Mayor Baxter Woods
A 30-acre pine forest with off-leash hours and a fall-foliage payoff
About this park
Mayor Baxter Woods is a 30-acre pine and hardwood preserve a few blocks off Stevens Ave, where soft dirt paths wind through the trees with off-leash hours posted at the entrance. Big enough to feel like a real walk in the woods, small enough that the path network never loses anyone.
Amenities
Mayor Baxter Woods reviews
What visitors consistently sayVisitors love the canopy cover in summer and the maple turn in October, with the Evergreen Cemetery trail across Stevens linked by signage for a longer loop. The shaded understory makes it one of the cooler-feeling parks in Portland on a hot afternoon.
Regulars know each other by dog name, and the off-leash crowd skews toward well-trained recall dogs. Birders and walkers share the paths politely; expect to step aside for a stroller every so often.
Best for
Before you go
Off-leash hours change by season; check the posted sign at the entrance before unclipping. Dogs are restricted to leash inside the Habitat Restoration Area year-round, which is signed on the trail.
Frequently asked
- Can dogs be off leash at Mayor Baxter Woods?
- Part of the year. One reviewer describes a leash rule that changes with the season, so the sign at the entrance is the only reliable source for what applies on the day of a visit.
- Are there leashed-only areas inside the woods?
- Yes. The Habitat Restoration Area is signed for leashed dogs year-round and sits inside the same trail network.
- Is there shade?
- Heavily shaded. One visitor came specifically to get out of the heat and found the pine canopy did the job, though the creeks they were hoping for had dried up.
- Can the walk be extended?
- Yes. Signs in both the woods and the cemetery across Stevens Ave link the two trail systems, and reviewers cross over for a longer loop.
- When is it at its best?
- October, by repeated reviewer account, when the hardwoods turn. The residential setting keeps the noise down even on a well-trafficked afternoon.
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