Written by Anders Hart, a NE 7th Avenue resident.

Portland’s bike network relies on neighborhood greenways, which PBOT defines as “low-traffic and low-speed streets where we give priority to people walking, bicycling, and rolling.” This approach works well enough, provided there are greenways connecting point A to point B. One of the most glaring gaps in the city’s greenway network is NE 7^th Avenue, which connects North/Northeast Portland to Southeast via the Blumenauer Bridge across I-84. This corridor has a long history of city-led community engagement, which, while commendable, led to PBOT’s misguided 2019 decision to put a greenway on NE 9^th Ave rather than the more logical choice of NE 7^th Ave. With PBOT updating the 20-year Transportation System Plan (TSP) and changes proposed for Portland Public Schools (PPS) boundaries, now is the perfect time to revisit that decision and designate NE 7^th as a neighborhood greenway.

I live on NE 7^th, so this topic is personal for me. Having lived, biked, and walked in this neighborhood for several years, I’ve come to recognize how important this route is for north-south travel now that the Blumenauer Bridge is complete. I’ve also seen how often drivers aggressively pass people on bikes, routinely fail to stop for people crossing the street, and how much traffic can back up during rush hour. I’ve even been hit by a driver while biking on the street (luckily with only minor injuries).  Seven crashes involving a cyclist and six involving a pedestrian have occurred on NE 7^th between NE Broadway and NE Alberta between 2017 and 2024 per PBOT’s Vision Zero dashboard.

These conditions result from too many drivers using the street as a cut-through route. Traffic counts from December 2025 just south of NE Stanton St recorded 3,400 vehicles using NE 7^th in one day. People biking along NE 7^th have to contend with these vehicles in mixed traffic north of NE Tillamook St, while those on foot are forced to peek around parked cars when crossing traffic to destinations like Irving Park. Parallel bike routes are scarce, with the closest north-south greenways being NE Rodney Ave to the west and the NE 26^th/NE 32^nd Ave Greenway to the east, neither of which offer a way to cross I-84. 

The clear solution is reducing the number of cars on NE 7^th by installing diverters and making it a neighborhood greenway. This process would be relatively simple as NE 7^th already has some existing traffic calming infrastructure in place, such as speed bumps and traffic circles. Additionally, MLK and NE 15^th provide nearby parallel routes for vehicles, with frequent east-west cross streets providing access to homes and businesses. 

As many BikePortland readers know, NE 7^th almost became a greenway as part of PBOT’s Lloyd to Woodlawn project that concluded in 2022. You can read about that process in BikePortland’s excellent coverage here, here, here, and here. The short version of the story is that despite an initial strong showing of support for a greenway on NE 7^th from the Street Trust and the King, Eliot, and Irvington neighborhood associations, PBOT chose NE 9^th as the future greenway after hearing concerns about vehicle access and gentrification from some members of the Black community and other neighbors, some of whom started a petition in favor of putting the greenway on NE 9^th. However, that petition only got 62 signatures, while a different petition in favor of putting the greenway on NE 7^th got 972 signatures. While PBOT’s commitment to inclusivity in the planning process is admirable, I believe the Bureau overreacted to this pressure and scuttled a good project without considering the broader impacts. 

The concerns raised about NE 7^th, while sincere, are certainly not fatal flaws. Restricting vehicle access on NE 7^th would have minimal effects on overall connectivity given the dense street grid and proximity of parallel vehicle routes on NE MLK and NE 15^th. Additionally, research has shown that adding bicycle infrastructure or traffic calming measures has negligible effects on housing prices. Beyond that, NE 9^th makes no sense as a potential greenway, as it is hillier, provides a less direct connection to the Blumenauer Bridge, and runs right into Irving Park. NE 7^th is the obvious choice.

Furthermore, the demographics of the people walking, biking, and rolling on NE 7^th have shifted since the Lloyd to Woodlawn project was completed. The ongoing surge in popularity of e-bikes, e-scooters, and other mobility devices has allowed many more Portlanders to get around car-free, and they frequently use NE 7^th, with an estimated 1,020 daily cyclists using NE 7th near Irving Park in 2025, per PBOT counts. This group includes parents taking kids to daycare in cargo bikes, service workers using Biketown e-bikes or scooters, and even B-Line delivery workers. Even more people likely avoid the street due to the current suboptimal conditions. While a reasonable concern for equity led PBOT to reconsider plans for a greenway on NE 7^th, that same concern should also apply to the Portlanders using NE 7th who can’t afford to drive, are unable to, or choose not to.

So why bring this topic up now? Two major planning efforts are underway that offer opportunities to designate NE 7^th a greenway: the Portland Public Schools (PPS) “rightsizing” project and the Portland TSP update. The proposed PPS changes include moving grades 6-8 from Vernon to Harriet Tubman Middle School, and a greenway on NE 7^th would offer a low-stress route for students traveling to and from Harriet Tubman. The ongoing TSP update also offers an ideal opportunity for PBOT to correct course.  While the draft project list for the TSP currently includes the inefficient and misguided NE 9^th Ave Greenway project (#40116), the Bureau is offering several opportunities to provide feedback, including through an online survey and in-person open houses. I encourage Portlanders who care about safe, livable streets to use these opportunities to join me in encouraging PBOT to make NE 7^th Portland’s next neighborhood greenway.

Anders Hart lives, walks, drives, and bikes on NE 7^th Avenue. He works as a transportation planner.

Guest article submitted by BikeLoud PDX Operations Manager Claire Vlach.

