Portland Metro Must-do Spring Hikes

Curious where to hike with your kids during our amazing spring in the Portland Metro Area? Look no further. While all 50 hikes in my Portland book are fun in spring, I’ve picked the must-do spring hikes from my book little feet hiking: Portland Metro. You can get all the details you need for a safe and fun family hike by picking up a copy and hitting the trail.

Path through Camassia during the camas bloom

Camassia Nature Preserve

  • West Linn
  • 0.75 to 1.35 miles
  • Visit in late April and May to see the epic camas bloom
  • Kids need to be able to stay on the path to avoid crushing the flowers
Lacamas lily fields as seen from the trail

Lacamas Park

  • Camas, WA
  • 1.4 to 2.5 miles
  • Visit in late April and May for the camas bloom
  • Kids need to be able to stay on the path to avoid crushing the flowers
  • Hike around a pretty lake and visit a neat dam
  • little feet hiking: Portland Metro educates about camas and its importance
Magnolias blooming along the Magnolia trail

Hoyt Arboretum – Deciduous Loop

  • West Portland
  • 1.8 to 2.8 miles
  • Deciduous trees will start putting on leaves starting in March and flowers after that
  • Flowers will start showing up in March and get better through May
  • Magnolia trees will start blooming in March and be quite epic in April/May
  • little feet hiking: Portland Metro educates about deciduous trees
Barred owl seen from a trail in Tryon

Tryon Creek State Natural Area

  • South Portland
  • 1.25 to 3.15 miles of kid-friendly trail
  • This is a great spot to look for trillium flowers popping up in March
  • Tryon is known for its barred owl sightings in April
  • little feet hiking: Portland Metro educates about owls and how to spot/identify them at Tryon
Hiking along the Central Forest Park Loop

Central Forest Park Loop

  • West Portland
  • 3.1 miles
  • Visit in March to look for trillium flowers; more native wildflowers will pop up as we progress through the season
  • This hike is excellent for animal tracking during the rainy/muddy months of spring
  • little feet hiking: Portland Metro educates about animal tracking on this particular trail

Portland Metro National Wildlife Refuges

  • We are so fortunate to have so three national wildlife refuges nearby; all are excellent for watching the spring bird migration and looking for native plants
  • Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge – Washougal, WA – 2 to 4 miles
  • Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge – Ridgefield, WA – 1 to 4.1 miles
  • Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge – Sherwood, OR – 1.6 to 2.8 miles
  • Seasonal trails open up in May
  • Flooding can be an issue, so it is good to check web links (in my hiking guide) before venturing out
  • little feet hiking: Portland Metro educates about bird migration
View of Multnomah Channel from the trail

Wapato Access Greenway Loop

  • Sauvie Island
  • 2.4 mile loop
  • Excellent in spring for frog/bird watching and native plant identification
  • Be prepared for flooding after heavy rains
  • little feet hiking: Portland Metro educates about the history of Sauvie Island
Rhododendron

Jenkins Estate

  • Beaverton
  • 2.25 miles
  • Visit in spring for rhododendron bloom
Geese on West Pond

Salish Ponds

  • Fairview
  • 1.8 to 2.8 miles
  • This is an excellent urban park to birdwatch and view native plants and trees
  • little feet hiking: Portland Metro educates about riparian areas and why you see so much wildlife and plant diversity at this park
View of the Willamette River from the overlook

Canemah Bluff

Western bluebird; photo courtesy of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

Graham Oaks Nature Park

  • Wilsonville
  • Up to 3 miles of hiking
  • Visit in spring for frog sounds, native wildflowers, and western bluebirds
Pale larkspur at Cooper Mountain; photo courtesy of Kathy Christensen

Cooper Mountain Nature Park

  • Beaverton
  • 0.7 to 2.9 mile hike
  • Visit in spring for bluebirds, frogs, and native wildflowers
  • The pale larkspur bloom in May/early June is a special treat
  • little feet hiking: Portland Metro educates about western bluebirds and why they live in this particular area
Trillium flower

Forest Park – Balch Canyon

  • Portland
  • 1.6 to 2.8 miles
  • Keep an eye out for blooming trillium flowers in March, with other native flowers popping up as the season progresses
  • little feet hiking: Portland Metro educates about the neat stone house you’ll visit on this trail
Bird Blind at Jackson Bottom Wetland

Jackson Bottom Wetland

  • Hillsboro, OR
  • 1 to 4 miles
  • Visit in the spring to see migrating birds and watch for resident bald eagles; native plant start flowering and budding in late February
  • Flooding can be an issue, so it is good to check web links (in my hiking guide) before venturing out
  • little feet hiking: Portland Metro educates about bald eagles and their life in the wetland

Have a great time making springtime family memories on the trail! For more kid-friendly springtime hiking recommendations, check out this post for the Vancouver/SW Washington area and this post for the Columbia River Gorge.