Walking Lake Oswego: Stevens Meadows & Westridge

It’s called Stevens Meadows. It’s in Westridge. And they’re both magic.

Walking the rolling hills along Rosemont Road from West Linn’s Rosemont neighborhood 3.5 miles to Lake Oswego’s Luscher Farm is one of my favorite all-season walk routes. It’s a moderately challenging walk and visually engaging from start to finish in every season of the year.

But even the best walk route occasionally needs a change of scenery and it wasn’t long after we moved to West Linn in August 2020 that I started scheming on how to make this basic, mostly paved trail do double and triple duty.

The bordering community of Lake Oswego is an obvious extension. And the neighborhood just beyond the Rosemont-Stafford round-about intersection quickly became a favorite destination. It’s aptly called Westridge–woven into a high ridge, with 95 heavily treed acres, amazing views, and 197 drop-dead gorgeous homes.

Tucked between Lake Oswego’s Blue Heron and Palisades neighborhoods, Westridge is geographically defined by a large hill at the neighborhood’s southeast corner, which makes its north/south streets steep inclines or declines, depending on the direction you walk them.

This may be a disincentive to some folks, but if you plan your walk, it’s mostly a downhill trek. So it wasn’t long before I headed up Atherton Drive to check out the neighborhood.
On my first attempt though, before getting into the heart of Westridge, I encountered a small parking area and beyond it a bucolic sweep of grassy field.

A sign read Stevens Meadows Trail. There were two cars parked at the entrance but no one on the meadowland below. A hawk was circling above.

So, a little cautiously, I headed southwest on a paved trail bordered by palatial view homes. The paved trail ends just beyond a stairway up to Meadowlark Lane and just before the southeast entrance to Cook’s Butte Park. And here it also descends, by way of mowed paths, onto the grassy fields below.

Completely smitten on that first walk, I’ve now meandered the meadow numerous times and have a preferred route. (You can of course crisscross the meadow any way you like, including off the regularly mowed grassy paths.)

To follow my route and experience the entire meadow, follow the furthest path along the edge of the field and then on the way back turn left/west on the grassy trail through the middle of the field, then back up to the western edge of the paved trail, and finally back to the entrance. This means that you’ll walk the paved trail twice, the second time in the opposite direction.

Caution The unpaved portions of the trail are not suitable for a stroller, and children under 5 years of age may have a difficult time on some sections of the grassy path. There is a low area that has a foot bridge built over it for rainy months. Dogs are strictly forbidden in the meadowland (which doesn’t seem to stop folks from bring their fury friends, often off leash, so be alert).

Walking Map

Here’s our custom-curated, regularly updated map with walking directions. In Google Chrome, bookmark Walking Lake Oswego: Westridge & Stevens Meadows Trail and then open on your iPhone to follow turn-by-turn directions as you walk.

TIP: Because phone screen is narrow, you’ll need to toggle back and forth from map view on the right to Legend on the left for turn-by-turn directions.

Distance

This walk is about 2.5 miles, including Stevens Meadows and the Westridge neighborhood. You can easily extend it by continuing to Lusher Farm Trail.

Time

This walk is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace. Allow 2 hours for walking and gawking. You might even bring a frisbee or book and hang out for awhile.

Terrain

Sidewalks, paved trail, and gently rolling, mowed meadowland.

Difficulty

Moderate with one steep incline (Atherton Drive) and one steep decline (Overlook Drive).

Portland Metro Walkabouts

The SkyBlue Portland Real Estate Team hosts monthly group walks through some of Portland Metro’s most beautiful and interesting neighborhoods.
For info on our monthly Walking Portland group walks, check out our Facebook page, Women Who Walk (@pdxwomenwhowalk).
And join our monthly meetups: PDX Women Who Walk and/or West Linn Women Who Walk.

Steven’s Meadows, Lake Oswego Photo Gallery

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