Parks bureau shares latest designs for trail system in Rose City Golf Course

View from Rose City Golf Course looking southeast toward McDaniel High School. PP&R is considering two trail alignments in this location, one would stay to the left, the other would dive into those trees on the right. (Photo: Jonathan Maus/BikePortland)

The City of Portland has has reached a key design milestone for the Rose City Recreational Trail project. This is the project that will build new biking and walking trails and paths in Rose City Park and Rose City Golf Course.

According to a project update released by Portland Parks & Recreation last week, the $4 million project will build a total of 2.2 miles of new paths around and through the park. Boundaries of the project are NE Sacramento to the north, NE Tillamook to the south, NE 60th/62nd to the west, and NE 78th/McDaniel High School to the east. The project consists of three distinct trail segments that would create a loop around the park and golf course, as well as a north-south trail along NE 72nd Drive which bisects the parcel.

As you’ll recall, there was a bit of a dust-up with this project when it first went public one year ago. Parks planners initially overlooked the inclusion of bicycle users on the new paths and it took some pressure from BikePortland coverage and local trail advocates to correct the oversight.

The trail plan is broken into four distinct segments: the Primary, Trail, the Bluff Trail, the 72nd Connector Trail, and the Back Nine Trail. Below is a short summary of each one.

Primary Trail (Red): A 1.2-mile, 10-feet wide paved path that will be fully ADA-accessible and open to bicycle riders. This will be the main off-street, east-west route across the site. There will be ramped entry points at NE 62nd, 65th, and 80th. PP&R plans to build a trailhead and kiosk with new signage and tree plantings at the NE 65th entrance (near the old Rice Elementary School building).

Bluff Trail (Green): A 0.6 mile gravel and natural surface trail that will vary between three and four-feet wide. This trail exists today on a bluff just below NE Sacramento Street, but PP&R will update and restore it with a more consistent surface, bump-out areas, new fencing, seating and rest stops. Bicycles will be allowed on this trail.

72nd Connector Trail (Yellow): A 0.4 mile gravel surface trail that will connect to the existing one-way road on NE 72nd Drive (that was recently updated as part of the 70s Neighborhood Greenway proejct). At the northern end where it connects to the bluff, PP&R will create a series of switchbacks to create an easier grade to NE Sacramento. Boulders will separate the road from the new path and there will be new seating, fencing, and even a row of new bike racks for park users. Bicycle riders will also be allowed on this new segment.

Back Nine Nature Trail (Blue): This is the closest thing the new trail system will have to singletrack, but for some reason I don’t yet understand, PP&R says bicycle riders are not allowed. The current plan is for a 0.8 mile gravel trail to complete the loop in the northeast corner of the golf course. This is in the most remote section of the golf course. I’ve asked PP&R for clarity on their decision-making since last summer, because the initial plan was for the alignment to go along the outside edge of the property and bicycle access was still under consideration. Now they appear to have switched to an alignment that dives into a grove of trees. PP&R said this week both alignments are currently under review. I’ll share an update on the bicycle access question when/if I hear back.

These new paths and trails will be a very exciting addition to the biking and walking network and will give folks a much safer and pleasant option than local streets. I imagine all of them being well-used and well-loved by locals as walking, jogging, and slow cycling paths.

It would be a real shame if the Back Nine Trail prohibits cycling, because it would mean folks couldn’t complete the loop. Perhaps they can construct both alignments and have one for cycling and one for walking. Or folks can simply share the trail.

From here the designs will be reviewed by PP&R staff and leadership. Once all the feedback is accounted for, the permit process will begin and other city bureaus will need to sign off on the designs. Once that process has played out, 100% designs will be completed. Stay tuned for more project updates this summer. If you have questions and/or want to connect with PP&R staff with feedback, find contact information and more details on the official project website.

If all goes according to plan these trails will be constructed next fall.

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Jonathan Maus (Publisher/Editor)

Founder of BikePortland (in 2005). Father of three. North Portlander. Basketball lover. Car driver. If you have questions or feedback about this site or my work, contact me via email at maus.jonathan@gmail.com, or phone/text at 503-706-8804. Also, if you read and appreciate this site, please become a paying subscriber.