BikeLoud PDX will be hosting District 3 city council candidates at Bike Social Hour on Wednesday, October 28th. Formerly hosted by BikePortland and known as Bike Happy Hour, Bike Social Hour is now hosted by BikeLoud. Wednesday’s event will take place in District 3 on Rainbow Road Plaza (SE Ankeny between 27th and 28th). Drop by any time between 4 and 7pm to chat with the candidates and other attendees. We’ll get on the mic with the candidates at 5:30 and ask them a few questions.

This follows up on work BikeLoud has previously done to keep people who bike informed of our candidates’ thoughts on biking. Because BikeLoud is a 501(c)3 nonprofit we do not endorse political candidates, but we can ask them about the issues we care about and share that information with our members and the cycling community as a whole. As in previous years, BikeLoud sent out a questionnaire to council candidates. We asked them to share their thoughts on the city’s approach to transportation, specific local projects, our trajectory on safety and mode share, their transportation habits, and more. You can see who answered the questionnaire and read their answers here, sorted in two tabs by council district. You can even use this tool, put together by BikeBus PDX volunteer RJ Shepherd, to create your own personal rankings of the candidates to help you figure out how to vote based on your interpretation of their answers– your rankings are private and won’t be shown to anyone. 

BikeLoud also hosted District 4 city council candidates at Bike Social Hour earlier this month. That event took place on October 14th at Migration Brewing’s Pacwest Patio, and was the first time that Bike Social Hour took place downtown. The District 4 candidates who took part in our Q&A were Eli Arnold, Jamey Evenstar, Josh Leake, and John McDonald. Mitch Green and Jeremy Beausoleil Smith both attended the event and spoke briefly but left before the Q&A to attend another event.  

Our purpose in hosting these events and sending the questionnaire is twofold: one is to inform attendees about candidates’ positions on cycling. The other is to show the candidates that people who bike are engaged, vote, and care about the future of this city. Some of the candidates who attend will be elected to City Council and will have the influence to guide Portland in our dual goals of 25% of trips by bike by 2030, and our moonshot goal of having the highest bike mode share in the country. Our voices matter, so please show up, bring your questions and your curiosity, and then, of course, bike to the ballot box to vote.

Following the D3 candidate event, Bike Social Hour will move to our winter location, Migration Brewing at 3947 N Williams. Our first Wednesday back at Migration, November 4th, will feature a special community project in collaboration with Families for Safe Streets. We will be helping create a visually and emotionally impactful pop-up memorial display featuring colored flags, one for each person killed by traffic violence in Portland since 2016. The total number is well over 500, and Bike Social Hour attendees will be invited to help cut out the flags in preparation for the display. The flags will be displayed in conjunction with World Day of Remembrance on Sunday, November 15th.

Bike Social Hour continues to take place every Wednesday. Contact us to suggest a theme night or special guest, or to schedule a joint Bike Social Hour with partner organizations. We are happy to collaborate with you! As always, all ages are welcome at all Bike Social Hours, but first Wednesdays of the month are Family Night, where kids can expect extra activities and more families in attendance. Please come by to build community, hatch ideas, and ride bikes!

Claire Vlach is an urban designer and transportation advocate who believes in the positive role that active transportation plays in our community. She is currently the Operations Manager for BikeLoud PDX.

Hi everyone. It’s been a while since I shared an update on BikePortland and my role in it going forward.

After a lot of thought, I’ve decided to step aside. Stepping aside does not mean stepping away. Like I said a few days ago, the BikePortland website (and social channels) will remain and continue to be a platform. However, I want to be clear that I will not return to my previous role as an active journalist and community concierge.

My goal at this stage is to publish more guest articles and opinions, as well as other light news items and announcements. I am also seeking an intern in the hopes of training someone to grab the handlebars and pedal us forward. Portland still needs quality coverage of transportation, mobility, streets, public space and urbanism. If you or someone you know wants to learn how to do advocacy journalism that puts community first and makes change possible, please reach out and connect with me (maus.jonathan@gmail.com). I’ll share a more formal job listing soon.

I share this with mixed emotions. On one hand, I know in my heart it’s time to move on. On the other hand, I know there’s more work to do, there are more battles to fight, and our community’s advocacy ecosystem is weaker without BikePortland’s voice in the mix. So while I will no longer do that work, I want to help make that work possible.

It took me a long time to share this because doing this work every day was the only life I’d known for 21 years. I wanted to be sure the time was right to move on. And it is!

I’ve started my first season as a college basketball coach and could not be more excited. I’ve been hired as assistant coach for the women’s basketball team at Warner Pacific University (a small school located south of Mt. Tabor off SE Division). As challenging as it is to begin a new career in a completely different community and be “the new guy” at age 51, working around the game of basketball allows me to tap into a passion that’s been buried inside me since I was a teenager. And yes, I know “assistant basketball coach” isn’t the most sensible decision from a career perspective, but neither was starting a bike blog in 2005!

On that note, if you or your organization needs someone with 21 years of experience managing a community media outlet, please get in touch. I’m searching for flexible, part-time work and would love to hear your ideas.

As the next chapter continues, I can’t even describe what doing BikePortland has meant to me. All the people, stories, events, controversies, tragedies and triumphs. I gave everything I could to this community and to BikePortland. Yes, I made some mistakes, but I am very proud of what we built. And for better or worse, all my ideas, decisions and opinions remain part of the public record — as long as you don’t mind clicking through thousands of comments and stories!

And finally, I deeply appreciate all of my subscribers and supporters. There were so many moments when I needed to know people had my back, and the well of support you’ve provided has meant everything. I hope you stick around to help maintain this library-like archive of community information and inspiration — and help BikePortland transition into its next chapter with me in an advisory role.

