Westside Linear Park

As long as you don't mind the sight of a few powerlines, the Westside Linear Park is an excellent walking/biking path for a weekend stroll with the family. Your walk is surrounded by houses on both sides, but not so close as to feel intrusive, and, with the exception of one seemingly well constructed bridge (I'm no architecht), the path is completely paved with nary a crack over which to trip.

My experience was walking my newborn in her stroller on a Sunday morning. We live fairly close by, so I walked to the beginning of the path and about 75% of the full route (Parks and Rec deparment says it is 2.2 miles, I probably did 1.5 of it). I enjoyed the walk a lot, just getting out of the house on a nice day and listening to music as I walked casually up and down the path.

I imagine the walk can be great for older families as well. If you feel confident enough to let your family get ahead or behind you, the path is pretty flat so you can see far in both directions to keep tabs on them. While it might not be a great place to learn how to ride a bike as there is not a lot of space to turn since the path goes in one direction, it's a great path for even a novice rider. I didn't find any jungle gyms or play areas (though there is a picture of one on the Tualiatin Hills Parks and Rec site??), so this is really for a walk/run/ride with the family. 

There is no Wi-Fi, so your child's buregeoning Tik Tok career will have to wait (or whatever new social media thing is popular if you are reading this a month after I wrote it) and pets must be on a leash, which is comforting while walking with children, but it might not be your favorite walk if you are trying to enter your dog into races at the local track.

I would recommend this to anyone that lives fairly close and here's my summary of the good/bad/etc,: 

The Good
- The path is paved and well maintained. Rarely did I ever have to go over even a bump with a stroller.

- The walk is fairly flat, so it is ideal if you want to walk and have a conversation or just enjoy a walk without having to scale a mountain.

- The amount of people when I went (Sunday morning) was ideal. There was the occasional bike, but mostly just some walkers here and there, sometimes with their dogs (always on a leash).

- The few "busy" streets you encounter are well marked with crosswalk markings.

- The path is very clean with garbage cans en route.

- There are lots of access/exit points along the path.
 

The Bad
- The path is not lit. The posted hours are dawn to dusk but, if you are feeling rebellious, just know that you'll have to bring a flashlight.

- There are no bathrooms that I could find so you'll either have to hold it, or hope that you knock on a friendly door.

The Just FYI
- I didn't find any dedicated parking, but there are plenty of neighborhoods that have access to the path where you can park. There is also what I interpreted as parking space on NW Kaiser Rd/NW Banff Dr near the beginning of the path (there is a single lane in each direction with space on the shoulder large enough for a car to park comfortably). Of course, now that this review will cause the walk to go viral, parking may be limited.

- This is probably a path most appetizing for locals as I wouldn't interpret it as a destination walk unless you are thirsting for guaranteed viewing of Labradoodles.

- The park does not loop. If you are counting your steps, you'll be doubling them unless you have someone pick you up at one of the many exits.

- Would it be prettier if it were just an open field rather than walking between backyards and underneath powerlines? Yes. Would those have been noteworthy if I was not writing this review? Probably not.

- This is not a park where you can take a dog and have it run around.

- There are some benches, but no picninc tables directly on the path, though there are some just a little ways off it.

- There is no tree coverage, so you could be getting a lot of sun, though it is Oregon.