walk across a field which becomes flooded when it is raining. The firelane rises past some springs and switchbacks steeply up under powerlines and then heads north. Ignore any user trails leading off as some of these may lead to transient camps. Blackberries proliferate in the understory here, but the undulating firelane is shaded by young maples. Cross several small creeks and drop in and out of a gully. Breaks in the trees offer views across the tanks of the oil refinery to Swan Island, Mocks Crest, Mount Saint Helens and Mount Hood. The clank and thunder of industrial activity carries up the slope, even on Sundays. Look for lupine, flowering current, trillium, and toothwort blooming in spring. Cross two more deep gullies below a forested hillside of Douglas-fir, grand fir, and big-leaf maple. The trail then veers away from the powerlines and up the slope through a carpet of waterleaf. Look for the grove of madrones off the trail here. Rise steeply past an open gate and reach the Leif Erikson Drive-Firelane 1 Junction. Go right on Leif Erikson Drive, which is a very popular highway for runners and cyclists, especially on weekends. Walk under hemlocks, Douglas-firs, and maples above the de
Trail Stats
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486 m
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Photos
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