Trail Facts at a Glance
Name: Upper BPA Road trail
Location: 9235-9213 NW Skyline Blvd, Portland OR 97231
Hours: 5:00 am—10:00pm
Public transit: Not available.
Length: proposed hike is ~2.2 miles round trip
Permitted activities include pedestrian, cycling, and equestrian use on BPA Road. Motorized mobility devices allowed for people with disabilities. Dogs on-leash only.
Prohibited activities include off-leash dogs, fires, drones, motorized vehicles, camping, hunting and fishing, and possession of firearms.
Date of trail assessment: February 28, 2024
Summary
The Upper BPA Road trailhead is an access point for BPA Road, firelanes 12 and 13, and the Wildwood Trail in Forest Park. The closest address is 9235-9213 NW Skyline Blvd, Portland OR 97231. The described hike begins at this trailhead and follows BPA Road until its intersection with Firelane 13. The hike is characterized by rolling hills along a wide road that traverses along a powerline corridor, with occasional, short forested stretches. The powerlines and transmission towers are maintained by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA).
Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R), in partnership with BPA and Metro, has been working to improve pollinator habitat along this powerline corridor. During the spring and summer months, the described hike features blooms of many types of native wildflowers and culminates at a viewpoint of the Willamette River and several Cascade peaks, with picnic benches and pollinator gardens.
The trailhead features a small, sloped gravel parking area that is a pullout on the north side of NW Skyline Blvd. The parking area has space for approximately 6-7 cars and may feature puddles during the wet months of the year. There is a trash can at the trailhead, as well as a gate blocking vehicle access to BPA Road. Use at this trailhead is highest on the weekends and during the warmer, drier months. Several loop hikes are possible from this trailhead. See more information about the rest of Forest Park on the Forest Park webpage.
Location and Arrival
The location of the Upper BPA Road trailhead is approximately 9235-9213 NW Skyline Blvd, Portland, OR 97231. It can be found on Google Maps.
There is limited parking at the trailhead, which features a small, one-way pull-through lot on the north side of NW Skyline Blvd. There is room for approximately 6-7 cars in the parking area. The parking area is a sloped gravel area that may feature some puddles during the wet months of the year. Cars generally park parallel along the north side of the parking area, not nose-in, due to space constraints.
Trailhead Amenities
The Upper BPA Road trailhead features limited amenities. There is a garbage can which is emptied a few times per week by Portland Parks & Recreation staff. There is also a gate at the trailhead along with some signage regarding park rules and allowed uses. The pedestrian opening between the end of the gate and the side of the trail is approximately 21 inches.
Description of Trail
This trail is a park maintenance road that begins immediately beyond the green park gate. This road is used by Portland Parks & Recreation and Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) to maintain powerline transmission towers and the park acreage surrounding this infrastructure. The surface of the road is hard-packed gravel. When under forest canopy, the surface of the road may also feature fallen leaves or fir needles. In areas with less tree cover, the road surface is more exposed and may feature a strip of grass along the middle.
Generally, the road is wide; for the vast majority of the described hike, the road is approximately 7 feet wide. However, at a few places where ruts from vehicle wheels are present, the width of road between ruts may be as narrow as 35 inches.
The road is characterized by rolling hills with maximum slopes of 16% for short stretches of up to 100-300 feet. While it begins in forest and contains occasional forested sections, the road generally traverses a cleared area of the park along powerline towers. There is no notable sound from the powerlines but they are present overhead for significant sections of the described hike. The towers are made up of 2-3 tall wooden utility poles with powerlines running between them. They are brown in color.
In a unique partnership with Metro and BPA, PP&R is working to improve pollinator habitat under these transmission lines, enhancing 166 acres of the park’s most valuable habitat. During the spring and summer months, the described hike features blooms of many types of native wildflowers and culminates at a viewpoint of the Willamette River and several Cascade peaks, with picnic benches and pollinator gardens.
From the parking area to the gate where the road begins, park visitors traverse a slight hill (6% incline) for approximately 15-20 feet. Pedestrians can pass by the gate on the left side (facing into the park), where the opening between the gate and the side of the trail is approximately 21 inches wide.
Beyond the gate, the road is approximately 7 feet wide and generally flat, featuring slopes of no more than 6%. In this stretch the road is within the forest and features significant shade.
At 766 feet beyond the gate, the road traverses a downhill slope of 8-9% for approximately 400 feet before flattening out and eventually entering a clearing where the powerlines and transmission towers are present. Underneath these towers along the entire corridor are native wildflowers cultivated by Portland Parks & Recreation for the benefit of pollinator species.
After entering this clearing at the powerline corridor, the road follows the corridor as it continues downhill at slopes of 15-16% for approximately 560 feet and re-enters the forest. Following a short stretch of flat road at about 1,760 feet beyond the gate, the road continues downhill at a slope of 10-12% until reaching the junction with the Wildwood Trail after approximately 200 feet.
