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.

Hike #6: Lower Macleay Park

Trailhead: Lower Macleay Park at NW Upshur and what would be NW 30th Ave if it was numbered :)

Companions: Just Tumalo

Trails hiked on: Lower Macleay Trail

Miles hiked: 1.68 miles in 45 minutes

Unique miles hiked: 0.84 miles

Total challenge miles: 10.98 miles

Weather: Almost sunny!

Amenities: The Forest Park Conservancy headquarters is at the park trailhead and there is a lovely little open field under the Thurman Ave overpass. There is a flush toilet in the headquarters building, a water fountain, a picnic table as well as dog waste bags and a trash can. There is currently construction happening on the bridge so much of the park is closed off and the water fountain is turned off in the winter, but it will be a lovely park again in the summer! This trail head is also just blocks away from the busy business district of NW 23rd Ave.

Notes:

When I tell people I love Forest Park I get one of three responses: "Me too!", "Oh, that green stuff beyond downtown?" or "Ugh, I hate Forest Park." This last sentiment is usually followed with a "So many strollers and joggers and people with Starbucks cups in their hands. Ugh. Tourists!" And this trail is one of the ones they are talking about. It is popular and crowded. With people in fancy shoes and carrying their coffee. Babies. Yes. All of that. But ya know what? It's still one of my very favorite trails because it is easy to get to, easy to walk on and spectacularly beautiful. That is why it is one of my four seasonal hikes on this challenge.

This hike happened at the end of my terrible cold and just before I got hit with a killer sinus infection. It was one glorious afternoon wedged in between two weeks of being miserable and I'm so glad I spent it in this part of Forest Park. The trail starts in a park at the end of a residential street in NW Portland and the first quarter mile of it is a paved, low elevation gain all access trail. The paved part ends with a beautiful observation area along the creek but the trail itself continues up the creek canyon.

Every step of this trail is just magnificent. There is a bridge where the trail crosses the creek right by an amazing water fall, other places where you are walking along past the cascading creek and some of the easiest to get to old growth trees in Forest Park. After 8/10th of a mile the Lower Macleay Trail meets the Wildwood Trail at a classic Portland Landmark: The Witches House. I guess some people call it The Stone House, and the truth of the matter is that it was a WPA built "comfort station", but it sure looks like a witches house, so that's what I call it. Apparently, the plumbing was destroyed in the 1963 Columbus Day Storm and the park department has since added some stairs and railings to keep people from climbing on it in unsafe ways. There is a Forest Park Conservancy trail map at the Witches House, but it has been vandalized. Jerks.

Today I just walked up to the Witches House and back. Often, I continue straight along the Wildwood Trail to where it starts to climb steeply up the canyon towards Upper Macleay Trail (another place I absolutely love in Forest Park). Turning right onto the Wildwood is another option for a longer walk but it's not a terribly exciting part of the park. Since I was feeling sick I just walked back down and took a nap.

This is not a trail to try if you want to be all alone in the woods. I actually avoid this trail on summer weekends because it gets too crowded but on MLK day Monday I wasn't alone, but it also wasn't terrible. Dealing with other people is worth it, though, for the amazing beauty of the area. I highly recommend this trail for beginning hikers, or for showing off Forest Park to someone who's not much of a walker. Even with the tourists, it's worth it.

Hike #2: Newton Road to the Wildwood

Trailhead: Newton Road. Newton road is just north/past Germantown Road. The gravel road is about a quarter of a mile long and ends at a good sized parking lot. Be careful about both pot holes and oncoming traffic.

What I listened to in the car: Symphony of Science. Artist John Boswell has used auto-tune software to turn audio of scientists into pretty awesome songs. One of my favorites is We Are Stardust featuring Neil deGrasse Tyson, Richard Feynman and Lawrence Krauss.

Companions: My friend Elise and Tumalo

Forest Park Conservancy's Trail map of this area

Trails hiked on: Newton Road and the Wildwood Trail

Miles hiked: 3.58 miles, 2 hours

Unique miles hiked: 2.43 miles (The 1.15 miles on the Wildwood between Newton Road and the BPA road were only counted once)

Total challenge miles: 5.13 miles


Weather: Cool and moist and foggy.

Notes: 

My friend Elise joined Tumalo and I for a nice walk through the foggy woods of the far end of Forest Park. I missed a turn on the way out and I ended up getting to Skyline waaaayyyyy out past Newberry Rd. We ended up driving the entire length of the park on the way home.

Newton Road is a great trail head with a couple of different loop and lolly pop hike options. Newton Road and Fireland 10 both run up/down hill (though, much of Newton Road is flat-ish) and intersect with the Wildwood Trail. The Wildwood runs the entire length of the park, a total of 30 miles! I honestly believe this stretch of the Wildwood Trail is the prettiest in the park making it worth the drive.

