Walking Portland: NW Pearl District-Northwest District Loop

One of the best ways to become familiar with any one of Portland’s unique neighborhoods is to walk it. Walk it up one side and down the other. Walk it in early morning, at mid-afternoon, and in the evening.

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and everyone looks for and sees different things, even in the same neighborhood.
So the objective of our Walking Portland Tour & Photo Gallery Series is not to give you a complete, or even an accurate, portrait of a neighborhood, but to inspire you to walk it yourself.

This Urban Chic to Industrial Grunge to Old World Charm and back again tour begins at tranquil Tanner Springs Park in the Pearl District, traipses through the gritty Northwest Industrial District, meanders through the Nob Hill neighborhood with its Old Portland-style homes, and then heads back to The Fields Park in the Pearl.

It’s an interesting, diverse, and easy 5-mile walk with several choices for coffee and pastries along the way. We often stop by The Clearing Cafe for their excellent scones and house roasted coffee.

It took me 2 1/2 hours to walk the 5 miles. But that includes the 150 stops I made for photos along the way. And also sidewalk chats with a woman wearing handcrafted glasses she bought in Paris and a curious fellow asking why I was taking photos of cracks in the sidewalk, plus pausing to appreciate a few perfectly ripe pie cherries along the way.

Walking Portland: Pearl District-Northwest District Loop (5 Miles)

The Pearl and Northwest neighborhoods abut each other in the northwest quadrant of Portland (Portland Neighborhood Association Map).

1. Start at Tanner Springs Park at NW 10th St. & NW Northrup Ave.
2. Head west on NW Northrup Ave.
3. Turn right on NW 26th St.
4. Turn left on NW Thurman Ave.
5. Turn around at NW 28th St.
6. Treat yourself to excellent coffee and the best scones in the city at The Clearing Café.
7. Continue north on NW Thurman Ave. (Standouts on this section of Thurman include Betsy & Iya Design, The Dragonfly Coffeehouse, St. Honore Bakery, Food Front, and Kenny & Zuke’s Bagelworks.)
8. Turn right on NW 21st St.
9. Turn left on NW Pettygrove Ave.
10. Turn right on NW 13th St.
11. Turn left on NW Overton Ave.
12. End at The Fields Park at NW 11th St.