Local Hiking

Top 8 Portland Hiking Groups

portland skyline

Hiking near Portland offers a wide range of wonderful hikes. From hiking in serene state forests, up to towering cascading waterfalls, along the river gorge, and to sweeping panoramic views of the city, Portland hiking has a lot to offer. With so many trails and hiking areas to choose from also means there is a lot of hiking interest in the area. There are many hiking groups in the Portland area where you can meet other hikers, explore new areas, and go on new adventurous hikes.

Here is a quick list of the top 8 Portland hiking groups in the area. Each group has a different focus and goal. Try out various groups and you’ll likely find a group that is a great match for your hikes!

  • Mazama Trail Trips – 9,783 members
  • NW Wilderness – 8,914 members
  • Great Hikes, Epic Eats & Experiences (20s to 40s) – 8,577 members
  • The Portland Hiking Meetup Group – 6,993 members
  • PDX Wine & Adventure Enthusiasts – 5,845 members
  • Contemplative Hiking Society – 5,506 members
  • Portland/Vancouver Sierra Club Outings & Events – 4,795 members
  • Portland Trail Trekkers: PDX’s Day Hiking and Nature Group – 4,488 members

Mazama Trail Trips

Cost to Join: Free
Location: Portland, OR
Link: https://www.meetup.com/mazama-hiking/
Description: Mazama Trail Trips focuses on enjoyable hikes, street rambles, backpacking, car camping, snow shoeing, and nordic skiing. This group is incredibly active with over 1,641 events in the past. They meet up very regularly and have events on a weekly basis.

NW Wilderness

Cost to Join: Free
Location: Portland, OR
Link: https://www.meetup.com/NW-Wilderness/
Description: NW Wilderness focuses on outdoor activities ranging from hiking, backpacking, mountain climbing, kayaking, skiing, and biking. This group is very active with more than 1,034 events in the past. They generally host at least two events a month.

Great Hikes, Epic Eats & Experiences (20s to 40s)

Cost to Join: Free
Location: Portland, OR
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Great-Hikes-Epic-Eats-20s-to-40s/
Description: Great Hikes, Epic Eats & Experiences (20s to 40s) focuses on going out on hikes and finishing up events with amazing food. They also do other outdoor activities such as kayaking, stand up paddle boarding, snow shoeing, or river tubing. This group has had 139 events in the past with at least one event each month.

The Portland Hiking Meetup Group

Cost to Join: Free
Location: Portland, OR
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Portland-Hiking-Group/
Description: The Portland Hiking Meetup Group focuses on hikes to explore Oregon and southern Washington hiking trails. They have a wide array of hikers ranging from beginners to the much more experienced hikers. This group is one of the most acti

PDX Wine & Adventure Enthusiasts

Cost to Join: Free
Location: Portland, OR
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Oregon-Wine-Group/events/past/
Description: PDX Wine & Adventure Enthusiasts focuses on venturing into wine tasting and also outdoor adventures. They host events that have wine tastings, hikes which are followed by a wine picnic, and many other outdoor events to enjoy wine! They have had over 330 events in the past with at least one event each month.

Contemplative Hiking Society

Cost to Join: Free
Location: Portland, OR
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Contemplative-Hiking-Society/
Description: Contemplative Hiking Society is a group for people who do not hike as if it were a mission and to finish the hike. They enjoy hiking by stopping and smelling the roses. If you enjoy a much more casual and slow pace this is the group for you. They have had over 351 events in the past with one event each week.

Portland/Vancouver Sierra Club Outings & Events

Cost to Join: Free
Location :Portland, OR
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Portland-Vancouver-Sierra-Club-Outings-Events/
Description: Portland/Vancouver Sierra Club Outings & Events is a group to join local Sierra Club members. In this group you can attend hiking, backpacking, and car camping trips. They also have educational workshops to help increase your knowledge and skills for the outdoors. They had over 924 events in the past with at least two events each month.

Portland Trail Trekkers: PDX’s Day Hiking and Nature Group

Cost to Join: Free
Location:Portland, OR
Link: https://www.meetup.com/Portland-Trail-Trekker-PDXs-Day-Hiking-and-Nature-Group/
Description: Portland Trail Trekkers: PDX’s Day Hiking and Nature Group is an outdoors club for day hiking, monthly book talks, and other outdoor events. This group has hosted over 558 events in the past with one event each week.

Why should you join a Portland hiking group?

Discover New Trails

If you are new to the area or want to discover new trails, joining a hiking group in Portland is a great way to find new trails. Each group has hikes in different areas and range from very casual hikes to very challenging hikes. Joining a hiking group is a great way to dive straight into new trails.

Challenge Yourself

If you’re looking to challenge yourself then joining a hiking group is a great way to experience new hiking challenges. You can pick from hikes that are rated as challenging or strenuous or work your way up over time to build new hiking skills and have new experiences. There are likely many experienced hikers in these groups that you can learn a lot from and push your boundaries.

Escape Trail Analysis Paralysis

Since Portland has so many hiking trails to choose from it can be a gift and a curse. You can feel like you have so many choices and not enough time so it leads you to making no decision! Joining a hiking group can help with this as they are the ones that pick and choose the hikes, all you need to do is show up!

3 things to consider when joining a Portland hiking group

Where do they meet up?

One of the most important factors is figuring out where the hiking group generally meets up at for their hikes. You do no want to pick a group that meets on the opposite side of the 205 or 84 highway and it takes you an hour in traffic to meet up with them. You can find out where the group meets up by looking at their past events calendar and seeing the hike locations. By choosing a group that meets up in a convenient location then you are more likely to attend more events over time. Some groups also only meet up in out of town locations, so keep this in mind when looking at different groups.

How often do they meet up?

Another key thing to consider is how frequently does the group meet up. If you are looking t build up a consistent hiking habit then you should look for groups that meetup on a weekly basis. Some groups only meet up once or twice a month which could feel too far apart for you. There are even some groups that meetup multiple times a week.

How much hiking experience is needed?

The next thing you want to consider is how much hiking experience is needed for the hikes you are going on. If the group is well organized then they should list the difficulty and experience needed for their hikes. If it is not listed then reach out to the event organizers so that you can match your current experience to the right hikes and have a much better time. There are hiking groups for beginners, casual hikers, and challenging hikes, so keep an eye out for the difference in skill-levels.

Summary

Portland hiking offers many alluring hiking trails that are just stunning. You can enjoy the lovely green forests, splendid waterfalls, sweeping river views, grand summits, and more with others in a hiking group.

The enthusiasm and love for the outdoors in all of these groups is wonderful when shared. These groups all offer amazing events and you will have many great experiences and meet many other like-minded hikers. Happy trails!