The Power Line and the Mist

We started out heading north along Newton Road. This is a nice wide trail, but still muddy this time of year. At the intersection with the Wildwood trail we turned left and headed down through these beautiful gullies and thick woods. The mist and fog made the forest look particularly beautiful even as we picked our way through some very muddy patches. After about a mile the trail crosses the power line and then meets with the BPA road. We went back the way we came and then continued on the Wildwood Trail all the way back to the parking lot. Between the intersection at Newton Road and the second connecting trail back to the parking lot is stunningly gorgeous. The trail winds through old fir and cedar forests and over a couple wooden bridges. I have often heard ravens and woodpeckers here though today we just heard a flock of chickadees high up in the canopy.

I was so glad to have a friend for this hike. It ended up being a long hike but we had lovely conversation and even the mud didn't distract from our good time. A great hike in the woods!

Hike #1: Lower Saltzman Maple Loop

Trailhead: Lower Saltzman. Take Hwy 30 towards the St. John's bridge and turn left onto NW Saltzman Rd. Continue up the gravel road until you reach the gate. Saltzman Road is the main road beyond the gate.

What I listened to in the car: On Being, James Martin: Finding God in Everything. Jesuit priest with bad catholic jokes and reflections on Ignatian spirituality and being a friend to god.

Companions: Tumalo and Chester, an old cocker spaniel my dad dog sits for sometimes.

Trail Map showing Saltzman and Maple Trails

Trails hiked on: Saltzman Road, Leif Erickson Drive and Maple Trail

Miles hiked: 3.1, 1.5 hrs

Unique miles hiked: 2.7 (it's a lolly pop loop so I don't count the .4 miles from the trailhead to the Maple intersection)

Weather: Cold and frosty! High of 34 today but very sunny.

Amenities: Poop bags are often found by the garbage can just beyond the gate. No water or toilets. Go before you go.

Notes:

This is one of my very favorite trails and one I have a goal to hike on 4 times this year in the four different seasons.  This hike starts and ends on Saltzman Road, one of the roads that run east/west (uphill/downhill) through the park. This road is graveled and wide, making it great for a mud-free hike or when walking with a number of friends and you don't want to spend the whole hike staring at each others backs. The loop is made by taking the Maple Trail, a lovely trail that goes through some cedar forest, some more open alder and maple forests and crosses a number of creeks.

Coming up to the intersection of Saltzman and Leif Ericson

From the parking area and along much of the first part of Saltzman road you can look down through the trees and see the industrial port area along the Willamette River. The road climbs gently through a maple/douglas fir forest and there are a number of snags where you can see woodpecker activity. After 0.4 miles you come to the intersection of the Maple Trail but to do this loop you will continue straight. I'm sure we'll go left on the Maple trail before too long, though. The road continues to ascend through the forest and crosses a couple creeks. Today I heard pileated woodpeckers and  a douglas squirrel but possibly my coolest wildlife encounter in Forest Park ever happened along this trail. Two years ago in the fall I came across a Pacific Giant Salamender in the road. What strange creatures they are!

The view of the St John's Bridge from Saltzman Rd

After 1.25 miles you reach the intersection of Saltzman Road with Leif Ericson Drive. Leif Erickson runs north/south through the park (approximately along an elevation line, though there is elevation gain along the road) from NW Thurman St all the way to NW Germantown Road. This intersection of the two roads is marked by a large open gravel area and a picnic table. There is also a map of the park mounted there, maintained by the city and the Forest Park conservancy. These maps are amazing and I am ever grateful for them!

Continue following the gravel road to the right (the roads get convoluted, but to the right is Leif Ericson). I stopped and snapped a picture of the St. John's bridge and North Portland through the winter bare branches. It'll be interested to see how little of that view is available once the foliage comes in. The stretch of Leif Ericson between Saltzman Road and the Maple Trail is flat and dark. Today there were interesting ice formations in the puddles and the air was frigid.

A creek along the Maple Trail

The Maple trail is on the right in a grassy clearing. In the summer it can be hard to see the trail but the sign is quite visible in the winter. Trail maintenance crews have been doing an excellent job with the first part of the Maple Trail here, laying gravel and fixing the first wooden bridge. The trail winds up and down and around the ridges and gullies just down elevation from the roads we hiked up on. It was cold and still today but the sunlight on the far ridges and tree tops was beautiful. One of my favorite parts of the trail is the last wooden bridge where the creek seems to flow out from under a big fir tree. There was ice on overhanging vegetation along the creek today. Did I mention it was cold?

It was a lovely first hike of the year and an excellent way to start off my challenge. Happy 2015!!