Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

by Jamie Hale | The Oregonian, OregonLive

One of Portland's most iconic hikes will be a little harder to access in the month of March.



The Lower Macleay Trail – which connects Macleay Park to the Wildwood Trail, leading up to Pittock Mansion – will close for two to three weeks starting Monday, March 5, according to the Portland Parks and Recreation department. The closure will allow crews to replace the decking on one of the bridges on the trail.



The trail closure will run from Macleay Park off N.W. Upshur Street, running up to the junction with the Wildwood Trail at the Stone House. Hikers can navigate neighborhood streets to access the Wildwood Trail at the Holman Lane or Cumberland Road trailheads nearby.

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Courtesy of Portland Parks and Recreation

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Crews have already finished related bridge work on the Maple and Wildwood Trails in Forest Park, done as part of the 20-year Renew Forest Park initiative. The bridge work has been funded by the Parks Replacement Bond, which has been improving infrastructure and amenities at parks across Portland.



Hikers have long flocked to the Lower Macleay Trail, which features several wooden bridges and small waterfalls, as it winds its way up a forested path that's part of a beautiful, five-mile round-trip hike to Pittock Mansion. In case you want to get to the trail one more time before the closure (or want to put it on your to-do list for later in March), here are directions for one of the best hikes in Portland.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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PITTOCK MANSION HIKE

Distance: 5 miles, up and back

Difficulty: moderate

When to go: year-round

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Macleay Park

Your trail to the mansion starts at Macleay Park, a small park within the the sprawling Forest Park in northwest Portland. Follow the only trail from the parking lot, the Lower Macleay Trail, into the woods that lie beyond.



This lower part of the hike is nothing short of magical. The storybook stroll leads under moss-covered trees, over quaint wooden bridges and past dozens of miniature waterfalls on Balch Creek. As the trail intersects with the famous Wildwood Trail, it even leads past the Stone House (sometimes known as the Witches Castle), a ruined stone building now covered with graffiti.



After taking the obligatory photos, head left on the Wildwood Trail. The path leads west past more ferns, firs and waterfalls, before winding its way south. Soak in the sights as you stroll, losing yourself in the tranquil urban forest.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

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Uphill Climb

Eventually the trail will lead you up and out of Macleay Park, meeting up with a parking lot at N.W. Cornell Road. Cross the road to catch back up with the trail, following signs for the Wildwood Trail to Pittock Mansion as you climb the upper portion of the hike.

Here, the trail becomes much steeper, and the sights less magical. Tall, simple forest surrounds the muddy trail, which winds around the hillside beside Cornell Road, the only sounds coming from passing cars and the swift feet of trail runners making their way up and back down, up and back down the hill.

A four-way trail junction may be confusing, but if you stay straight on the Wildwood Trail you'll find the final switchbacks up and to the end, finally emerging in the Pittock Mansion parking lot. Turn left to get to the mansion itself, and circle around the back to find one of the best views of Portland around.

Take a picture, take a seat and head back the way you came when you're done. For fun, turn left on the Upper Macleay Trail on the way back, which offers an alternate route down the hill, meeting back up with the Wildwood Trail before Cornell Road. It's a well-traveled trail, but the trail less traveled nonetheless. Those pioneering Pittocks would be proud.

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

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