Forest Park

Forest Park is the largest natural urban forest reserve in the United States, and the 4th largest urban park of any kind in the U.S. My interest in Forest Park comes from my interest in the city. I've lived in NW Portland for a very long time and never actually been in this amazing park/forest that is just a couple of blocks away until this past weekend.

Forest Park is governed by the Portland Bureau of Parks & Recreation. Currently that Bureau is under the management of Commissioner Dan Saltzman (seat No. 3). Under him is the Bureau Director Zari Santer. The Bureau is split into four departments and employs 410 full-time employees who are supported by an additional 2,000 part-time and seasonal employees (in addition to more than 15,000 individual volunteers).

There is also a 14-member, non-administrative board whose role is advisory to the PP&R Director, Commissioner of Parks (Dan Saltzman), and City Council. I mapped out the Bureau in a PDF.

The city website directs people to Friends of Forest Park for trail information. Friends of Forest Park is a non-profit that funds trail maintenance, supports land acquisition, organizes volunteer service, funds habitat restoration, distributes information to the public, and improves and create new Park entrances. The organization is led by Executive Director Michelle Bussard and is forming the Forest Park Conservancy, which will eventually take control away from PPR.

Probably nobody really cares about that. Sorry.

The Entry Points are labeled A to J according this FoFP PDF. My first expedition on Saturday (2/16/08) was at Entry Point I (EP-I) with Curt K., Molly A., and Willow M. On Sunday (2/17/08), Josh B., Steve S. and myself entered at EP-F.

There is a 30 mile trail that runs the length of the entire park. On Sunday we were on the perimeter of the park, which was a paved road. However we left this road to join the Wildwood Trail, which I remember seeing from Saturday.

I have posted pictures on Flickr.