Stay tuned, thanks for reading, and I’ll see you in the streets (and gyms)!

(Story by Tom Howe)

The Davis Graveyard has been a long-term, Portland-area Halloween venue, and is celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year. If you are not familiar with it, this is not an actual graveyard, but a house with a large yard containing nearly a hundred creatively named tombstones — which just so happens to be located a mere two blocks from the Springwater Corridor path.

The yard also has a giant crypt, a funeral carriage, statues, and other displays related to Halloween. All of this is made of EPS foam that is given a weathered appearance to resemble real stone. The headstone inscriptions are hand-carved and painted to really stand out. It’s definitely worth a visit, and here’s how you can get their by bike…

The graveyard is located slightly below the border between Portland and Milwaukie. If riding directly to the graveyard from central Portland, cross Johnson Creek Blvd and use the sidewalk on the east side to go the two blocks to the graveyard at 8703 SE 43^rd Ave. Although Johnson Creek Blvd is a bikeway in this area complete with bike lanes, it is a busy street making it difficult to make the left turn into the graveyard directly from the street.

But instead of taking the Springwater directly to the Davis Graveyard, I recommend riding the 7.3-mile Ride with GPS route highlighted in this article. This route starts at Sellwood Park and goes through the Sellwood-Moreland, Ardenwald, and Lewelling neighborhoods on the way to the graveyard. These neighborhoods are known for their high density of Halloween displays, and the route has about thirty markers for the most highly decorated homes. But in total there are around 200 houses along the route with Halloween decorations of some sort.

Besides the Davis Graveyard there are two other long-term Halloween houses that have their own web presence. These are named Dismal Hill Cemetery and Flye Manor. The latter is the house furthest east on the route, but it is not to be missed, being one of the most-decorated locations in the entire Portland area. The three singing pumpkins are cool with their video-projected faces, and there are a huge number of other creative displays and pumpkins at Flye Manor.

This bike route is notable for having three bike/pedestrian cut-throughs, so it cannot be driven as shown by an automobile. Two of the cut-throughs (at SE Sherrett St and the Glover St Alley) end at a curb that has a very narrow spot to ride through, so it’s safest to hop off the bicycle to negotiate the curb. The third cut-through is two blocks long and named Parsons Path. This used to be a gravel path but is now paved. The path is narrow and widely used by students to reach the Ardenwald Elementary School. If you encounter a pedestrian, stop and pull as far to the side as possible to let them pass. The middle of Parsons Path crosses SE Filbert Street, which has several Halloween decorated houses right at that crossing in both directions.

Near the end, the 7.3-mile route intersects Johnson Creek Blvd just a block from the Davis Graveyard. As mentioned earlier, use the sidewalk for that last block to the graveyard.

This article covers just three neighborhoods of the dozens that exist in the Portland area. Feel free to share in the comments about other Halloween houses that are worth seeing by bike. And enjoy your spooky cycling!

If you have an opinion on something, a big idea to share, or a recap of a ride, meeting, or event, I’d love to publish it here on BikePortland. I’m even open to news stories and press releases.

This site has always been a platform for our community, and I’d like to keep it that way — even as I step away. I’ve had many folks reach out with guest article ideas and submissions already. Thank you! If you’d like to join them and see your words and photos (heck, I’d even share your video if you’ve got one) on these pages, feel free to reach out. As longtime readers know, the editorial scope of BikePortland has always been very broad. I’m interested in almost anything that impacts our relationship to mobility, public space, streets, and so on.

You can contact me at maus.jonathan@gmail.com with submissions.

When it comes to editorial guidelines, here are a few thoughts:

• A length of about 500-800 words is great. Longer is possible if the writing is strong and the subject warrants it.
• Please don’t use AI.
• Include direct hyperlinks to other sources.
• Photos can be shared as attachments via email.
• Promoting yourself/your company/your product is OK, up to a point. I have always used this platform to help local businesses, makers, entrepreneurs succeed.
• Include a 1-2 sentence bio about yourself and a recent headshot.

In addition to posting here, I would also consider sharing your words and photos to our many readers on social media.

With your help, we can keep this platform alive and well. Please consider sharing an article and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

This is the latest installment in Shawne’s Adventures, a somewhat regular column where Tigard resident (and Portland legend) Shawne Martinez shares his carfree adventures — most of which he does with his young (fourth grade) daughter Eliza.

All of our 2026 Summer weekends were booked months in advance. We were so busy with birthdays, events, shows, work and family visits that we didn’t have time to go mountain biking on Mt. Hood or check out do something we’ve had on our list for a long time: explore Cedar Park in Sandy. Then school started and October rolled in. But, thanks to these (human-caused climate change-induced) 80-degree October days, we’ve gotten an extension on summer.

So this past Sunday was wide open for another carfree bicycle adventure with my little one. Let’s go to Sandy, Oregon!

It was tough to get the kiddo out of bed at 6:00 am on a Sunday, but she later agreed that it was worth it. We grabbed our “park bikes” (BMX style bikes for riding at skate parks and pump tracks) and barely made it in time to catch the Line 12 bus to Portland. We wear our regular bike helmets on the street for better visibility and hearing, but bring our full-faced helmets with us in backpacks for the track. Jumping on the FX2 bus downtown is so nice with rear door boarding that leads directly to the bike racks inside the bus. One more transfer at Gresham Transit Center onto the SAM bus to Sandy and we were eating morning donuts at Joe’s without ever having to worry about driving, fueling or smelling a car. (I guess we did have to smell some stinky giant diesel pickup trucks, though.) 

