3 Best Hiking Trails in Salem, OR

“Minto-Brown Island Park covers 1,200 acres of open, wooded, and lush terrain. There is a 30-acre off-leash dog area with lots of space for your dog to wander, play, and socialize with other dogs. This park is also a wildlife and waterfowl sanctuary, which visitors can see from the observation platforms along the sloughs. Many diverse wetland wildlife, including blue herons, ospreys, squirrels, and rabbits, call this area home. Walk, run, or bike any nine loops' 29 miles of path. Riverfront Park is also accessible via the Peter Courtney Minto Island Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge. The Union Street Railroad Bridge connects the riverfront area to the Wallace Marine area.”

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“Joryville Park is a natural, wooded region with a brook trickling that ensures a calm and clean atmosphere. Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Jory, area pioneers, donated the land for a park to the South Salem Chamber of Commerce in the 1950s. The trail is a 1.8-mile loop with an elevation gain of 259 feet. The total trail took approximately 47 minutes. The land was then deeded to Marion County by the Chamber after the South Salem Chamber of Commerce (SSCC) was dissolved. Relief workers were employed during the construction of equestrian and pedestrian routes from the bottom to the top of the hill. The roads through the park surfaced with tarmac, and the parking space near the shelter building at the top of the hill used Federal Land and Water funding.”

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“Croisan Creek & Skyline Trail is an out-and-back type, with a total length of 1.5 miles and an elevation gain of 278 feet. It takes approximately 43 minutes to complete. Each is about a mile long, including a few blocks on quiet suburban streets connecting branches and spurs. Joggers, dog walkers, bird watchers, hikers, and occasional mountain bikers or bike commuters use these routes, providing easy access to neighboring neighborhoods. The Skyline Trail is located within Skyline Park, an otherwise undeveloped City Park directly adjacent to Sprague High School, and the Croisan Scenic Trail follows the undeveloped right of way of Croisan Scenic Way, beginning near Schirle School and ends near Nelson City Park on Croisan Creek Road.”

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