Springwater Corridor

I, cannot, recommend this trail anymore. Absolutely disgusting. Public defecating, drug use, threats of violence. The horse shit is a welcome sight compared to the filth and wretched lives of the homeless, You can see where fires started. Vegetation stripped bare. Garbage every where. Neighbors stay indoors to avoid contact. If you do go, carry a weapon, Seriously.
So very sad.

Stretches of the Springwater Corridor Trail — particularly east of 82^nd — do not feel safe. The numbers of permanent campers have grown exponentially in the last 3 years and not all of them want simply to be allowed to live where they can afford to. Groups congregate in the middle of the path and harass cyclists. Some of them are clearly drunk or high and just itching for a fight. Portland police maintain their hands are tied. Lone female riders always need to be particularly alert (a young woman was attacked and raped on the Springwater in March). After today’s brush with belligerent campers, though my husband was with me, I don’t plan to travel the Springwater toward Gresham until there are regular police patrols. I’ll grant the path 2 stars because it’s a great way to travel in the other direction toward the city center.

This bike trail is nice, but not as great as the Banks-​Vernonia Trail. It is a very busy trail, but nice to ride along the waterfront and check out the events happening especially during the summertime. Ride with caution though especially when your sharing the trail with runners, joggers, walkers plus strollers and avid cyclists speeding by. Also, when crossing the streets. some parts gets busy with cars passing by and having to stop at traffic lights. Parts of the trails have nice sceneries, but you will be passing by homeless camps and there is a lot of littering and the smell of feces in that area. The area doesn’t seem safe when it gets near dawn, but we did ride to Cartlandia and back and it was a nice place to stop for lunch or a quick snack and then ride back. I have yet to ride the entire 40 mile, but will return to do so one day.

My horse is stabled steps from the Springwater Trail. It has been a fabulous experience training her to walk along it without reacting negatively to all the bikes, pedestrians and dogs. We can ride right into Powell Butte’s equestrian trails too. I highly recommend it. You can park a horse trailer at Powell Butte and ride down to the Springwater Trail. Most cyclists slow down and call out when they are coming up behind us. Transients popping out of the thick brush along the trail are more scary. We do always go back and remove manure… you can’t carry a shovel while you are riding.

Love this path. Drove up from Eugene to ride the entire 42 miles round trip. There are turn outs to stop & buy food plus there is a lunch wagon park famous for some great dishes. They only take cash.

I connect from going south on I — 205 bike path. My route from my house and back again is appx. 18 miles. Beautiful scenery greets you at most every turn. Very few hills on this otherwise flat escape. As with most things beautiful, the path has it’s share of thorns. Homeless camps all along. Litter. Drugs. An endless sea of riffraff. You need to be very careful when you bike or hike alone. Seriously. However… on the bright side, awesome view of Oaks bottom refuge and the willamette river. My trek takes me back up to South Tabor via Clinton. OOOHHHH, the smells from the food.
So… on my last excursion, I came across some ladies with a horse. And up from them on the path was a large pile of…“Horse Shit”!!! Dammit just please scoop it up!!! Keep on peddling.

One of my favorite easy bike rides along the Willamette River in Portland with access to downtown, the urban hip Pearl district, Sellwood, Johnson Creek out to Cartlandia food carts (8145 SE 82^nd Ave) and so on. Better than some other great bike trails, like along the Snake river, Boise, Idaho, and the river trail in Redding, CA., Deschutes River in Bend, OR., or Austin, TX.

This is an awesome running trail with great scenery and markers every half mile. You can’t ask for much more than that. However, there are a ton of homeless people living on the banks of the river, right next to the trail. Homeless people are cool, but they are setting up long term encampments here, which typically means problems will eventually come. Do yourself a favor and enjoy this trail during daylight hours. You may also want to bring a buddy.

LB-​ed for 7 miles from the beginning of the trail to a little pass Oaks Park. Pretty busy though. Still a fun ride.

One of these days I’m going to do the whole 40-​mile loop of the Springwater Corridor. It’s on my bucket list. For now, I will review the section I’ve done a few times: the stretch between OMSI and Sellwood. The path is paved, wide and well maintained. It’s popular with cyclists, runners, walkers, parents with baby strollers and casual bike riders like me. I’m a huge fan of riding my bike without pesky cars around. It allows me to blare music from my travel speakers (I’m THAT girl) and possibly even enjoy a cocktail on the ride (don’t tell my sponsor*).
I love all there is to see on the path, I love that you can get to Oaks Park without driving, I love the view of the water and I love that I can ride my bike to Sock Dreams, the best store on the planet. I haven’t been on all the bike paths in Portland (see: bucket list) but thus far the Springwater Corridor is my favorite.
*I joke, I joke! I don’t have a sponsor. I love drinking!

