Some Walks in the Wild
Marquam Gulch


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Sunnyside - Goldy Corridor
Good parking can be found at the Marquam Nature Park shelter and Interpretive center at the end of Marquam Street--a dead-end street at the first switchback going up Sam Jackson Park Rd from Terwilliger.  Look on the right just past the large round water tanks.  Parking is limited to two hours so that students from OHSU won't take up all the places intended for park visitors.

Walk up the paved street past the cable across the street and turn immediately to the right onto Sunnyside Trail.  Walk up Sunnyside Tr to the wooden stairs and go up the stairs and on to Broadway Dr.  (Cross the street with caution: cars drive fast and the visibility is limited.)  Take the concrete stairs up to Gerald Ave, turn left onto Gerald and follow the street to Ravensview,  (Gerald becomes Corona Ave at the first turn.)  A short walk down (west) Ravensview takes you to Broadway Drive.  From here we split the route into a shorter, 2.88-mile loop and a longer 3.38 mile-loop.

 Gerald and Corona Avenues are two of the complex system of narrow, winding streets connected with stairs, walkways and paths, on this ridge above the downtown area.  It's a great area for adventurous walkers and  hill-running, stair-climbing runners.
 
 
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2.88 miles:  Turn left onto Broadway and follow it down to Arden Rd and turn right.  (Don't turn right onto Talbot Pl which is a short dead end.)  Follow Arden to a path to the left--it starts out as a driveway, but it's the only driveway that you can see a narrow path at its end.  Take the path to Sherwood Dr and turn right.  Follow Sherwood to the 40-mile trail which has stairs both up and down from Sherwood.  Go down.  Follow the path to the first trail junction and take the path to the right.  Continue till you have descended on several switchbacks and come to another trail junction.  Don't go down, to the left, but stay on the level path which goes around the end of the ridge below Sherwood Dr.  You pass a stream which is usually flowing and continue, slightly upward to another trail junction.  The upper trail cuts back and is the upper branch of the 40-mlie trail.  You want the lower branch, and you will quickly come the bottom of the gulch.  Take the trail down the gulck--it's 0.33 miles to the parking lot.
This area has many fine homes with a great variety of architectural styles and interesting gardens.  Marquam Nature Park and its trail system was instituted in the 1970's by local residents, most notably Barbara Walker and Roger David.  Much of the trail upgrading and gravelling is the work of John Stephenson who can often be seen working somewhere on the system.

Watch for the gigantic poison ivy vines on a tree about 20 yards below the trail.  On the above map, it's located near the lower right corner of the "R" in the "NATURE" of "MARQUAM NATURE PARK."
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3.38 miles:  At the end of Ravensview, turn right onto Broadway Dr, and at the drinking fountain take the stairs to the left, up to Talbot.  Follow Talbot up to Fairmount Blvd, and follow Fairmount (left--south) to the 40-Trail which has wooden stairs leading down.  Take the trail about 1/2 mile down to Sherwood  Rd where this route meets the shorter route.  Continue on the shorter route. Fairmount Blvd with Talbot Rd is a very popular, 3.6-mile loop for walkers, runners, and bikers.  Add Hewett and Humphrey Blvds connecting over to Slyvan for a 7.0-mile figure-eight route.