Marquam Trail Loop
As described here, this loop is just about exactly 4 miles, including a section of unimproved trail. If you skip that part, it's about 3.5 miles, depending on the exact path you take. You can park at the top of Council Crest, or start at several other places along the route. If you park at the Marquam Shelter at the bottom of SW Sam Jackson Park Road, you will likely add a quarter to half a mile, again, depending on which trails you decide to take from there.
A good section of this walk is through the old Council Crest neighborhood, made famous by the band Everclear in their song "I Will Buy You a New Life". After this is a short stretch along Fairmount Boulevard and Marquam Hill Road, which although popular with joggers and cyclists, can be a little dangerous due to narrow shoulders and lack of any sidewalks.
Starting at Council Crest Park, at the 1,073-foot summit of Council Crest, be sure to secure any valuables in your car and lock it. Walk the short distance up to the very summit where, on a clear day, you can see the Portland skyline, Mt. Hood, and a few other Cascades peaks.
Now walk down to the access road and follow it to Council Crest Drive. Stay to the right and walk along the sidewalks until they end. Continue a little farther to McDonnell Terrace and take a left down the hill. At Fairmount Boulevard, turn left and follow the road to Marquam Hill Road. Turn right and continue down a couple hundred yards. You will find an old logging road on your right, blocked off with concrete barriers and a chain. Turn right on this unimproved path. (You can also avoid this section by continuing down Marquam Hill Road). The path begins fairly level, then turns down the hill rather steeply. Eventually it cuts back and intersects with the Marquam Trail. At this point, the Marquam Trail intersects with a short path to Gaines Street. Stay to the left and continue up to Marquam Hill Road. Cross the road and walk past the large water reservoir, down the trail along the street, behind the guard rail. Soon the trail drops back into the woods, down several switch-backs. Here you will come to a fork in the trail with a short stairway. Go up the stairs and continue to a second fork in the trail. Here, stay to the right. If you take the left fork, you will climb back up the hill toward the top of Marquam Hill Road.
The trail continues on for a good distance, eventually coming to yet another fork. Here, stay to the left, heading uphill toward Council Crest. A little while later, you'll come to a T intersection. Here, turn left, up the hill. Soon you'll come to a street. This is Sherwood Drive, the access road to a cute little hidden neighborhood. But you'll simply cross the street and continue toward Council Crest. The trail winds along the hillside, climbing up gradually, until you once again encounter a street. This is Fairmount Boulevard. This street is very popular with walkers, runners, and cyclists. It's nearly level and forms a loop around Council Crest and Healy Heights. Cars are almost always very courteous and careful passing pedestrians and cyclists -- almost always. None of this matters for us, because all we need to do is cross the street and continue along the trail.
The next two sections are relatively short, and then you're back at the top of Council Crest! The first section traverses the hill between Fairmount and Greenway Avenue. At Greenway, cross the street and continue up the hill. The next section climbs up to the Council Crest summit road, past an off-leash dog exercise area. The entire walk takes about one hour and 20 minutes (at a 3 mile-per-hour pace). Plan on an hour and 45 minutes at a more leisurely 2.5 mph, with a rest or two on the strategically placed park benches.
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