Hike #7: Marquam Nature Park to Council Crest

Trailhead: Marquam Nature Park (SW Marquam Road at SW Sam Jackson Park Road - just below OHSU)

What I listened to in the car: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something. Also, Safety Dance by Men With Hats. Don't ask.

Companions: El Pan! One of my best friends from Outdoor School. And of course, Tumalo.

Trails hiked on: Shelter Trail, Marquam Trail and Sunnyside Trail. Technically, this is not part of Forest Park but part of Marquam Park. They are contiguous via the Marquam Trail which continues on to the Arboretum in Forest Park.

Miles hiked: 2.8 miles total (2 hr 10 minutes - and a 750 foot elevation gain in 1.6 miles).

Unique miles hiked: 2.1 miles

Total challenge miles: 13 miles

Weather: We thought we might get rained on, but we didn't

Amenities: The Marquam Nature Park has a beautiful permanant shelter with maps and information about the wildlife and history of the area, a beautiful mosiac retaining wall holding up a little grassy area and a water fountain. No bathrooms.

Notes:

Me and Tumalo on Council Crest

This is one of my very favorite hike in the Tualatin Mountains. It's not very long, but the elevation gain makes it a challenge and the fact that you get to the top of a hill makes you feel all good about your life. The hike starts at Marquam Nature Park where there is a nice parking lot, a picnic shelter and a water fountain. I regularly do a shorter loop through the park but today headed up the hill to Council Crest. I started with the gravel road off to the left heading uphill from the shelter called the Shelter Loop. After 500 feet the Connor Trail meets the Shelter Loop, which heads up over the hill to OHSU hospital, and then after about 0.3 miles you can turn right onto the Marquam Trail, go up a couple wooden steps and head around around the nose of the hill back over to the trail that keeps going up the hill.

The trails are all well marked and well maintained so it's hard to get lost. The Marquam Trail is part of the 40 Mile Loop, a cool inter-agency project that connects trails together around the whole Portland Metro area. At the top of Marquam Nature Park the trail leads you up through the wooded right of way between and behind houses. I always look at those houses on stilts and wonder at their lack of geology education - these mountains are slippery! But having a back deck overlooking a wooded canyon does seem pretty cool.

Black dog on top of a mountain

After 1.6 miles you cross one last road and you are at Council Crest Park! There is an off leash dog park at this park as well as an observation patio with some signs about the views. On clear days you can see Mt. Hood to the south east, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Adams and even Mt. Rainier off to the northeast as well as nice views of downtown, the Willamette and Columbia Rivers and the volcanic buttes of East Portland.  There are water fountains at Council Crest Park, but no bathrooms here either. Someday I'll take the trail north and head across Hwy 26 over to Washington Park, but today we headed back down the hill.

At the junction at the top of Marquam Nature Park I stayed to the left and took the Sunnyside Trail back down. This trail is just a little bit more direct back down to the shelter, and Tumalo likes having some new things to sniff at. This trail does tend to be more muddy than the others, but it also crosses a couple creeks so is very scenic.

Clear Signage along these trails

This hike is Tumalo's traditional Birthday Hike (because that's the kind of birthday present dogs really want) so I know I'll be back later in the year. I'll also, no doubt, come for shorter loops. You can also take the Marquam Trail the other direction from the gravel road this hike starts on and drop down into the Terwilliger Parkway, another wooded area I like to hike in. Lots of opportunities for fun hikes from this trailhead. It's a real gem of the city.