Biking just four blocks north from the donut shop and we were at Cedar Park! I was expecting just a pump track, but there is also a skate park, playground, walking path and bathrooms. This is a big space! Rolling in early, there were just a few people there. We strapped our pads on, swapped helmets and aired up our tires before hitting the track. 

Pump tracks are a great workout! Using your full body to pump the bike forward and backwards through the rolling hills of the asphalt track, you can sustain forward motion without ever having to pedal. There’s an advanced course with wooden ramps for getting air and a smaller kid sized pump track. After the first hour, the place started getting more crowded. It was so cool to see so many people sharing the same space while riding skateboards, bicycles and scooters. Everyone got along, took turns and looked out for each other. My kiddo was getting more confident, learning how to launch out of one of the banked turns. A friend from Portland showed up and we started talking.

I looked over at the track just in time to see the rear wheel of my daughter’s bike flying through the air as the bike flipped forward followed by a shrieking scream. “She just crashed!” I exclaimed as I pedaled as fast as I could through the track and around a berm. My kiddo was on the ground, leg through the triangle of the bike frame and screaming so loud! I carefully moved the bike and tried to calm her while my friend helped. My first-aid training kicked in, and I did a quick assessment. She was very upset and in a lot of pain, but it seemed that it was nothing serious. We pulled all of her gear off and let her calm down on the grass. Having a full-faced helmet, knee pads and elbow pads made a huge difference here. She had some abrasions on one knee (from impact through the pad) and a big bruise on her thigh from getting tangled in the bike frame and impacting the ground. 

After many minutes relaxing in the shade, it was time to call it a day and head out to grab lunch in town. There was much limping at first, but after noodles at Double Dragon and a lollipop, we jumped back on the SAM, FX2 and the 12 to get back to Tigard.

There are a few different ways to travel between Gresham and Portland using public transit. You can take the MAX or the 9 bus, but we like the bike racks inside of the bendy buses. 

I’m always looking for ways to make Tigard more walkable and bikeable. Knowing that bikes mean business, I think about the bike tourism dollars that we left in Sandy this weekend. I want that for Tigard. After years of volunteering with the Tigard Transportation Advisory Committee and Climate Action Tigard, I’m ready to take my advocacy to the next level by running for Tigard City Council! I would love to bring a pump track to Tigard. Let’s make it happen! Thanks for joining us on another car-free bike adventure. See you out there! 

This article is by consummate mobility advocate Ryan Hashagen. Learn more about his work with Better Block PDX here.

A stretch of road on South Sheridan Street now has a safer route for people walking and biking. The recently completed project, known as Better Sheridan, grew out of a proposal from students, parents and administrators at the International School of Portland (ISP). The goal was straightforward: create a safer way for students, staff and other pedestrians to travel through a part of the South Waterfront neighborhood where sidewalks had abruptly ended. 

The implementation of the first phase of the project was celebrated last week with a back to school community bike bus that brought together hundreds of International School students, families, faculty, staff, neighbors and community partners. 

Councilor Olivia Clark’s office provided financial backing for the project, stating  “My office proudly invested $70,000 to the Portland Bureau of Transportation in support of street safety projects like this one. Everyone plays a part in kids traveling to and from school safely. Our streets are safer and work better when we all use them correctly.”   

The project was also made possible thanks to a two-year collaboration among International School children, parents, and administration; Portland State University Urban Planning and Civil Engineering Capstone students, neighborhood organizations, and the Portland Bureau of Transportation. The collaboration was coordinated by Better Block PSU, a partnership between PSU’s Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) and Better Block PDX, a non-profit that promotes grassroots community placemaking and traffic safety projects. 

“This morning, hundreds of students, families, faculty, staff, neighbors, and community partners came together to celebrate Phase I of Better Sheridan with one HUGE Bike Bus,” said Bodo Heiliger of the International School of Portland, during last week’s event. “Bikes, scooters, balance bikes, trikes, and lots of cheering. A pretty perfect Portland morning.” 

The celebration marked the culmination of a project that began through the Transportation Research and Education Center’s (TREC) Better Block PSU program at Portland State University. Urban planning students studied the corridor as part of a bike and pedestrian planning course, while civil engineering capstone students later developed a traffic-control plan for the project. PBOT then worked with the students and the community to turn the concept into a quick-build project. 

The result is an advisory sidewalk and bike lane along South Sheridan Street that creates a connection between South Moody Street (where streetcar, light rail and the Tilikum Crossing come together) and South Water Street near the International School and other offices. 

For students and employees walking through the area, the improvement addresses a longstanding gap in the neighborhood’s transportation network. The project also gave International School students an opportunity to participate in shaping their communities. 

“At ISP, we want our students to see themselves as active participants in their communities, working to make the world a better, safer, and more peaceful place,” Heiliger added. 

South Sheridan is an unusual piece of Portland’s street system. The road runs beneath what was once Harbor Drive, the waterfront freeway that was removed in the 1970s. A remnant of the former highway remains, including an off-ramp that directs vehicle traffic into the surrounding neighborhood. 

Today, the area is surrounded by major transportation infrastructure, including I-5 and the Fremont Bridge. It is also home to the ISP and is used daily by hundreds of students, staff and Oregon Health & Science University students and employees. 

Before the project, South Sheridan did not have a continuous sidewalk on either side of the street. Pedestrians—including schoolchildren and OHSU students and

nurses—were forced to navigate a corridor designed primarily around vehicle movement. 

The Better Sheridan project brought together a wide range of participants. ISP families and administrators helped develop and advance the idea, while the school worked with OHSU, the South Portland Neighborhood Association and the Downtown Neighborhood Association to build community support. 

