FOREWORD

Welcome to Menasha Ridge Press’s 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles, a series designed to provide hikers with the information they need to find and hike the best trails surrounding metropolitan areas.

Our strategy is simple: First, find a hiker who knows the area and loves to hike. Second, ask that person to spend a year researching the most popular and best trails around. And third, have that person describe each trail in terms of difficulty, scenery, condition, elevation change, and other categories that are important to most hikers. “Pretend you’ve just completed a hike and met up with other hikers at the trailhead,” we told each author. “Imagine their questions, and be clear in your answers.”

An experienced hiker and writer, Paul Gerald has selected 60 of the best hikes in and around the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. This sixth edition includes new hikes, as well as additional sections and new routes for some of the existing hikes. Gerald provides hikers (and walkers) with a great variety of hikes—all within roughly 60 miles of Portland—from urban strolls on city sidewalks to aerobic outings at Mount Hood or the coast.

You’ll get more out of this book if you take a moment to read the Introduction, which explains how to read the trail listings. The “Maps” section will help you understand how useful topos are on a hike and will also tell you where to get them. And though this is a where-to, not a how-to, guide, readers who haven’t hiked extensively will find the Introduction of particular value.

As much for the opportunity to free the spirit as to free the body, let these hikes elevate you above the urban hurry.

All the best,

The Editors at Menasha Ridge Press