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Bjorn
Bjorn
1 day ago

The other reason why the other alignment of the back 9 trail that was proposed to include cycling is important in my opinion is that it is the obvious point for the trail system to connect to the high school, this new alignment further to the west seems unlikely to do bikes or no bikes. I am hoping this shift in alignment does not indicate that NIMBY’s in the neighborhood who view children trying to get to school as a problem have not succeeded in blocking a direct connection to the school from the south.

rick
rick
1 day ago

Why is there no proposed trail at Red Tail Golf course in Beaverton? Portland Parks owns it. It would be amazing to have a trail that connects SW Scholls Ferry Road to SW Oleson Road.

Downtube Grifter
Downtube Grifter
1 day ago

Looking forward to poaching the Back Nine and then enjoying some cold beers at Von Ebert. Cheers!

Jeff S
Jeff S
1 day ago

different golf course?

NMB
NMB
5 hours ago

Actually a pretty good beer selection at the Rose City Grill, so you can still do the same!

Cyclekrieg
1 day ago

“This is the closest thing the new trail system will have to singletrack, but for some reason I don’t yet understand, PP&R says bicycle riders are not allowed.”

I’ll tell you why: because the present leadership of PP&R will never allow the creation of shared singletrack trails. “But,” I hear you say, “the Off-Road Cycling Master Plan allows for trails.” Yeah, it was, as Admiral Ackbar famously said, a trap. The goal was to placate NWTA/mountain bikers with supposed future trails, while finding “reasons” that those trails will never get built. It’s the ultimate Lucy-Football-Charlie Brown situation. And the NWTA still, after nearly a decade since the idea of a ORCMP was announced, believes the answer is to keep playing nice with the PP&R. The answer is to (metaphorically & literally) is to start flipping desks.

Paul H
Paul H
23 hours ago
Reply to  Cyclekrieg

Care to elaborate on what flipping literal and metaphorical tables would look like in the broader off-road cycling context?

Watts
Watts
22 hours ago
Reply to  Paul H

In this context, it means pretty much going ape-shit.

Paul H
Paul H
5 hours ago
Reply to  Watts

Instructions unclear. I flipped over the desk in my office and now IT is telling me I have to pay for the monitors that I broke.

Watts
Watts
5 hours ago
Reply to  Paul H

Try going ape-shit on IT. You know you want to.

Cyclekrieg
8 hours ago
Reply to  Paul H

Absolutely. And, just be clear, a more detailed version of this has been mentioned (multiple times) to the leadership of NWTA. Here it is:

  1. Reject the ORCMP. Give the City of Portland (council) and PP&R 60-day notice that due to PP&R’s unwillingness to follow through with ORCMP, using this property as an example, NWTA will disavow its endorsement of the ORCMP and remove any PP&R volunteer activities from its schedule.
  2. Protest Loud and Strong. While this is going on, there would be scheduled weekly protest rides in a rotating list of parks all across Portland. On Saturday mornings, there would protests outside every PP&R director’s home’s, again on rotation. Make clear to them that their choices have consequences and that those consequences will not be fun. Make sure the protests are in every media outlet you can and those articles should include the names and faces of the PP&R directors.
  3. Create and Raise $$$ for a PDX MTB NOW fund. Nothing says “we’re serious” like cash. So, get some cash. My rough estimate is that NWTA would need to raise $2.5 million, minimum. Given the size of the NWTA membership and various local corporate interests that shouldn’t be hard. That fund now gives NWTA leverage with landowners & managers.
  4. Kill the ORCMP Offically & Target a Single Property. Come to the PP&R with a new plan, made possible by the PDX MTB NOW fund: The PP&R recommends a Council removal of the ORCMP in total, they (PP&R) remove any “by fiat” trail bans immediately (River View), and they allow NWTA to design a modern, complete trail system for a single local park as a proof-of-concept, with NWTA agreeing to a per-a-mile yearly trail rental to the PP&R. The most obvious place to do this is River View. Big enough for 4-5 miles, yet small enough it can be designed/built fast. I’ve offered to pro bono do a full trail design for NWTA, so that isn’t an issue.  If the PP&R agree to this ^^^, they get free trails, a yearly trail rental fee from NWTA, and a blueprint for the future. If PP&R agrees, there would be a contract signed by PP&R and NWTA that would ensure there is no more feet-dragging. This is the way: raise money, get trails in a single property, make those trails successful, rinse and repeat.
  5. If PP&R Won’t Play Ball, it’s Time Shop Around or do a Vietnam. Let’s pretend PP&R won’t play ball. The PDX MTB NOW fund gives NWTA the leverage to approach other land managers (the state, surrounding communities) to do what PP&R wouldn’t do. I got to believe that having (metaphorically) a suitcase of cash on the table would make a city like Lake Oswego, for instance, go, “Come on over!”. More importantly, it would allow NWTA to buy their own property and create all the trails they desire, then donate back to Metro or some other entity. These trails will start to put more and more internal pressure on PP&R to do the same.  The name “Vietnam” here is based on what NEMBA did in MA, with the Vietnam property.
Paul H
Paul H
7 hours ago
Reply to  Cyclekrieg

