Tryon Creek is a great spot to take a walk through nature while still in the City of Portland - it's the less-known southern sister to Portland's Forest Park. And next to Tryon Creek Park is the exclusive Dunthorpe neighborhood, home to Portland's richest residents (actually most of them live in an unincorporated pocket of Multnomah County) and also home to some pricey residential architecture. This walk combines a jaunt through Tryon Creek Park and Dunthorpe, and also takes you through the Lewis and Clark College and Law School campuses. It's 4.6 miles, and includes some moderate up and down topography.
Lewis and Clark Law School began as Northwestern College of Law in the 19th century in a downtown Portland building. The school moved to its current campus in the 1960's when it was acquired by Lewis and Clark College, and it was accredited by the American Bar Association around that time. The school has a beautiful campus nestled adjacent to Tryon Creek State Park and its forest. While the buildings on the north and east end are the original campus, the library and classroom building to the west was completed at the turn of the century. The law school is now solidly in the middle of the U.S. News and World Report law school rankings, and has one of the best environmental law programs in the nation.
This paved trail through Tryon Creek Park is also a designated bikeway, the only trail through the park open to bicycles. While paralleling Terwilliger, very little noise from the roadway will interfere with enjoyment of these forested surroundings.
You will eventually come to a driveway crossing, which is an access road for park maintenance vehicles from Terwilliger. Go straight here. Next you will cross the main access driveway for Tryon Creek park visitors. After the driveway, turn left to follow the bike trail along Terwilliger.
After some more meandering through the forest, the bike trail meets up with Terwilliger, although it is still separated from the roadway by a curb. Soon you will see Iron Mountain Blvd. off to the left of Terwilliger. Iron Mountain Blvd. is also a major roadway in Lake Oswego to the south, and at one point the two sections of this road were destined to meet as the land in between was developed with housing. However, the State of Oregon fortunately intervened and purchased the land that became Tryon Creek State Park. Walking through the steep terrain and many waterways of this park, it's hard to imagine what it would look like today if developed with housing.
Looking across Terwilliger, be sure to take Iron Mountain Blvd., which is the roadway to the right in this picture and not the paved roadway to the left. The roadway to the left is a private drive, not a public right of way, and provides a "back exit" for a fancy residential neighborhood up the slope.
Iron Mountain Blvd. has no sidewalks, but traffic on the roadway is sparse and slow-moving. The homes along the street are a mixture of different styles and ages. This particular home on the left side of the street is one of the newer ones, with an unusual architectural style.
Farther down the street, on the right, is this older colonial style home, on a huge lot with a stately front entrance way.
Iron Mountain Blvd. tees into Greenwood Road. Go left on Greenwood. On the left side of the street is this gated entrance to a grand mansion beyond. The plaque next to the gate indicates that the property is owned by Lewis and Clark College, but its current use is by the school is not readily apparent.
Soon after the mansion turn right onto Tryon Hill Road. Continue on this narrow lane until you get to a gate on the left, which prohibits through vehicle travel, but has a pedestrian bypass. Continue past the gate, and continue up the hill on the narrow lane.
When the lane levels out, you will find yourself in the middle of a private residential community. Turn right and continue past the green open space.
This is Corbett Hill Road. Continue past the grassy common area and go to the end of the road, which is the main vehicular entrance to this private community. Turn left on Military Road. Military is one of two through streets from Highway 43 to the Lewis and Clark College area so it has more traffic, and it also has no sidewalks. So walk carefully - after a few hundred feet there will be a safe area to walk on the right side of the street. But don't worry - "more traffic" still isn't very much in this neighborhood, and the curves in the road mean the cars are most likely going at slow speeds.
The pavement ends, but Aventine Circus continues straight ahead. It's no problem to walk this, but drivers need four-wheel drive to pass this rutted stretch of roadway. At the end of Aventine Circus turn left onto Palatine Hill Road, which is the second of the two through routes up the hill in Dunthorpe. But once again, there really isn't much traffic, and there is room to the side of the road to walk despite the lack of sidewalks.
The pavement narrows to a three-foot width at this point! Blink and you might miss this walkway, which connects two segments of Esquiline Circus. But don't be afraid to take the path - it is located in a public street right of way, so you have as much right to use it as any of the residents along this street. Once to the other side, continue to Comus St., and then turn left.
Originally Albany College (and located in Albany, Oregon), the school moved its entire operation to Portland in 1938, and was gifted with this campus site in 1942, when it changed its name to Lewis and Clark.
The site of the college was originally the 63-acre Frank Estate, and this beautiful home straight ahead was the main house, with 35 rooms. The estate was named Fir Acres.
Continue to the right down the pathway - the estate house will be on your left. You will pass this statue of Sacagawea and her infant son Jean Baptiste. The college website devotes this page to the statue, placed on this spot in 2004.
Continue on the path, and off to the right and down the hill is the beautiful formal Frank Estate gardens, with a view to Mt. Hood on clear day. Take a short detour down the hill if you have the time and enjoy the flora.
Follow the trail and continue until you see the Pamplin Sports Center, which provides the campus with its indoor recreation facilities. The center was built in 1969 and includes the college's home basketball gym, seating over 2,000.
Continue on the pathway until you reach Palatine Hill Road. Take a left, go a short distance, and then cross the street to the right and head down Riverside Street.
Continue on Riverside Street to Terwilliger Place and then turn right. Follow Terwilliger Place to Terwilliger Blvd, cross the street, and you will find yourself back at the Law School at the beginning of the walk.
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