At Portland State, students in urban planning and civil engineering took the project through successive stages of research and design. Faculty and instructors involved included Drusilla van Hengel, Derek Abe, Evan Kristoff, and myself, Ryan Hashagen.  

The Better Block PSU Project Pathway is supported by TREC – the Transportation Research and Education Center – led by Jennifer Dill and John MacArthur, with Nathan McNeil as the Better Block PSU liaison. 

The project was eventually handed to PBOT staff, including project managers and traffic engineers William Tabajonda and Patrick Wong, who worked on the design and implementation. Other PBOT staff involved included Liz Hoekstra, Scott Cohen and Abra McNair. 

For Heiliger, the project demonstrates what can happen when students, educators, government agencies and community members work together around a shared idea. 

“Better Sheridan is a beautiful example of that mission in action,” he said. “People across our school, city, universities, and neighborhood working together to make our little corner of Portland safer, more connected, and more joyful.” 

What began as an idea from ISP students ultimately became a built project—giving pedestrians and cyclists a safer way through a corridor shaped for decades by Portland’s highways, ramps and other large-scale infrastructure.

This article is by our resident route master and ride leader Tom Howe. See more of his fun local routes here.

We know how Portland loves its crows… and soon there’s going to be an animated movie about them called Wildwood. What does all this have to do with bicycling and Portland? Well, quite a bit! 

The film’s storyline takes place in Portland. In the trailer for the movie, the main character (named Prue) sets out on a rescue mission by bike, with her friend Curtis tagging along. They are determined to find her baby brother after he’s flown away by a large number of crows. Their journey takes them through the streets of Portland and deep into the mysterious Wildwood Impenetrable Forest – a fantastical landscape reminiscent of Portland’s Forest Park, with what looks like hints of inspiration from the Columbia River Gorge. Along the way, they encounter challenges beyond anything they could have imagined as they follow the trail of the crows deeper into the unknown.

As part of a wonderfully creative marketing campaign, LAIKA (the company that made the film) has once again teamed up with local artists and community sponsors, following in the tradition of the beloved Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail statues. This time, 30 larger-than-life, six-foot-tall CROW statues, each uniquely painted and crafted from steel and fiberglass, have taken wing and landed in locations across Portland.

While there is a free paper map (or a $1.49 app) to help you track them down, finding all 30 crows by bike is its own Portland adventure with one-way streets, busy intersections, and sporadic bike paths. It takes a little planning to get from one crow to the next safely, so I’ve created five Ride with GPS routes for self-guided adventures, allowing you to explore at your own pace. I’ll also be leading several fun group rides in collaboration with BikeLoud PDX to help others come ride, explore, and discover something new! 

NOTE:  The crow statues will be removed from their various locations on October 30. On the weekend of October 31 to November 1, all 30 statues will be displayed together at the Darcelle XV Plaza on Harvey Milk Blvd.  They will be auctioned on November 15th at Lewis & Clark College with proceeds supporting the OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

Ride With GPS Self-Guided Routes

• Wildwood – 25 Crows Downtown – visit all 25 in Downtown on this 9.6-mile route starting at OMSI and taking you back to Steel Bridge.

Or split into two parts of 13 and 12 crow sculptures each. 

•  Wildwood Part 1 – Thirteen Crows Downtown – 5.0-mile route starting at OMSI and ending at Pioneer Courthouse Square. 
•  Wildwood Part 2 – Twelve Crows Downtown – 4.6-mile route that starts where Part 1 left off at Pioneer Courthouse Square and ends at the Steel Bridge. 

The remaining crows are located further out, with 3 statues in the West Hills and 2 statues in North Portland.

• Wildwood – 3 Crows West Hills – a challenging route! Includes 5.7 miles riding with 800-foot elevation gain plus a 1.5 mile 500-foot elevation change hike on the well-maintained Wildwood Trail to the Bird Alliance (note: bicycles are NOT allowed on the Wildwood Trail, either riding or walking the bike).  Route starts at Lincoln High School, goes to the International Rose Test Garden, and then to the Pittock Mansion before looping back to Lincoln High School in downtown Portland. The Pittock Mansion has bike racks for locking bikes if you do the trail walk.

• Wildwood – 2 Crows North Portland – a 6.8-mile bidirectional route starting at the crow near the Moda Center and ending at the crow at the St. Johns Library. It mainly follows the North Greeley Multi-Use Path and Willamette Boulevard to get to St. Johns.

Group Rides (organized by BikeLoud PDX): 

The downtown route has been split into two parts for Family-Friendly mileage, and will be duplicated on multiple dates:

• Sunday, Sept 6th 1pm start @ OMSI – Part 1 to 13 crows, ends at Pioneer Square. Ride details on Shift Calendar.
• Sunday Sept 6th 2:30pm start @ Pioneer Square – Part 2 to 12 crows, a continuation of Part 1 ending at  the Steel Bridge. Ride details.

After the movie release on October 23rd, we’ll repeat it: 

• Sunday, October 25th 11am @ OMSI – – Part 1 to 13 crows, ends at Pioneer Square. Ride details.
• Sunday, October 25th 1:30pm @ Pioneer Square – Part 2 to 12 crows, a continuation of Part 1 ending at the Steel Bridge. Ride details.

To close out this article, I’d like to quote the question the movie trailer asks us, “How far would you go for those you love?” Putting a cyclist’s twist on it: “How far will you ride for the things you love?” …For the love of crows, the love of art, love of Portland – or simply for yourself. Sometimes the best way to discover what you love is to simply ride toward it.

This article is by Portland resident Carissa Conklin.

I have a faint memory of being a young girl learning to ride a bike in the church parking lot. Falling more than once on the uneven gravel. 

With only the encouragement of my parents and older siblings, which was more like tough love, I refused to give up until I could balance on those two wheels. I remember feeling proud of the matching scrapes on my knees that proved I worked for it. 

Since then, my only riding experience has come few and far between. I’ve never owned a bike of my own. 

All of that changed this June when I walked into Something Cycles in Portland, Oregon on a Friday afternoon to purchase my first adult bike. 

I have wanted to get a bike ever since I moved to Portland last June from the coast. I observed friends in the cycling community and was always curious about the glow that seems to permanently radiate around them. 

My life had other plans for me, though. 

That July, I started to care for my mother in Eastern Oregon during the last weeks of her life. In August of 2025, my beautiful, incredibly caring mother passed away after a very long and difficult decade-long battle with terminal cancer. I will never be able to put into words what it is like to witness the loss of my mother. I remember moments sitting on the couch with her, showing her bikes on Facebook Marketplace, and telling her that I would be getting a bike soon. It feels good to know that she was a part of the beginning stages of my bike journey. 

But after her passing, the intense pain and out-of-this-world loss made it impossible to think about bikes. I decided to let myself walk all of the roads of grief that felt easiest — cheap and free dopamine — I drank tequila, I rolled joints, I avoided moving my body. It felt easier to replace my healthy habits with ones that made the pain a little less jarring. 

And then came a new year. After several months of gloom, the magic of a Portland summer presented itself to me. I don’t believe it was just one thing… I think it was a lot of little things that really pushed me out of the darkness.  Lying on the lawn at Irving Park and watching the trees sway in the breeze. Shooting hoops at the basketball courts. Finding a sports bar in SE with the perfect vibe. Whatever it was, I was determined to get myself a bike and experience all that Portland has to offer. To get that glow I have always envied.

I tried Facebook Marketplace. I thought since this would be my first adult bike, I might as well not spend too much money. 

To be real, I have maybe ridden a bike once or twice since the age of ten. I didn’t know anything about anything. I read Reddits. I talked to friends. I stalked bike people’s Instagrams. 

I was influenced by someone who said, “Facebook Marketplace is a great place for a used bike, but if you know nothing about bikes, it might not be the easiest place to start.” 

Finally, one of my friends, Dave Coyne (*shoutout* co-owner of Obelisk Brewery in Astoria, Oregon), told me about Something Cycles on East Burnside, run by Nicholas Sorenson. 

When I walked into Something Cycles, I was greeted by Nick and his adorable shop dog. I told him that I knew nothing about bikes but was ready to jump in. He showed me his lineup, and I don’t know who picked who, but I decided to go with a 90s refurbished MTB. A Specialized “Hard Rock.” 

I knew how cool my bike was the minute I saw her. Nick encouraged me to take her back to the parking lot and give her a ride before committing. And, quite frankly, I was shocked I even remembered how to ride. 

I did one solid lap and knew she was mine. Nick kindly added a rear rack and mounted some new lights on her, and I was on my way… 

I loaded her into the back of my RAV4 and took her immediately to my aunt and uncle’s to show her off. My aunt wanted to name her immediately. I told her I needed more time to get to know her before I was ready to give her a name. 

There is nothing quite like the first few rides on a bike. My hands were positioned on the brake levers at all times. The solid stops at every stop sign, even when there wasn’t a car in sight. The obsession over whether my saddle was at the right height. 

I am not going to lie, the first few rides, I thought to myself, “Did I make a huge mistake in getting into this?” And then, one evening after work, I rode my bike to Irving Park, and laid in the lawn like I have so many times. Except, this time, I had my bike leaned against a tree beside me, and the breeze felt just right. 

That night on my ride home, I felt a little more confident, and I swear the wind whispered in my ear and told me that my bike’s name was ‘Sasha.’ She has been Sasha ever since. 

Personally, the greatest gift biking has given me is the grounding human experience that being on a bike provides. I love how present I feel on the bike. I am more in tune with what is going on around me. I don’t feel a stick on the road if I am driving my car. I don’t huff and puff going up a hill when I drive. It’s nice to be closer to reality and the ground I am crossing. In a way, it taps me into the world in another way, it unplugs me from the matrix. At times it feels like magic. 

Since purchasing Sasha, she has rarely left my side. I have only stored her in my apartment’s bike garage for three days while hosting my sister, nephew, and their dog Birdie in my one-bedroom apartment. I was sad not to see her in her designated spot, perfectly propped up against a closet right next to my work desk. I find myself more comfortable when she is around. 

I’ve added a chartreuse-colored handle stash cup holder to her handlebars and changed out her saddle for a B17 Brooks classic leather. A set of Shimano PD-GR500 Flat Platform Pedals have been ordered and are on the way. 

In the future, I may shorten her handlebars by 20mm on each side and change out her quill stem to an angled option, raising her handlebars by a good inch (all tips given to me by Jason at Endurance PDX, who offers professional bike fittings). I plan on putting some Velo Orange 26” Snakeskin Fenders on her, and will change out her grips for an ergonomic style, but those are projects for another day. 

This April, Sasha and I are headed to Ireland. I booked the trip for the week of my mother’s birthday. I can honestly say that getting into cycling has helped me on my grief journey. 

Life is made easier from the view of a bike. It forces you to be in the present moment and connected to your soul in a real way. Every time I ride my bike, I know my mom’s energy rides with me and I am grateful.

