Runners on the Fanno Creek Trail, near the underpass below Scholls Ferry Road.
This weekend’s run is on one of my favorite routes in the Portland Metro area. Westside runners will have a quick drive to the start/finish in SW Portland, very close to Beaverton.
Where: Lamb’s Thriftway at 7410 SW Oleson Road
What time: The run will start at 8a, so be there by 7:45 to use the potty and find your pace group
Distance: 13 miles
Fanno Creek Route: This run starts at the Garden Home Lamb’s Thriftway grocery store shopping center, across Oleson from the Garden Home Rec Center. There is also a Starbucks in this shopping center, with ample parking and bathrooms and a water fountain. This is a nice run on asphalt paths with all major street crossings marked with stoplights.
The route starts out with a few miles behind the Portland Golf Club and then you’ll find yourself at the intersection of SW Allen and SW Scholls Ferry. The next section of the trail was only completed in the past two years and is beautiful – very gently rolling “hills” (they’re barely hills) wind along roughly parallel to Allen but without any of the noise from traffic. You’ll then cross over a creek and run parallel to the 217, but far enough away that it’s still enjoyable.
Near the 2.5 mile mark, you will come off the trail at SW 105th and run up to Denney Rd. Here, you’ll cross over the 217. This is probably the biggest hill of this route! Once over the freeway, you’ll rejoin the Fanno Creek Trail and run through a wooded area to Hall Blvd. A new pedestrian crosswalk stoplight will keep you safe, and you can use the bathroom or refill water at the Albertson’s on the corner.
Staying on the Fanno Creek Trail, you’ll run past a number of play structures, under Scholls Ferry Road, and then over SW North Dakota St. and Tigard Ave. By the time you cross SW Teidemann, you’ll be past the 6-mile mark and about ready to turn around, which you’ll do after running through Woodard Park. There is a porta-potty here that I have always found unlocked and clean; the drinking fountain is turned off during colder weather though.
This is a nice run, protected from traffic and with beautiful scenery. It’s a nice, quite route where you’ll be able to catch up with friends and possibly see some frogs and interesting birds!
You can RSVP and meet other runners through Coach Jim’s facebook page, too.
