Wild Cherry Trail Loop

Forest Park has a lot to offer visitors, and at nearly 5,100 acres, just deciding where to start exploring can feel overwhelming.  The Wild Cherry Trail Loop is an excellent introduction to the nation’s largest city park.  The park is a great place to hike in spring when many of its wild flowers are in bloom and the leaves of the alder and maple trees are only just sprouting.  In the height of the summer a full concert of trees, including the western red cedar, Douglas fir and western hemlock, provide a cool, shaded oasis that is perfect for a run along the relatively flat Wildwood Trail.  From the Thurman Street trailhead, continue up the old Leif Erikson road and watch for the Wild Cherry Trail sign.   Either use the trail to connect with the Wildwood Trail, or continue up the hill until the trail becomes the Dogwood Trail and reconnects with Leif Erikson Drive.  Extend the loop by passing the Dogwood Trail and continuing onto the Wildwood Trail until you see the Alder Trail, which will take you back to Leif Erickson Drive.  Turn right to take Leif Erickson Drive back to the trailhead

Other easy introductory hikes include the Lower Macleay Trail Loop, the Springville Trail Loop, and the Ridge Trail.