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Macleay Park
Category: Active Life Parks Parks [Edit]
NW 29th Ave & Upshur StPortland, OR 97210
Neighborhoods: Alphabet District, Northwest
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
15 reviews for Macleay Park
15 reviews in English
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Review from Megan L.
12/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a wonderful hike for those all all levels! It was a perfect fall day! Enjoy one of the many hikes here!!!
It is truly amazing how beautiful these trails are!!! -
Review from Raquel S.
Portland, OR
12/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
A MUST in Portland!!! After a long hike, walk to NW 23 and enjoy some great food and drinks!! The location of this park is perfect. Wish I lived in the NW area jut to be near Macleay Park!!!
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Review from Kamila L.
Portland, OR
10/17/2011
This place I am endlessly grateful for. A great escape from the buzz of city, that frazzles me over long periods of time. The air here is so refreshing and the water is the greatest asset to this spot. Listening to the stream...I cannot say enough for this place. Now if only I could find a home nearby. This place keeps a country girl at heart sane in the city.
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Review from amii c.
8/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
A lovely, picturesque trail alongside a small creek. The location is pretty amazing; one doesn't even have to leave the city to feel submerged in a serene forest.
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Review from Jana S.
6/26/2010
Actually, my review is for LOWER Macleay Park, accessible via NW Upshur, was it? And 27th...or 29th? There is a smallish green square sign that will direct you there...
Quite possibly in the running for top 3 parks that I loved hiking or walking in....amazingly able to whisk you away from the city immediately and the height differential from the ground looking up, with the overpass above, and Balch Creek meandering to the right of the trail uphill....the glorious trees and ferns, the birds.....the doggies.
Loved this place, and almost always took guests to visit. Not one missed out on seeing the magic that I did. Don't forget about the adorable and charming stone house about 1/3 of the way up.
Joggers, even lunchtime dude and dudettes in their biz casual taking a walk at lunch.... uber fit Mommies with their indestructible Bob strollers jogging uphill, with the Bob wheels almost challenging "Bring it on!".
Amazing scenery; so lucky to plop right off the end of Alphabet district and Nob Hill, and have this to usher us into Forest Park. Lovely. -
Review from Kimberly V.
Portland, OR
4/13/2008 ROTD 5/23/2008
An excerpt next to a fallen tree trunk, stretched flat across the creek and practically begging the adventurous and foolish hiker to mosey on over.
HE: It'd be awesome if you did it.
SHE: I know. How deep do you think the water gets down there?
HE: Well, you wouldn't die. Actually, you might die because it's pretty rocky. If you fall, fall right.
SHE: Those plants right at the edge? Are those poisonous?
HE: They don't have red, sharp thingies.
SHE: But what if I accidentally step on the plants, get hives, and then fall in?
HE: It'd still be awesome.
SHE: You want me to walk over.
HE: I totally want you to walk over.
Pause. Hiking. Comments on the unexpected tranquility and profusion of mud and moss. Return to the tree trunk.
SHE: I could do it. I just don't think I should.
HE: Maybe for another time.
SHE: Maybe.
This exercise in metaphor has been brought to you by the Lower MacLeay Park, for all your quiet time in the city needs, located just outside of Montgomery Park and the warehouse section of the city. The modern condition never looked so far away.Listed in: Get out of the city and into…
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Review from Tommy T.
6/12/2011
A nice spot to get away from the Yuppiness of NW Portland and nice gateway to Forrest Park. I like to come here during the summer to escape the city heat and relax in this forested paradise. The Stone house is pretty awesome and the park isn't the crowded. Also a nice place to pic nic in the shade underneath the bridge.
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Review from lindsey r.
Austin, TX
8/10/2008
If you trip in the wilderness and no one sees it, does it really count? The answer is no, as long as you didn't skin your knees or muddy your pants. I did some mad trippin' today, and no drugs were needed! (That was a terrible, terrible pun. I apologize.) I feel bad giving less than five stars to something Mother Nature created, so hats off, Mother!
It's hard to believe this is a mere 1.5 miles away from the hubbub and tony area of NW 23rd, but apparently, that's just how this lusciously green city rolls. I keep meaning to map out an actual hike, but instead I just hike until I get tired and then I turn around. Or run back when I realize I have to urinate and there is no way I'm peeing behind that large fir tree when dogs are constantly scampering around.
I enter below the bridge, which is something like 29th and Upshur. There are picnic tables and bathrooms--which, though smelly, are usually not too disgusting.
Weekends are usually pretty hopping with runners and loose dogs, but weekdays are quite tranquil. I had to wonder though, as I walked along completely oblivious to the world with my headphones on, if anyone would hear my cries for help if Bigfoot or some other predatory forest creature devoured me. Probs not.
All in all, a nice way to get in touch with Nature--by yourself or with a friend. Or a mountain lion! -
Review from Sean G.
Portland, OR
2/10/2010 1 photo
I still can't get over the fact that this great creekside hike is mere minutes away from downtown. And it's not just some little stroll along a creek... it's a real life hike. In the woods. With uphills and downhills. With bridges and signs telling you to watch your step. And in the center of it all? A slowly decaying, moss-covered stone building. Just awesome.
