(Portland Parks & Recreation)
The new carfree lane recently established on NE 72nd Drive through Rose City Golf Course will likely be a lot busier in spring 2026 when Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) opens a new nature trail planned for the site.
According to a kickoff meeting for the Rose City Recreational Trail project held on April 25th, the Parks bureau plans to build nature trails that will circumnavigate the golf course. The proposed trails will run along the outside edge of the existing park and golf course which is bordered by NE Tillamook, NE Sacramento, NE 62nd and NE 80th. Plans also show the trail bisecting the parcel on NE 72nd Dr., the same location of PBOT’s 70s Greenway route.
As currently planned, the $4 million trail won’t be built with bicycle riding in mind. Parks says the goal of the trail is to provide access to nature and neighborhood circulation for walkers and runners. At an online meeting to launch the project, PP&R launched an online survey that’s open until May 23rd. The survey questions asked potential trail users what they’d like to do in the park and none of the options mentioned bicycling. That’s unfortunate, given the ample public right-of-way available in the park, the dearth of unpaved trail-riding opportunities in Portland, and the recent city council adoption of the Off Road Cycling Master Plan which specifically recommended more urban trail options for bicycle riders.
There will be increased pressure for use of this trail by bicycle riders once changes are made to nearby 82nd Avenue. Without adequate bicycling access on 82nd, some riders are likely to use the new trail through the golf course as a convenient north-south connection between Tillamook and Sacramento (see yellow lines on the right of above image).
PP&R slides of existing conditions.Funding for this project comes from the local share of Metro’s 2019 voter-approved Regional Parks and Nature Bond measure and from Parks System Development Charges. In order to be eligible for those Metro funds, PP&R needs to spend them on projects that serve, “People of color, Indigenous, low-income, varying abilities, and low prior investment; protect and restore habitat; and connect people to nature close to their homes.”
The type of trail that will be built remains to be seen as the project is in its infancy and there are a lot of feedback and design decisions still to come. PP&R’s presentation showed several options for trail typologies including: asphalt, crushed gravel, wood chips, and natural surface.
Design of the new trails will begin in earnest next spring. PP&R is currently seeking a community focus group that will help advise on the project. If you’re interested in joining that committee or want to learn more about the project, visit the PP&R website.
In related news, PBOT announced this week they will complete a Safe Routes to School project just north of the golf course near the western entrance to McDaniel High School. By spring of next year, PBOT will add new sidewalks, install eight new curb ramps, stripe new crosswalks, and square-off a turn at the intersections of NE 77th Ave/NE 77th Place and NE Alameda St.