I run this corridor when I come to visit my Aunt in Sellwood. It’s right down the street and there’s plenty of runners and bicyclists to accompany you. Straight route with lots of views on the way – Canoers heave-​ho-​ing, green trees, Oaks Parks’ fun attractions, and water’s beautiful reflection. People are hiking on the outside of the corridor, making their way around the old railroad tracks with their dogs nearby. Such a perfect place to run if you enjoy a pretty calm breeze and no distractions. Just be sure to remember to stay to your right and pass on the left. A motto that will repeat in your head as others wiz by…

If you live in southeast Portland this trail allows excellent access to Powell Butte. For mountain bikers and cross bikers this is the SHIT!!!

If you want a few miles of uninterupted biking/​walking/​jogging goodness, this is where to go. Beautiful views of downtown and the river. There’s even Oaks Park to tempt you. It’s one of my favorite stretches of asphalt anywhere.
Can you even imagine what it would have been like for the earliest settlers to walk along the river and catch their first glimpse of the tall buildings of the Portland skyline? Incredible!

Nice!
My parents live really close to the Springwater (near Lents) so this path was common to me. So near and dear that I remember when it actually was train tracks, and we would sneak on the tracks with a radio to watch movies for free from the Foster drive in movie theater.
I have ridden from Oaks Park to Boring and it is some trip! It’s mostly flat though it does gain slight elevation once you get past Gresham. It goes through many city parks (Oaks Bottom, Powell Butte, Beggers Tick, Johnson Creek overflow –not a park) Gresham City Park, etc. I see a ton of wildlife out here, and a ton of homeless. I really don’t recommend a lone female biker on this path, especially as you head east. I have definetly felt uneasy passing a group of 10 – 15 homeless men after darks hours saying nasty things. but I suppose that can’t be helped.
Lot’s of hobo camps too, which is another type of wildlife viewing, I guess.
Overall it’s great and fun.

This is a GREAT running/​biking path!
In my trips to PDX, I’ve been totally impressed by how bike friendly it is and the safe running options are amazing. From the downtown core, I can do a quick loop using the Steel and Hawthorne bridges and there are great views all the way. It was long run for me this morning so I decided to go further and down the Springwater Corridor from the Eastbank esplanade — it’s perfect.
It’s not too busy but there’s enough people around to feel safe. There’s mile markers every 0.5 miles so you can easily track your distance, and its length runs about 40 miles according to the sign.
My only complaint was that the entrance wasn’t that easy to find until I was right there, but that’s probably just me being a tourist.

This trail keeps getting better and better. Now that it’s repaved, I slide down the trail with the rolling resistance of a jack-​knifed semi-​truck on ice!
Now if only Portland Parks and Police could keep the homeless camps and smell of human feces down to a minimum around 92^nd…

Well-​paved bike path and beautiful views… it’s perfect! Now if only my bike wasn’t all janky and broken making clacky sounds everytime I have to pedal even slightly uphill… it would be so much more awesome. It was a little difficult to find the entrance coming from Clinton St, but we figured it out eventually.
Lots of places along the path to sit down at a table and have a little picnic, or you can stop at Oaks Wildlife Refuge, Oaks Amusement Park, or Sellwood Waterfront Park. There’s even a little food stand that sells Voodoo Doughnuts right at the Sellwood Waterfront Park (3.5 mile mark)!

As a former resident of the area in the 90’s and now a traveler to the area I rate Portland as my all time favorite. This trail is a treasure that most cities only wish for and it’s certainly not taken for granted as my run at O dark thirty this morning proved that there were many people commuting and recreating in less than favorable conditions. This trail was great, it allowed me to escape the buildings and stoplights downtown and get in a great run.
As an avid cyclist (there is never too much carbon fiber in my garage or basement and ride thousands of miles a year), I was appalled at the dozens (no exaggeration) of ass clown bikers who about ran me over with their commuter bikes or hitting me with their waterproof saddlebags. This wasn’t part of the springwater, but as I was running across the Hawthorne bridge and just about hitting my elbow on the guardrail I was almost hit by a biker coming the opposite direction-​good googly moogly the effing bridge sidewalk is 8 – 10 feet wide. Just because you have a commuter bike with a light doesn’t mean you should ride like an A-​hole

