Marquam Nature Park is a park, located in the gulch northeast of

Marquam hill Marquam Hill is a populated hill located just south of Downtown Portland, Oregon, United States in the Homestead neighborhood. It is also called Pill Hill because it is home to Oregon Health & Science University, Portland VA Medical Center and Sh ...

in southwest

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States. The park was acquired by

Portland Parks & Recreation Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) is a Bureau of the City of Portland, Oregon that manages the city parks, natural areas, recreational facilities, gardens, and trails. The properties, which occupy a total of more than . The bureau employs a total ...

in 1979. Marquam Nature Park is in Southwest Portland in the

Tualatin Mountains The Tualatin Mountains (also known as the West Hills or Southwest Hills of Portland) are a range on the western border of Multnomah County, Oregon, United States. A spur of the Northern Oregon Coast Range, they separate the Tualatin Basin of Washi ...

, also known as the West Hills, and has several miles of hiking trails.

Description and history

Marquam Nature Park includes part of the Marquam Trail, which connects to the

40-Mile Loop The 40-Mile Loop is a partially completed greenway trail around and through Portland in the U.S. state of Oregon. It was proposed in 1903 by the Olmsted Brothers architecture firm as part of the development of Forest Park. One greenway expert c ...

. The natural area includes many native plant species, including

bigleaf maple ''Acer macrophyllum'', the bigleaf maple or Oregon maple, is a large deciduous tree in the genus '' Acer''. It is native to western North America, mostly near the Pacific coast, from southernmost Alaska to southern California. Some stands are al ...

Douglas fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Oregon pine, and Columbian pine. There are three va ...

, red cedar, and

western hemlock ''Tsuga heterophylla'', the western hemlock or western hemlock-spruce, is a species of hemlock native to the west coast of North America, with its northwestern limit on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, and its southeastern limit in northern Sonoma ...

. The park's entrance features a shelter with interpretive displays and maps. The volunteer organization called Friends of Marquam Nature Park formed in 1968 after neighbors of the park successfully prevented housing development on Marquam Ravine. In 2013, Friends of Marquam Nature Park and the

Regional Arts & Culture Council The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) is an organization that administers arts grants in Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties that also do advocacy in the Portland metropolitan area in Oregon, United States. It evolved from the city� ...

funded a mosaic project for one of the shelter's walls. The project cost $17,600; assembly began in August, and the dedication took place on September 28, 2013 following its completion.

References

External links

Friends of Marquam Nature Park
{{coord , 45.49 , -122.69 , dim:2500_region:US-OR_source:googlemaps_type:landmark , display=title 1979 establishments in Oregon Homestead, Portland, Oregon Parks in Portland, Oregon Protected areas established in 1979 Southwest Hills, Portland, Oregon

Description and history

See also

References

External links