Hike #31: Mud to Mansions in Dunthorpe

Where can you find the most elegant houses and the muddiest trails?  In SW Portland of course.   Read on to learn more!

Name:  Mud to Mansions in Dunthorpe
Neighborhood: Collins View, Lake Oswego
Distance: 6.23 miles
Rating: Hard
Elevation Change: 426 ft
Start/End Location: Tryon Creek Nature Center
Map Links: Interactive Map

Summary:
This route explores the eastern side of Tryon Creek park starting at the visitor center, and wanders through the communities of Collins View and Dunthorpe.  Along the way you will pass through neighborhoods with stunning mansions, and traverse along trails with exquisite mud.  The optional Birdshill Road loop will take to where you started, but is totally worth it to see the grand houses along the way.

Interactive Map Directions:

• Touch the “Interactive Map” link at the top of this page to launch a web-based version of the route map from your mobile browser (i.e. chrome, or safari).
• Touch the locate me button in the top-left corner of your display to activate a ‘blue dot’ showing your current location
• Your blue dot will now follow the highlighted route from your mobile device!
• Note, you may have to grant permission to allow the application to access location services.

Step-by-step Directions:
From the Tryon Creek Nature Center, head south down the Old Main Trail for .33 miles and turn left onto the Red Fox Trail. After .1 miles, turn left onto the South Creek Trail and after .4 miles turn left onto the Iron Mountain Trail.  You will now be heading east toward the paved pathway along SW Terwilliger Blvd.

Turn right on the paved Terwilliger Trail and then in .18 mile, at Underhill Rd,  you will see a small dirt trail to the left of the paved path that leads out to Terwilliger Blvd.  Cross Terwilliger carefully, walk a few feet on Underhill and then turn right onto Glen Rd.

Continue on Glen Rd and sweep 90 degrees left to Midvale Rd.  After a block turn right back onto Underhill Rd. Continue for another block and turn right onto Birdshill Rd.  As you wander this beautiful loop on Birdshill, toward the end of the loop you will be rewarded with good views to the east.

Loop back to Underhill and turn right onto Underhill, cross Midvale Rd and walk to intersection with Glen Rd.  Turn right on Glen Rd and sweep around to Iron Mountain Blvd where you will turn right.

Stay on Iron Mountain Blvd until you reach Greenwood Rd. Turn left on Greenwood Rd and then right onto Tryon Hill Rd. Walk up to the gate and through to a nice grassy circle. Turn right onto Corbett Hill Cir. and walk out to Military Rd.

Turn left at Military Rd and walk a couple of blocks to turn right on Aventine Circus/Ave.  Pass Aventine Ct and carry on over the muddy, unimproved stretch to Palatine Hill Rd and turn left.

Carefully follow Palatine Hill Rd around the bend to the left, past Tryon Ave and past Esquiline Ave.  At the intersection with Elysium Ave, stay right on Palatine Hill Rd.

Follow the curves of Palatine Hill Rd to enter the Lewis & Clark College area.  When you arrive at the Alumni Gatehouse on the right (a beautiful old building on the Lewis & Clark College Campus) across the street you will see a SW Trails #5 sign and Riverside St.  Turn left on Riverside, and then right onto Terwilliger Pl to Terwilliger Blvd.  Use extreme caution when crossing Terwilliger.  After crossing, turn immediate left onto a paved pathway that goes down steeply.  Take a left at the bottom on the paved path heading south and make your way back to the Tryon Creek State Park entrance road.  Continue a bit past the entrance and take the right-hand trail back to the Nature Center where you started.

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #swtrails to share your very best pictures.

Happy Trails,

SWTrails