Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Portland has a prevalence of trails and, thankfully, a prevalence of public transit options to get there.

It’s easy enough to drive to parks and trailheads in and around the city, but for those who can’t or don’t want to take a car, there are those handy bus and train lines that stop at several beautiful places to hike.

For this list, I only considered trails and parks that have an adjacent bus or MAX stop, or are accessible by a safe walking path from a stop. Forest Park, for example, has stops near many of the trailheads, but all require further walks up streets without sidewalks. Feel free to explore those hikes if you’re willing and able to do so, but I’ve decided not to include them here.

Looking for more Portland trails? Check out my Portland Hiking Guide and list of the most iconic hikes in the city.





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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Marquam Nature Park

Bus line: 65

Stop: SW Terwilliger & Bancroft Terrace/SW Terwilliger & Hamilton



There is a bus stop just .2 miles from the main entrance to tranquil Marquam Nature Park (at SW Terwilliger & Sam Jackson), but the safer option is to hook up with the Marquam Trail on the lower end of the park, where it meets up with Terwilliger Parkway.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Mount Tabor

Bus line: 71 and 15

Stop: SE 60th & Hawthorne and S.E. Yamhill & 69th



Mount Tabor is a sprawling park atop one of Portland's several extinct volcanoes, and the best place to access it by bus is the SE 60th & Hawthorne stop by the big reservoir. The stop at S.E. Yamhill & 69th works, too, requiring only a short walk along a neighborhood sidewalk.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge

Bus line: 19

Stop: SE Milwaukie & Mitchell



The parking lot for Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge is tiny, but thankfully the number 19 bus drops you off right there, giving easy access to the lovely hike through the urban wildlife refuge, which also connects to Oaks Amusement Park and the Springwater Corridor.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Smith and Bybee Wetlands

Bus line: 11

Stop: 5300 Block North Marine



This is less of a hike and more of a stroll along a paved pathway, but the Smith and Bybee Wetlands are a nice refuge in North Portland, home to several species of waterfowl, raptors and turtles. The bus stop couldn't be more convenient, dropping you off at the park entrance.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Pittock Mansion Hike

Bus line: 15

Stop: NW Thurman & 29th



The Pittock Mansion Hike is easily the most iconic in Portland, and it's conveniently accessible by bus. The hike (which also connects to the Wildwood Trail, see below) starts at Lower Macleay Park. From the bus stop walk a block west on Thurman St., then take the stairs down from the bridge that crosses over the park.

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Powell Butte

Bus line: 9 and 74

Stop: SE Powell & 162nd



From the bus stop, you'll need to walk about a block down the generous shoulder of Powell Blvd., then hike up the trail that runs alongside the park entrance road. It's worth it for the spectacular hiking trails of Powell Butte, which run for many miles through forest and meadow, and offer stunning views of the Cascades.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Sauvie Island

Bus line: 16

Stop: Gillihan Rd. & Sauvie Island



You'll need to bring a bike to get around, but there are several good hikes and beaches once you're on Sauvie Island, including the Warrior Point hike on the northern tip of the island and a stroll along the Wapato Greenway.

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Beth Nakamura/The Oregonian

Washington Park

MAX line: Blue and Red

Stop: Washington Park



Bus line: 63

Stop: Several throughout the park



Washington Park is Portland's best attraction, so it makes sense that public transit abounds, offering access to the many places found within. Once you're there, you can take the free Washington Park Shuttle to get around. It runs daily from May through September, and on weekends in April and October.

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Wildwood Trail

Bus line: 63

Stop: SW Fairview & Wildwood Trail



You can pick up the 30-mile Wildwood Trail on the Pittock Mansion Hike (see above), but the most convenient stop is in Washington Park at SW Fairview & Wildwood Trail, which literally stops at the trail’s junction with SW Fairview Blvd.

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SUBURBS

Portland’s suburbs offer a good number of hiking opportunities, but few that are accessible via public transportation. It’s not surprising – as suburbs by and large tend to be car country – but it’s nice that there are at least a few scattered throughout the greater Portland metro area.

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Hyland Woods (Beaverton)

Bus line: 62

Stop: SW Murray & Sexton Mountain Dr.



Mount Talbert (Sunnyside)

Bus line: 155

Stop: SE Sunnyside & 117th



Sundial Beach (Troutdale)

Bus line: 81

Stop: 1500 Block N.E. Graham Rd.



Tualatin Hills Nature Park (Beaverton)

MAX line: Blue

Stop: Merlo Rd./SW 158th Ave.

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VANCOUVER

Don’t sleep on Vancouver. Getting to The ‘Couve is a little tricky, in that it requires a transfer to the C-Tran bus, but for those who can’t or don’t want to drive, it opens up a vast network of greenways that are ripe for hiking and even riper for biking. Consider bringing your bike along and making a day of it.

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Burnt Bridge Greenway

C-Train line: 2

Stop: Lakeshore Dr. & Bernie



Ellen Davis Trail

C-Train line: 25

Stop: St. James & Minnehaha



Salmon Creek Greenway

C-Train line: 9

Stop: Seward Rd. & Creekside Dr.

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Stephanie Yao Long/The Oregonian

OUT THERE

Two buses also offer service from Portland to farther-flung destinations east of town: Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge. There have been murmurings of expanding or even connecting the two, which would create a public transit loop from Oregon’s biggest city to Oregon’s biggest waterfall and Oregon’s biggest mountain. That would be… big, to say the least.

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Columbia River Gorge

You can take the Columbia Gorge Express bus from the Gateway Transit Center in Portland to Rooster Rock State Park, Multnomah Falls, Cascade Locks and Hood River. The trail system found around Multnomah Falls is still closed from the Eagle Creek fire, but when open it's one of the best trail networks on public transit.



Mount Hood

The Mount Hood Express bus takes you from the Sandy Transit Center to Timberline Lodge and points in between, and from there (or the other ski areas on the mountain) you can access lots of hiking trails, including the famed Timberline Trail that runs 40 miles around the mountain. You can get to Sandy from the Gresham Transit Center, which is on the MAX blue line and several bus lines.



--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB