Since the day it opened in 2017, one of the things I always hoped for with Gateway Green was that it would attract a diverse crop of riders.
A visit on a sunny spring Saturday confirmed that my hopes have been realized.
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Portland’s first (and only) off-road bike park, situated on 25 acres between two freeways just north of the Gateway Transit Center, recently got a massive upgrade. Now Portlanders are voting with their feet and the popularity of the park has skyrocketed.
There’s so much to love about Gateway Green. It offers a wide variety of trails and skill areas that can help nearly any rider progress from newbie to novice and well beyond (there’s even a trail for adaptive bike riders!). But beyond any of the features or facilities, what stands out to me every time I visit is not what’s in the park, but who’s in the park.
Kids have flocked to Gateway Green. All types of them — from different social, economic and racial backgrounds. They come with parents from all over the region, and they also bike to the park alone from nearby neighborhoods. On Saturday there were kids everywhere — most of them (I assumed) had ridden in via the I-205 path. They were all so active and social, it really gave me hope!
Check out a few more images to see what the crowds are looking like these days…
Gateway Green is one of the greatest things to ever happen to cycling in Portland. Where should we build the next one?
— Jonathan Maus: (503) 706-8804, @jonathan_maus on Twitter and jonathan@bikeportland.org
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