NW Portland’s lettered streets carry some of the oldest street trees west of the Mississippi. Three picks from Couch to Thurman under continuous elm and chestnut.
The Alphabet District was platted in the 1880s and the street trees went in with the sidewalks — American elms, horse chestnuts, and bigleaf maples that now stand 80 feet over the Victorians. The lettered cross streets (Flanders, Glisan, Hoyt, Irving…) hold full canopy from June through September.
These picks use the quieter letters. NW 23rd itself is the retail spine and partially exposed; one block east on 22nd the canopy closes completely.
North on 22nd under the elms, then west on Kearney to the queue. The park’s chestnuts start you cool.
The classic ascent — Thurman’s maple tunnel straight into the Lower Macleay trailhead. City to old-growth in 15 minutes.
North through the Pearl under the street-tree grid; the fountain square’s honey locusts finish it.
Stay Cool computes a shadow-aware route for any city we map.