Forest Park Climber's Delight

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Portland, OR, US

Route Overview

BikePortland.org

The best roads — and backroads — in the Portland region.

31 mi.

3,822 ft.

This is my off-road version of "De Ronde PDX." It's 3 of the steepest climbs in Forest Park (with a fourth thrown in for extra credit) all rolled into one.

For your pain and suffering you get precious forest solitude, fun descents, and a big sense of accomplishment.

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Route Details

I won't sugarcoat it. This route is tough. The climbs are revered and feared even by Portland's best mountain bikers. But in my opinion, the only thing to fear is never getting out there and trying them yourself. The payoffs — both mental and physical — are well worth the effort.

The start of the ride is about 9 miles north of town. Take Highway 30 for about 3 miles north of the St. Johns Bridge, then head left (west) up Harborton Drive. Take your first left and wind your way up to Creston Drive until it dead ends in Firelane 12. Now the climbing begins.

From here you'll climb about 1,000 feet in just over 2 miles before reaching NW Skyline Blvd. You'll start on Firelane 12 then about half way up you'll skip over to BPA Road. The average incline is about 8-9% with several sections nearing 15%, so make sure you've got some very low gears!

When you pop out on Skyline head right (north) for about a 1/2 mile until you see the entrance to Firelane 15 on your right. Now you've got a fun descent all the way back down to the entrance of FL 12.

Now that your legs are warmed up, the next climb is BPA Road (which you'll access from Hwy 30 about 0.3 miles south of Harborton Drive (look for the locked gate on your right).

The next two miles will make you question your sanity. BPA Road is a bear. It has several sustained sections of 18-20% grade. Don't forget to look back toward the highway after a few minutes, because you've earned a pretty sweet view of Multnomah Channel, Kelly Point Park and beyond... And it's @photo[a view](705959) not many people have seen.

This time when you pop out on NW Skyline you'll head south about a half-mile to Newton Road. The @photo[descent down Newton](705960) is some of the best singletrack in Forest Park (even though it's not technically singletrack, it's just a very overgrown and narrow fire access "road").

At the bottom of Newton, just turn your bike around and head back up. When you get back to the trailhead parking lot, pedal south to connect to Firelane 10.

At this point you have conquered the three toughest climbs! Congrats. Take a break. Eat something.

At Firelane 10, you'll get more steep downhilling, then it's time for some extra credit. Before you reach NW Germantown Road, you'll have a few grinds to grunt up.

Once you reach Germantown, you'll head downhill for just a few yards before getting back in the dirt at the trailhead where Leif Erikson ends. @slice[*Use caution crossing Germantown. It's a busy road with sharp narrow turns.*](d,36623.85,36710.93) Ride through the parking lot and onto Leif where it's just a few miles of flats to SW Springville Road. Head downhill and you'll come out on NW Bridge Ave just north of the St. Johns Bridge.

From here it's smooth sailing back home.

Now all there is to do is brag about your ride to all your friends. Nice work!