City Parks in Portland, Oregon: A Guide to Nature in the City

1. Arbor Lodge Park

Arbor Lodge Park is an 8.4-acre public park in Portland with a nice mix of sport facilities and green spaces. There is a baseball field, a horseshoe pit, soccer field, softball field, tennis court, and a one-acre off-leash area for dogs in the northwest part of the park next to the tennis courts. Harper's Playground was design to allow people of all ages and abilities to play together.

It also a gathering space for neighbors and families. Unique features of this playground include an elevated sand table with a water pump, climbing walls, a xylophone, a hill with slide and climbing net, a swing with universally-accessible swings seats, standard and infant swing seats, omni-spin, and a bronze sculpture of a sea turtle by artist Peter Helzer placed among boulders by the water and sand play area.

N Delaware Ave & North Bryant Street, Portland, OR 97217, Phone: 503-823-2525, Map

2. Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden

The Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden is part of Grant Park, located in northeast Portland. Its main features are three bronze statues placed around a splash fountain. The statues represent Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins, and Henry's dog Ribsy, three well-known characters from the books by children's author Beverly Cleary.

The statues were created by Portland artist Lee Hunt, in honor of the popular writer who grew up in the Grant Park neighborhood and played in the park as a child. The park is a background for many events in her books. There are a number of engraved granite plaques around the fountain with the titles of Beverly Cleary's books set in Portland.

Grant Park Path, Portland, OR 97212, Phone: 503-823-7529, Map

3. Brooklyn Park

Brooklyn Park is a fairly small (2.3 acres) neighborhood park in inner-southeast Portland, about three miles from downtown Portland. The park was constructed in 1949 and includes a kids’ play area, restrooms, a basketball court, a horseshoe pit, paved hiking and biking paths, picnic tables, a playground, a softball field, and three large granite boulders placed near the play area.

These three boulders were carved into heads by California artist Marcia Donahue. The artist herself picked up the boulders, each weighing between two and three tons, at a ranch near Bakersfield, CA. The sculpture is named Tête à Tête à Tête and sits as the permanent audience for baseball games in the park, as well as a gathering spot for park visitors. Brooklyn Park, with a big hill in its heart, offers great sledding in the winter.

SE 10th & Haig, Portland, Oregon 97202, Map

4. Cathedral Park

Cathedral Park in North Portland is located under St. John’s Bridge about 20 minutes from downtown Portland. The huge park got its name from the unique cathedral-like architecture of the bridge’s supports. It gets most visitors during the jazz festival or other concerts organized in the park. It’s important to note that this park does not have traditional park playgrounds or bike paths. It is, however, peaceful and quiet, clean, and green, and most folks come to enjoy the magnificent view or fish off the dock. There is a nice green area with a bit of shade to spread out a blanket and enjoy the sun. You will also find a walking path along the shore.

N Edison St And Pittsburg Ave, Portland, OR 97203, Phone: 503-823-3647

5. Columbia Park and Annex

Columbia Park is one of the largest parks in North Portland. It offers a great combination of woody area with large Douglas firs that provide shade for the half-mile long path that encircles the entire green area. The park includes a spray playground area kids love during the summer, a nice playground for smaller kids with a caterpillar-shaped jungle gym and a double teeter-totter, a soccer field, several baseball fields, a few tennis courts, an indoor pool, and a “movie in the park” feature that runs on warm summer nights. There is also a new Annex across the street for various events.

Columbia Park and Annex, N Lombard And N Woolsey, Portland, OR 97203, Phone: 503-823-2525

6. Commonwealth Lake Park

Commonwealth Lake Park is a 20-acre park in the Cedar Hills neighborhood of Portland. In its heart is a man-made Commonwealth Lake, and Johnson Creek runs along the park’s north border. A kids’ playground and soccer field are located on the park's west side. About 0.8-mile long paved hiking and biking trail runs around the lake. There are benches all over the park, perfect for a quiet rest and bird-watching. Blue and green herons and cedar waxwings are frequent visitors, and there is plenty of waterfowl as well. The lake is stocked with trout so anglers are often seeing on the banks trying to catch dinner.

Commonwealth Lake Park, SW Butner Rd &, SW Huntington Ave, Portland, OR 97225, Phone: 503-645-3539

7. Council Crest Park

Council Crest Park is a 43.51-acre urban park in southwest Portland. The park, which was the site of an amusement park from 1907 to 1929, features paved and unpaved paths, a green off-leash dog area, plenty of picnic tables, public art, an observation point, and a scenic wedding site. The vast green areas are beautifully manicured and the flowerbeds are spectacular when in bloom. There is a beautiful sculpture of a mother with a child, but the biggest attraction of the park is the breathtaking view of Mount St. Helens, Mount Rainier, Mount Hood, and Mount Adams, as well as of the entire Portland and Beaverton. At 1,073 feet, Council Crest Park is the highest spot in Portland. An extensive network of trails connects the park with downtown Portland and Forest Park.

Council Crest Park, 1120 SW Council Crest Dr, Portland, OR 97239, Phone: 503-823-7529

8. Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is a botanical garden in southeastern Portland, between the Eastmoreland Golf Course and Reed College. The garden occupies 9.49 acres, and numerous springs flow through it, giving the park its name along with plenty of water. Crystal Springs Garden features over 2,500 rhododendrons, azaleas, and other plants surrounded by small lakes, trails and paths, small waterfalls, and a fountain. While most of the garden is beautifully landscaped, there are small areas of shrubs, marsh vegetation, upland forest, and logs submerged under water. This area is more attractive to wildlife than the manicured gardens, so it is easy to spot waterfowl, especially in the winter. The Rhododendron Society spotted 94 species of birds in the garden, including herons, ducks, grebes, Canada geese, gulls, nuthatches, thrushes, hummingbirds, and many others.

Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, 5801 SE 28th Ave, Portland, OR 97202, Phone: 503-771-8386

9. Director Park

Director Park (its full name is Simon and Helen Director Park) is a half-acre an urban park in Portland. The park was opened in 2009 on top of a 700-space underground parking garage that links the Fox Tower and the Park Avenue West Tower. The park contains almost no vegetation. It was designed as a public urban piazza, a gathering place that features a fountain, a cafe, an interesting glass canopy, and several artworks. Director Park was designed by Laurie Olin and the architectural firm ZGF Architects. It is part of a corridor of planned public parks across downtown Portland.

Director Park, 815 SW Park Ave, Portland, OR 97205

10. Ed Benedict Park

Ed Benedict Park is a large green space in Southeast Portland with several distinct areas. The sports fields, which include a soccer field and a basketball court, are always occupied by kids big and small. Kids’ playgrounds, park benches, picnic tables, and open green spaces are perfect for a family picnic, walking the dog, or enjoying a quiet moment in the grass. There are also paved paths for joggers and bikers and a granite and basalt sculpture named Contemplative Place by Michihiro Kosuge. A big part of the park is occupied by a popular skate park, with 18,000 square feet of ledges, stairs, rails, and banks.

Ed Benedict Park, S.E. Powell Blvd., Portland, OR 97266