First, let me say that I am very glad Portland offers a car-​free multi-​use path and I bike it almost every weekend. Having moved here from San Antonio, TX, I definitely appreciate Portland’s bike-​friendly culture (and Summer weather). All that being said, allow me to post a wish list of rules for those sharing the corridor:
1. If you are going to empty out your gypsy caravan (kids, livestock, scooters, bikes, and strollers) and go for a sojourn, please consider another location… it can be hard for others to navigate a scrum of people and animals while trying to move along the trail.
2. When a biker coming up behind you says «on your left,» it means ON YOUR LEFT. Don’t know what left is? Make an «L» with your index finger and thumb, and the one viewed from behind that does not look backwards is YOUR LEFT HAND. Why this is confusing I’ll never know.
3. Keep your goddamned dogs on leashes. I love dogs, I have two of them, and I keep them leashed. Your dog is not a wild animal, it is not «born free,» and it does not need to roam around so that it can attack any runner, biker, or rollerblader that it sees fit.
4. Speaking of dogs — why do dog owners have to pick up their pet’s poop, but horse riders are allowed to leave mountains of manure on the trail?
5. Finally, for those walking (or biking) in larger groups — do not travel multiple people abreast like you’re the Magnificent Seven or the guys from Reservoir Dogs… have some consideration for the traffic flow. It’s simple, just like driving — you stay on the right side of the road.
Let me also add, that I concur with previous posters who bemoan the poor quality of the trail after Sellwood and before Gresham. The surface is quite bumpy and there are multiple major street crossings. Come on Portland, how embarrassing is it that Gresham has a much nicer part of the corridor than the «Bike Capital of the USA?» Once you get out to the Gresham part of the trail, it is smooth and runs beautifully along Johnson creek. It is true that the last 2 or so miles to Boring are unpaved, but you don’t have to do this part of the trail.
Overall, this trail and Forest Park combine for two great places to mostly get away from traffic and have a great experience getting in a nice walk or ride.

I had the joy of exploring this trail last summer… by walking a five-​mile stretch each weekend. The trail starts near OMSI, and meanders south and east past Oaks Park, through Sellwood and beyond… clear out to Boring.
My friend and I would stage a car at one point then drive to another spot about 5 miles along and walk back. Each five mile stretch offered different vistas and points of interest as well as some parts that I absolutely dispised (specifically from 102^nd through Milwaukie — too many intersections and busy roads to cross). There are even a few spots that I would not recommend walking alone. And even if with a partner, one of you should probably carry pepper spray. Some of it is very remote with no one in sight as far as the eye can see.
The trail itself is quite wide and paved to offer good footing. Most of the terrain is fairly flat though there are some areas that offer a bit of an incline. Beware as a walker that the trail is used heavily by bikers. Most are quite curteous, offering up a «bike on the left» as they near. But others bust on by leaving only your hair blowing up as an indication that you are not alone.
There are lots of park areas along the route so I think it’s a great opportunity to throw a little snack in the backpack and head out for some cardio and a meal while enjoying a little bit of nature in the middle of mostly residential area.

Simply lovely. Perfect for all ages. Start by the Sellwood Bridge and head north and watch Portland unfold before your eyes. It is like a Hallmark commercial — the trail is filled with athletes, couples in love, parents pushing strollers and older couples.
So beautiful that my kids biked a 10-​mile loop to Riverplace and back with nary a complaint. There was so much to distract them that they didn’t notice the distance. The Willamette River, bridges, wildlife, ponds and artwork.
There are many places to pull over to stop and relax when you need a break. Portland never ceases to take my breath away.

The best stretch of Springwater Corridor is from Oaks Park going north to the Opera House. Along here, you get to be by the river and do not have to cross any intersections.
This weekend we discovered a new chunk of the trail. An excellent starting point for this particular stretch is the trailhead parking lot and restrooms just off Johnson Creek Blvd. We jogged east, appreciating the generous width of the trail.
Only minus on this stretch is that you do have to cross a few major intersections. But in a way, that is OK, because that does give you a moment to catch your breath as you wait for the light to turn green.

Springwater just destroyed me.
This trail is awesome for running, walking, and biking. I have biked the section form sellwood to OMSI, and also the section from 82^nd to Boring and back (the section that just kicked my butt!). Nice and flat, plenty of pastoral scenery to take in, little traffic noise, and on a weekday, nice and quiet. I can’t believe I have lived in this town near 8 years and have just now made it out this trail.
If you want a nice short ride/​run, its very accommodating, or if you need to go on a way longer bike ride than you should, it can do that for you too! It’s nice and flat, with some extremely gradual inclines here and there. It’s best if you are coming from downtown, because the incline is on the way out, and the decline is on the way back in!
There are lots of little shaded benches for resting, lounging, or just hanging out watching the world go by. Plenty to see and do.
There are few amenities along the trail, so make sure and bring your water and any foodstuffs you may need.
The trail is nice and well paved all the way to within about 3 miles of Boring, at which point it turns to gravel (for as far as I could see… I was on a road bike and couldn’t check it out). There are offshoots to Powell Butte and other parks along the way. You will cross some roads here and there, but for the most part, you can pretend you are out in nature, far from the city.
The section down by the river and through Oaks Bottom is also a great little stretch. Good for an afternoon stroll or as a connector from the East Bank Esplanade to the eastbound trail. The trail goes south from the Esplanade along the river and turns east at the Sellwood bridge.
I can only imagine this trail is PACKED on the weekends. So, the next time you find yourself off of work on a sunny day like today (low 80’s — PERFECT!), get your butt out from in front of the computer and on the Springwater trail!!!