After the Wildwood Trail junction, the road continues mostly flat for approximately 200 feet, when it traverses uphill at slopes of 8-9% for another 200 feet to encounter the powerline corridor again.
At this point, which is approximately 2,500 feet from the gate, the road continues generally flat for about 100 feet, then features another slope of 12% for 100 feet before leveling out again.
At approximately 3,050 feet from the gate, the road features another downhill slope, this time relatively gentle for about 200 feet, then steeper at 11% for about 400 feet until the road intersects with Firelane 12. On this stretch, the road features ruts which constrain the width of the road; the smallest distance between ruts on this stretch of road is 40 inches.
This area is colloquially known by some as Hole in the Park to commemorate acquisition of a 73-acre parcel of land slated for development here that was protected when purchased by Metro, Portland Parks & Recreation, and the Friends of Forest Park (now known as Forest Park Conservancy). After the junction with Firelane 12, the road slopes down again (10-11%) for about 250 feet until reaching a flat stretch about 3,900 feet from the gate.
At 4,000 feet from the gate, the road slopes up again with a maximum grade of 13% for about 175 feet. Ruts along this stretch of road are about 35 inches apart, with some ruts as deep as 6 inches. After this, the slope lessens (to 4%) and the road re-enters the forest at 4,245 feet from the gate. About 300 feet after this, the road exits the forest again with a downhill slope of about 12% until reaching a flat section leading past another transmission tower.
At 4,600 feet from the gate, the road slopes down, this time at 16%, for 100 feet. For the next approximately 600 feet after that, the road is generally flat with some slight upward slopes with a maximum grade of 6.
At about 5,400 feet from the gate, the road slopes up again (10%) for about 100 feet until the junction of BPA Road and Firelane 13. At this point, park visitors should stay on the wide road (do not turn right and follow BPA Road) leading to the top of the hill and another transmission tower.
This uphill slope ranges from 10-12% for about 200 feet before reaching a clearing featuring two picnic tables, two fenced pollinator gardens, and a large transmission tower. This site features views of the Willamette River and Cascade mountains in the distance.
Signage and Wayfinding
The turn to the trailhead on NW Skyline Blvd (from both directions) is marked by a brown sign that says “Forest Park” and includes a picture of a person hiking.
This trailhead features minimal signage at the gate. The existing signs include the following on or adjacent to the gate:
- All pets must be on leashes; please clean up after your pet
- Do not block gate; tow away zone
- BPA Road trailhead sign
- Allowed uses sign: hiking, bicycling, equestrian use
The intersections of other trails or firelanes are marked with wayfinding signage at Wildwood Trail, Firelane 12, and Firelane 13.
At the viewpoint on Firelane 13, the suggested turnaround location for this hike, there is an interpretive sign describing the work that PP&R and partners have done to enhance pollinator habitat in the powerline corridor.
Operations and Maintenance
Portland Parks & Recreation strives to maintain the trailhead, trailhead amenities, trails, and surrounding natural area to provide a safe experience for all users.
Be aware that wind, rain, and high water can leave trails and roads a bit of a mess with hazards like downed trees, landslides, and flooding. Portland Parks & Recreation addresses weather-related impacts as soon as resources allow. Visit Trail Closures and Delays for current information.
Special Features
Some of the seeded native wildflowers along this pollinator corridor include:
- Achillea millefolium (yarrow)
- Acmispon americanus var. americanus (American bird’s foot trefoil)
- Anaphalis margaritacea (pearly everlasting)
- Camassia quamash (common camas)
- Clarkia ameona var. lindleyi (Farewell-to Spring)
- Collinsia grandiflora (giant blue-eyed Mary)
- Collomia grandiflora (large-flowered collomia)
- Danthonia californica (California oat grass)
- Eriophyllum lanatum (Oregon wooly sunshine)
- Festuca roemeri (Reomer’s rescue)
- Gilia capitata (bluehead gilia)
- Lupinus polyphyllus (large-leaved lupine)
- Madia elegans (showy tarweed)
- Madia gracilis (slender tarweed)
- Phacelia heterophylla (varileaf phacelia)
- Plectritis congesta (shortspur seablush)
- Potentilla gracilis (graceful cinquefoil)
- Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata (lance selfheal)
- Sanguisorba annua (prairie burnet)
- Sidalcea campestris (meadow checkermallow)
- Solidago lepida var. salebrosa (Salebrosa goldenrod)
When should you visit this trail to see the best wildflowers?
Check out our guide to bloom times below!
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For information about PP&R's compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II, visit the Portland Parks & Recreation Civil Rights protections webpage.