Macleay Park is like driving a half an hour out to the gorge for a hike, except without the drive. Admittedly, there are no impressive waterfalls, and little Balch creek can get pretty sad at times, but for getting away from it all it's hard to go wrong at Macleay Park. -
Review from Scrantz L.
Madison, WI
8/1/2008 2 photos
Need a break from the concrete of the city?
get yourself to the Balch creek trail in Macleay park, which is really part of Forest Park. In 232 steps you will be surrounded by greenery and big trees, in a deep mini-gorge with a lovely creek gurgling by. In the spring the creek is bigger (duh) and in the fall very teeny.
What is with those people who can't read the "Keep your dogs on leash at all times to protect the fish" signs???? Do they hate fish? -
Review from Stanley T.
Portland, OR
10/20/2010 3 Check-ins Here
I often use Lower Macleay Park as my gateway to Forest Park (up Balch Creek to Wildwood Trail). Works quite well for me. BTW, the Stone House, pictured here as being in Macleay) is actually in Forest Park.
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Review from Janet L.
3/8/2010
Love this park... you can feel like you're in the wilderness without even having to put on proper hiking shoes. Beautiful trail. Lots of runners and folks walking dogs on a nice day. Lovely place to spend an afternoon. And after you're done it's only a 10 minute walk to the shops and restaurants on and around NW 23rd.
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Review from Lorri E.
Portland, OR
2/10/2008
Serenity in the city. For my 100th review, I wanted to pick someplace special. One of the all-time best close-in parks to get away from it all--while still being within the city--is the MacLeay Park. It is technically probably a part of Washington Park, but is recognized as a standalone park by the City of Portland. This is a little piece of Portland heaven.
What I love:
I love to hike this trail when I get stressed out and want a little taste of NW beauty and nature, without having to drive too far.
Tucked into NW Portland, a mere 5-10 minute drive, you discover this little dirt parking lot off the side of the road. This is one end of the trailhead. The trail is steep in parts, and follows Balch Creek. Which means that the sound of babbling water will usually accompany you on your stroll, and that, my friends, is a very relaxing sound indeed. Keep walking and either branch off to the "Lower" MacLeay trail, or take the "Upper" Macleay trail. Connect to the larger Wildwood trail and hike for miles. At either end of the trails is a park-like area with picnic tables and restrooms.
History lesson (from Portland Parks):
"Danford Balch was the original owner and settler of this area. He arrived in Oregon in 1847 and settled his donation land claim in 1850, carving out a space in the forest for a large cabin for himself, his wife, and their nine children. A nearby claim was taken by the Stump family. The two families did not care for each other. In true Shakespearean fashion, Mortimer Stump, the eldest son of the clan, began courting Anna, the oldest of the Balch daughters. Danford, a peaceful man, warned Mortimer to stay away from his fifteen-year-old daughter, but Mortimer paid no heed. When Anna turned sixteen, she and Mortimer ran away to Vancouver, Washington, where they eloped. Two weeks later, Danford took his shotgun and met members of the Stump family, including his new son-in-law, at the Stark Street Ferry. As the ferry was loading, Danford shot both barrels into Mortimer, who died instantly. Danford claimed the shooting was an accident, but was taken to jail, where he waited until the next spring to be tried. The jail being flimsy, he was able to break out. He hid out in the west hills near his farm until July, when he was re-arrested. In August, he was tried and convicted of the murder. On October 17, 1859 he was hanged at a public gallows in front of over 500 witnesses. The creek that runs through the property bears his name because for years after his hanging people still referred to the area as the Old Balch Place. The property was eventually acquired by Donald Macleay, a prominent Portland merchant. Macleay was an early real estate developer and an investor in railroads. He was president of the Portland Board of Trade in the 1880s. Macleay, a Scotsman, gave the land to the city in 1897 in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Queen Victoria's reign, but that was not the only reason! It is said that Macleay complained that his taxes on the property were too high and that he would rather give his land to the city for park purposes than pay so much in taxes. " (http://www.portlandonl... )
Park hours: 5am - 10pm. Insider's tip--take all valuables and do not leave them in the car, the lot is sometimes subject to vandalism due to it's somewhat remote location. You will likely encounter joggers and dogs on the trail. You are supposed to keep them leashed but many don't. -
Review from Roman S.
4/6/2009
this review is in honor of a great beautiful sunny weekend we just had.
and yes, i spent my saturday enjoying the weather with a small hike.
when the weather is great (or not?) it's a great hike in this park. you walk next to a stream and you feel away from the worries of city life.. the nature is breathtaking and the walk/hike is fun. you can also have your picnic here. 5 stars for being an actual forest (a couple mins away from 23rd) and a great place to get some exercise while enjoying your surroundings. it's also enjoyable to pet the doggies that people bring with them.
small warning: don't go here at night without flashlights.. its' really spooky! (hitting buttons on cell phone for slight illumination doesn't make it any less spooky) -
Review from Joshua M.
3/9/2010 2 photos
This is a pretty nice park and walking trail. I liked the blairwitch-esque ruins of a building (informed it used to be a bathroom) a ways down the trail.