I mean, we already did #5 with Rocky Point. After May 26, there will be over 40 miles of single track open.

I also don’t think raising $2.5 million from sponsors and members with the pitch “we’ll find a place for this, I swear” would go over well or be a very successful campaign.

Antagonizing the Parks employees sounds like a “fun time”, but NWTA volunteers typically spend their Saturday mornings doing trail stewardship. Hell, January through April of 2025 we had over 1400 hours of volunteer time at the new Cascade Locks trail system alone (yes, in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area). Probably *at least* 5x that at Rocky Point.

MontyP
MontyP
1 day ago

I am so excited to see the designs for this project coming into focus. The whole Rose City Park/Golf Course space is a beautiful area that is mostly off-limits to, and unused by, the majority of people living nearby. Unlocking areas of this greenspace for trails is going to be so great. This will also make the 72nd lane closure even more useful as a connector between trails. Hopefully they can renovate the club house someday and restore it to its former glory, old fireplace and all. Add a tasteful mini golf course and you’ll get non-golfers and walkers hanging out, making a day of “going to the park,” and spending money, too. Von Ebert has been successful at Glendoveer, it could likely do the same at RCP.

Angus Peters
Angus Peters
21 hours ago

Nice!

qqq
qqq
18 hours ago

This looks like several Parks projects I’ve seen over the years:
1–start the process with some bad ideas based on wrong assumptions
2–get the attention of people who want something better
3–see that the people objecting have some good points
4–revise the designs to address the objections–generally pretty earnestly
5–end up with something pretty good

The biggest variable seems to be how contentious things get going from #2 to #3.

Mark smith
Mark smith
13 hours ago

I just came in here with my half measure tape, and yep, this project measures right up.

Paul
Paul
6 hours ago

Expect lawsuits galore when someone gets hit by a golf ball, not to mention the 10 foot path through the Groves of trees and the natural habitat for bald eagles that are currently nesting in the golf course.

Watts
Watts
5 hours ago
Reply to  Paul

This city just loves to cut down trees.

Jake9
Jake9
3 hours ago
Reply to  Watts

Or not water until they die. For a place that constantly extolls its green virtue, the city is really anti-tree for some reason. Reality matters.

Paul H
Paul H
4 hours ago
Reply to  Paul

Our next mayor will be the golfer who lands a ball in the bald eagle nest.

If the ball hatches into an eaglet, they get to be President (I don’t make the rules)

Paul
Paul
6 hours ago

Not to mention that the homeless in that neighborhood(Schuyler St. anyone?) and foot traffic from 82nd will absolutely adore the convenience for camping and other illegal recreation.

Bjorn
Bjorn
4 hours ago
Reply to  Paul

The idea that the thing that is keeping people from camping on the greens is a lack of trails through the park is preposterous. Trails already exist in this park!

Jeff Rockshoxworthy
Jeff Rockshoxworthy
2 hours ago
Reply to  Bjorn

Since about 2020 there’s been an on-again / off-again problem with vehicle squatters on the turnouts along 72nd Drive.