15 min
Overview
The St. Johns neighborhood of North Portland is named after the first white settler in the area, James John, who arrived here in the 1840s. John was a local philanthropist and thus he acquired a sort of unofficial, non-papal "sainthood" that embellishes his name to this day. The settlement became a city that, in 1915, merged with the City of Portland. The St. Johns waterfront on the Willamette, part of this loop hike, was once a thriving industrial area that has now a rather derelict expanse, some of it within the Willamette Cove Natural Area, which Metro plans to develop into a recreational greenway. Away from the derelict buildings and toxic cleanups, the business center of St. Johns boasts some interesting commercial structures and turn of the century homes. This loop follows the much of the route laid out by Laura O. Foster in her Portland Hill Walks guidebook, and begins and ends at Cathedral Park, right under the soaring and inspiring St. John's Bridge. Note that Willamette Cove itself and much of the Metro property adjacent to it has been closed to public access in recent years because of high concentrations of lead detected at the beach there. Begin the hike under the St. John's Bridge, a 1931 Gothic structure, once the longest suspension bridge west of the Mississippi and still the only suspension bridge over the Willamette, that connects the shoreline neighborhoods of Linnton and St. Johns. First, walk down to the floating boardwalk at the boat launch area to get views of the river. Then walk back to Baltimore Avenue, across Bradford Street from the Cathedral Park Trailhead, and head up for four blocks, passing the Moonstruck Chocolate Company at Baltimore and Bradford. Across from Moonstruck is the Occidental Brew Pub. Turn left on Willamette Boulevard, and after one block, make a right on Chicago, noting an early 20th century house on the corner. You'll pass another turn of the century house in the middle of the next block. When you reach Lombard Street three blocks later, make a right and wander t
Trail Stats
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73 m
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Photos
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