Hike #24: South Waterfront to OHSU

Name:  South Waterfront to OHSU
Neighborhood: South Portland, Homestead
Distance: 4.93 miles
Rating: Medium
Elevation Change:  468 ft
Start/End Location: OHSU Center for Health and Healing
Map Links:  Interactive Map

Summary:
This 5.1-mile hike takes you through the South Portland area and includes a walk along the river via the Willamette Greenway, up the Buhler Cut-Off through Keller Woods, through Marquam Nature Park, OHSU upper campus, and Terwilliger Parkway, back through town, over the Hooley Pedestrian Bridge, and back to where you started.

Interactive Map Directions:

• Touch the “Interactive Map” link at the top of this page to launch a web-based version of the route map from your mobile browser (i.e. chrome, or safari).
• Touch the locate me button in the top-left corner of your display to activate a ‘blue dot’ showing your current location
• Your blue dot will now follow the highlighted route from your mobile device!
• Note, you may have to grant permission to allow the application to access location services.

Step-by-step Directions:
As this walk is a loop, you can begin anywhere along the route.  This description begins at the river near The Old Spaghetti Factory as you will find parking easier from that location.

Beginning at the intersection of SW Bond Ave and SW Bancroft St, head west away from the river on Bancroft one block; turn left (south) on N Easy St where you will walk by the US Dept of Homeland Security/Immigrations and Customs Enforcement building. Continue on past the Tesla dealership and turn left to return to the waterfront pathway.  Turn right (south) and walk along the river until you see a path at the south end of River’s Edge Hotel that leads to SW Hamilton Ct.  Walk up Hamilton Ct to SW Macadam Ave.  Cross the street (you will see a bus stop on the opposite side of the street) and turn left.

When you reach SW Kelly Av, cross the street carefully (sightline may be limited due to the extreme angle of the street at this point), turn left and then an immediate right onto S Seymour Ct (west).  Find the walking path at the end of Seymour Ct; notice the steps leading up to S Corbett Av that SWTrails built in 2018.  Turn right (north) on Corbett, cross over the I-5 freeway, and turn left (west) on S Seymour St and walk a short distance to S Slavin Rd where you will turn left.  Stay on Slavin as it curves through the outer reaches of the South Portland neighborhood.  Keep on Slavin past SW 2^nd Ave for one final curve until you reach the parking entrance to the Town & Country Apartments; turn right and continue walking to reach SW Barbur Blvd, using the fire lane between the two paved portions of this section.  Turn left and walk to the first crosswalk to cross SW Barbur at the Buhler Cut-Off (you will also see a bus stop next to the cut-off).

Walk on up the cut-off (named after Lee Buhler for his efforts with SWTrails) to SW Terwilliger Blvd.  This is a bit of a climb as you go uphill, gaining about 160 ft in elevation in this part of the walk.  But, enjoy this beautiful section as you walk through Keller Woods.   Turn right at Terwilliger and walk north until you come to the Marquam Nature Park Trail entrance; turn left and prepare for another elevation gain, this time around 140 ft.  Continue walking northward on the Marquam Trail past the first Flicker Trail turn-off until you reach the second intersection with the Flicker Trail; turn right and exit the Park at the Flicker Trailhead onto SW 12^th Av.

Walk north to SW Gaines St and turn right, then in one block turn left at SW 11^th Ave.  Go two blocks and turn right at SW Gibbs St.  Turn right to enter the OHSU campus at SW US Veterans Hospital Rd. Following the SWTrail signs for Route 1, you will walk around the BICC building and take the path to the left and follow it down around the OHSU Student Center to SW Campus Dr.  Use the crosswalk to cross Campus Dr. and continue walking to SW Terwilliger Blvd, and use the crosswalk to the left to cross; enter the Terwilliger Parkway.  Don’t forget to look up for passing trams overhead.

Stay on the trail until it ends at SW Whitaker St; continue on to SW Barbur Blvd, turn left and use the first crosswalk to cross Barbur and follow the path left around the complex to S Gibbs St. Turn right (east), walk two blocks to turn right on SW Naito Pkwy.  Cross Naito at SW Whitaker St.  Please be cautious when crossing.  SWTrails has been advocating for the city to complete this pedestrian crossing which has been 10 years in the planning. Feel free to write a letter to the city to please, please complete this much-needed crossing.

Continue down Whitaker and turn right (north) at SW Kelly Ave. After crossing S Gibbs St, use the crosswalk to cross Kelly and use the Hooley Pedestrian Bridge (Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge) to cross over I-5 and S Macadam Ave. and exit at SW Moody Ave.  Cross Moody and continue walking to S Bond Ave; turn right and go two blocks; turn left at SW Curry St and walk to the Waterfront Walkway.  Turn left and walk to the end of the walkway; turn right to walk past the Osprey Apartments to SW Lane St.  Continue straight (west) on Lane to SW Bond Ave and turn left to reach the parking lot where we began.

Don’t forget to use the hashtag #swtrails to share your very best pictures.

Happy Trails,
SWTrails