Whoever wants to get into biking but hasn’t been able to commit to it yet, let this be a source of encouragement. I know you won’t regret it. 

— Carissa Conklin is a proud Oregon Coast native currently living in the Irvington neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. When Carissa isn’t biking or writing she enjoys many of the simple pleasures life has to offer: strong coffee, farmers markets, and a good jigsaw puzzle.

This guest article comes from Joshua Rebennack, a trail builder and advocate for urban mountain biking who lives in Central Minnesota. He’s presented to local trail groups and has previously shared two guest articles.

***

A titch over ten years ago, Portland launched the Off-Road Cycling Master Plan (ORCMP). As BikePortland noted at the time, “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.” After years of false starts, bans by fiat, and protest rides, advocates hoped it would finally deliver real urban mountain biking.

Did it? A decade later, where does Portland stand? On its own and in comparison to peer cities nationwide?

How This Started

This all starts with the River View Natural Area master planning process. After the City bought the property, mountain biking was allowed on existing trails, and the Northwest Trail Alliance (NWTA) even began maintenance with the City’s blessing. But during that master planning process, the shenanigans started.

The City imposed an unnecessary “interior space” rule on the 146-acre site (unnecessary since wildlife impact zones actually exceed the park’s physical dimensions) and designed unsafe, amateurish loops. When this didn’t deter mountain bikers, Commissioners Amanda Fritz and the late Nick Fish banned biking entirely, ensuring the final plan excluded it.

The protest rides and media campaign that followed were surprisingly well coordinated. Mainstream outlets highlighted Portland’s undemocratic meddling and its pattern of blocking mountain bike access. As the brouhaha persisted, Mayor Charlie Hales authorized $350,000 for a citywide master plan, the ORCMP, to be overseen by the Bureau of Environmental Services, given Parks’ long history of anti–mountain bike bias.

Things Do Not Go as Planned

Almost immediately warning signs appeared. The city selected Toole Design Group and Hilride (now defunct) as consultants, neither experienced in citywide urban mountain biking, shared-use singletrack, or the management methods used by the cities that had created trails systems in the decade prior.

The problem deepened when the City failed to vet Project Advisory Committee applicants, allowing anti-mountain bikers to be included. One member, married to a vocal opponent, reportedly shared non-public committee communications with anti–mountain biking groups.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the ORCMP meetings bordered on farce at times. Time was wasted discussing cartoon graphics and abstract equity debates while core issues – shared-trail safety, environmental impacts, and lessons from cities that had already addressed these challenges – were routinely sidelined.

The final blow came with last-minute additions of go/no-go trail areas, specific layouts, and the removal of potential sites. As a trail designer, I can say plainly: none of this belongs in a citywide plan. Such plans should rank and prioritize locations, not dictate designs.

Audio from the meeting where these changes were introduced, and when committee member Kelsey Cardwell questioned them, is difficult to hear. Consultants and staff responded with opaque explanations that amounted to: “We’ve decided. Accept it.”

Even with these negatives, the ORCMP could have been amended or succeeded to reflect nationwide best practices. Sadly, we do not live in that timeline.

The unamended ORCMP languished for seven years before its adoption in March 2023.

NWTA executive director Lisa Olivares said at the time that they “look[ed] forward to continuing our work to support growth in off-road cycling opportunities as presented in the plan.” It’s hard not to be cynical about this statement. While it may be an attempt to find a silver lining, it feels more like a capitulation.

Regardless, one fact remains: a decade after the ORCMP began (and eleven years after the River View Natural Area debacle) Portland’s mountain biking access remains essentially unchanged. While the NWTA often points to Gateway Green as a recent success, that example predates the ORCMP, having been planned in 2015.

What Everyone Else Has Been Doing

Cities other than Portland have not been sitting on their hindquarters during the last ten years. Just a few examples:

• Seattle, WA faced many of the same challenges as Portland – vocal opposition, skeptical officials, and past missteps – yet a small group spent the past decade building political capital to create the Cheasty Greenspace demonstration trail system. Though the demonstration runs through 2027, it has already undercut anti–mountain biking claims and positioned advocates to advance additional projects citywide.
• Des Moines, IA, hardly known for mountain biking, saw a local group raise funds, win over land managers, defeat well-funded neighborhood opposition, and build a widely praised trail system.
• In St. Louis, MO, after years of city resistance, a single advocate partnered with a small Friends group and a local alderperson to secure approval for a one-mile shared-use demonstration trail. Though modest, it became the city’s first, quickly shifting the conversation and prompting discussions of expansion.

There are many other examples, including cities where creating urban trails is easier. The above cases were selected because they required sustained effort, defeating organized opposition, and a willingness to challenge the city directly. Each involved small groups focused on urban singletrack. And every one of them accomplished what Portland has not in the past decade: expanding mountain bike access.

Why Is Portland So Far Behind?

The question is how Portland, already a decade (or more) behind in 2016, could fall another decade behind by 2026. There are three main reasons:

1. The ORCMP was a trap. Despite the fanfare, the ORCMP has functioned more as a procedural façade than a true plan. It allows the City to claim progress without meaningfully expanding access. That is not just my viewpoint. In a November 22, 2017 guest article, NWTA warned the plan “falls far below” peer cities, excludes most parks while claiming to be comprehensive, and is “absurd.” They called for revisions and partial rewrites. None occurred.
2. NWTA legitimized a broken process. Given its own criticisms, NWTA’s later endorsement of the same plan is puzzling. Doing so granted unwarranted legitimacy and locked future designs into a framework it found inadequate. The result of the NWTA doing their best Pétain impression is that they are now defenders of a policy that actively disenfranchises their own members.
3. The Portland Bubble blocks learning. Many lament Portland’s lack of urban mountain biking while ignoring lessons from other cities. Whether from hubris or ignorance, both City staff and local advocates have resisted proven solutions, ultimately strengthening the arguments against urban mountain biking. For instance, during the ORCMP process opponents were somewhat successful in framing urban mountain biking as overly impactful and dangerous. In reality, cities have integrated mountain biking into parks, including natural areas and urban wildernesses, for decades. All while ensuring safe sharing. If you’re unwilling to learn how other cities do that, how can you respond to the false claims made by opponents?

