Part of the 4T Trail experience
At the beginning of August, Matt and I flew up to the Pacific Northwest for a trip with a group of his college friends. After a few days in the mountains near Cougar, WA, we headed to Portland to hike the 4T Trail. I’d never heard of it before (not surprising) but Matt’s friends who live in Washington, Josh and Mackenzie, had done it before. So they took us to do it.
4T Trail Basics
Technically, it should just be called the 4T in order to not be redundant… because the T stands for trail. And the other 3 Ts stand for tram, trolley, and train. That’s right — the 4T takes you through Portland via four different methods of transportation, all starting with T.
We did it in that order, which worked out pretty well. But it’s a loop, so you could technically start with whichever T you wanted. But starting with the trail is a particularly good idea because it starts at Washington Park, where you can park your car, if you have one. It cost $2 an hour to park, and the whole route shouldn’t take more than three to four hours or so. But if you’re planning to spend more time in downtown Portland, be sure to pay for extra parking time before you leave the park.
Trail
The trail portion of the 4T definitely takes the longest. I felt slightly misled by our friends who made it sound like the hike was mostly just walking through the city. But this definitely wasn’t the case. The trail is about 4.4 miles long, and you’ll go through forested areas, such as Marquam Nature Park, with nearly 800 feet in elevation gain. The hike isn’t very difficult, but you should probably bring water — something we didn’t do because we were not expecting the hike to be that long.
Eventually, once you’re out of the forest, you’ll start to come up on a more urban area as you near the city. At the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), there are a few hospitals clustered together. This is where you get on the tram.
Tram
Disclaimer: The Tram is currently closed to non-essential travel. The website says that, as of July 2021, they were working to re-open the tram “next month,” but now it’s October and there doesn’t seem to be an update.
This definitely makes the 4T as a whole a little more confusing. We did wander up to the tram platform, where you get a great view of the Portland skyline and can even see all the way out to Mt. Hood on a clear day. But when we weren’t able to take the tram, we had a really hard time figuring out where to go in order to get to the next section: the trolley. In fact, we got lost in the hospital parking garage for about 20 minutes before we realized we needed to exit through the hospital lobby.
Just hike toward the lower tram terminal. It’s all downhill and it takes you through a few cute little neighborhoods. So even if the tram is closed, don’t worry: you’ll still be able to continue on the 4T.
But if, by the time you’re reading this, the tram is open again, your trip will be more straightforward. Riding the tram down one-way is free; or, you can buy a round-trip ticket for $5.10, though if you’re doing the 4T you won’t be riding the tram back up.
Trolley
Whether you ride the tram or hike down, by the time you make it to the trolley, you’re in South Portland, but not quite in downtown. If there’s anything you want to explore in the South Waterfront neighborhood, go ahead and do it now. Otherwise, head to the OHSU plaza trolley stop just a short walk away. Be sure to get on the North/South Line, which is green on the trolley map.
You will have to pay $2.50 in order to get a ticket, but your ticket is good for 2 and 1/2 hours. And it’s even good for the train, which you’ll take later — as long as it’s within that 2 and 1/2 hour window. You can buy your ticket right at the trolley stop before boarding, and be sure you purchase the TriMet option. The trolley should come every 15-20 minutes or so. If you want to know exactly when it’s going to come, you can always download my favorite travel app, Citymapper, for Portland.
Once you catch the trolley, ride until you get to the Central Library stop — 10th & Yamhill.
Train
After getting off the trolley, you’re officially in downtown. Spend some time checking out the area — Powell’s City of Books, Pioneer Square, Providence Park, and the Portland Art Museum are all within walking distance. But if you want to use your same TriMet ticket to take the train back to Washington Park before your 2 and a half hours are over, keep an eye on the time.
When you’re ready to leave the city and officially complete the 4T loop, head one block north of where you got off the trolley, to 10th & SW Morrison St. Here, you’ll find the train station. Hop on either the blue or red line Westbound toward Washington Park. It’s about a 15-minute journey once you’re on the train.
Upon arriving back at Washington Park, you’ll take an elevator up to ground level and walk the rest of the way to the parking lot and your car.
Though I’d been to Portland about three years ago — but that trip was more about nearby National Parks — the 4T Trail was a fun and unique way to see the city and check out some different forms of transportation. And all the hiking certainly made it feel like we’d earned our trip to the bar before getting on the train to go back to Washington Park 😉
Have you ever heard of the 4T Trail? Or would you be interested in it? Let me know in the comments!
–Cathy
Originally Published on October 16, 2021.
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