How to Change the Status Quo

If Portland wants real urban mountain biking access, here are three steps to achieve that goal:

1. Force a reckoning with the ORCMP… or the NWTA. The NWTA should condition its continued support for the ORCMP on meaningful amendments and a credible implementation plan. If those cannot be secured within a reasonable timeframe, it should publicly withdraw its support and begin organized advocacy and protests. If the current board is unwilling to do so, new leadership may be necessary. Either way, accountability must be non-negotiable.
2. Start small, win early, then scale. Forest Park is the obvious focal point for mountain biking access. But without proven shared-use and conservation practices, expanding access there would be a difficult uphill battle. That is why most cities begin with demonstration trails: small networks that refine management, build trust, and prove outcomes before expanding. Seattle and St. Louis followed this model; Portland should do the same. It’s tempting to chase the biggest prize first. But demonstration trails would make larger projects much easier by proving Portland’s anti-mountain-bikers to be the grifters and charlatans they are.
3. Break the bubble. If Sioux Falls outperforms Portland in urban singletrack, it is time to acknowledge something has gone horribly wrong. Admitting that truth is the first step toward learning. With outside knowledge, Portland can leverage its unique advantages to build some of the best trails in the nation. But that can’t happen until the bubble is broken.

Some might suggest that any criticism of NWTA is unfair, regardless of how gentle it may be, pointing to successes like Stub Stewart or Rocky Point. But those are beside the point. The real issue is urban access, where little has changed since 2015. Unfortunately, through their accepting the strictures the ORCMP imposed, the NWTA shares responsibility for its failures, and it’s fair to discuss that fact.

Some argue that comparisons to other communities are invalid because Portland is unique. However, others see differences as opportunities to adapt, not excuses to dismiss proven ideas. Advocates in Ridgeland, MS, for example, did not have a one-to-one comparable location. But they built a great trail system because they focused on the “how” and didn’t waste time comparing others to themselves. 

An Extended Helping Hand

Ten years ago, I gave Portland’s first Knobbies in the Neighborhood presentation.

It addresses the key public concerns head-on:

1. Designing shared-use trails that are safe, enjoyable, and serene for hikers and mountain bikers.
2. Understanding environmental impacts and management practices that minimize or eliminate them.
3. Implementing club- and land manager-led models that reduce municipal costs, lower administrative burdens, and support park restoration.

If it is so valuable, why didn’t it have more impact ten years ago? Two reasons seem likely:

First, the ORCMP was about to begin. At the time, it seemed like the long-awaited cure for Portland’s anti-mountain bike bias. Few imagined it would instead become another opportunity for the City to pull the football away. Or that another decade would pass without a single iota of progress.

Second, the broader urban trail landscape looked very different. Expansive citywide trail systems in places like Knoxville, Bentonville, and Duluth were still under development, and most cities were only beginning to build their first networks. In that environment, it was easy to dismiss ideas from “outsiders.”

But times have changed. The decade hence has shown the ORCMP to be a failure. Meanwhile, a third wave of urban trail building is underway, with many cities now deep into developing expansive, high-quality systems.

Although the NWTA seeks true urban singletrack, that is arguably less possible than in 2015 because the ORCMP conflicts with national standards and best practices while limiting locations. But just reforming (or even abandoning) the ORCMP will not be enough. Portland must start building what other communities already have: mountain-biker-built singletrack designed for shared use.

This is a proven model. For instance, Duluth’s 103-mile urban network, built by mountain bikers for mountain bikers, is embraced by all. Greater Minnesota Regional Parks and Trails found the system has a roughly 60/40 male-female split, with 25% of users under 18 and 43% hiking rather than cycling – usage demographics Portland Parks would envy. 

The problem is that proposals (before and after the ORCMP) and local trail construction have consistently overlooked the safety measures, environmental mitigations, management strategies, and best practices required for shared-use singletrack. That suggests Portland-area advocates still lack a clear understanding of what’s required.

Therefore, it seems obvious that what is needed is a discussion of the exact points covered in Knobbies in the Neighborhood. And this time, maybe there will be a more accepting attitude.

The next step is easy: host another Knobbies in the Neighborhood presentation in Portland. It would take only an invitation, a venue, with city officials, staff, advocates, and the public in the room. Ideally, NWTA would host it, but any Portland based group serious about urban singletrack could.

In Conclusion

The reality is straightforward: the ORCMP could have sparked real momentum for urban singletrack in Portland. Instead, consultant influence, citizen advisory decisions, and last-minute cloistering transformed it into a framework for segregation.

Yet the ORCMP did contain some foundational elements. Had its constraints been replaced with proven best practices, it might have advanced singletrack access in Portland. Instead, it limits meaningful access while omitting the management, safety, and conservation practices that have become standard across the country.

A decade later, the results are clear. Time has been lost, opportunities have passed, and Portland has fallen further behind.

For Portland-area mountain bikers tired of watching other communities build the trails they wish they had at home, there is a path forward. But it does not run through the ORCMP.