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Washington Park
Portland's signature park offers gardens, museums, memorials, a zoo, wilderness and more.
Brian Barker
Portland’s signature westside park isn’t just loaded with big trees and picnic tables. Located a mere two miles west of downtown and accessible by MAX light rail, 410-acre (166 ha) Washington Park offers up a zoo, two museums, a spectacular rose garden, one of the most authentic Japanese gardens in the world, all bordered by Forest Park — at 5,100 acres, one of the country’s premier urban wildernesses. Here’s a tour.
Plan Your Visit to Washington Park
How do I get to the park?
TriMet offers convenient transportation alternatives. Washington Park is served by the MAX light rail Blue and Red lines, and by bus #63, which travels to the park from Providence Park downtown.
Where should I stay if I want easy access to the park?
Do I need tickets to visit?
The Oregon Zoo requires that timed admission tickets be purchased in advance via their website.
Is parking available?
Is the park easy to navigate?
Is there a shuttle in the park?
April – September | 9:30 a.m. – 7 p.m.
October – March | 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Kid-Centric Attractions
Steller sea lions, mountain goats, and lion pride all draw crowds to the Oregon Zoo. But the biggest stars are the Asian elephants, who enjoy a state-of-the-art habitat that lets visitors see them up close. There’s no bad time to visit: from summer concerts to “Howloween” trick or treat to holiday ZooLights, Portland’s beloved zoo sparkles in any season.
Forests have never been more interesting, thanks to the World Forestry Center’s Discovery Museum, a Portland icon since 1971. Visitors to the dramatic wooden building can see a bird’s-eye-view of a Northwest forest, “travel” to forests around the world and learn about the future of sustainable forestry. (Outside the museum, visitors can also visit the museum’s 10,000-pound (4,536 kg), 5-million-year-old petrified stump of a Giant Sequoia tree.)
Washington Park’s playground just south of the Rose Garden is a doozy, with slides, giant castle structures, ramps, bridges and swings. Arrive in style via the Oregon Zoo steam train, which stops just a few feet away.
Gardens Galore
Apricot Candy, Burgundy Iceberg, Rhapsody in Blue — these are just a few of the 610 different varieties represented among the more than 10,000 rose bushes to ogle, caress and, of course, sniff at the International Rose Test Garden, the oldest continuously operated public rose garden in the nation. Peak bloom season runs from late May to September. But even sans petals, the 4.5-acre (1.82 ha), multi-tiered grounds dazzle with sculptures, a flower-themed gift shop and stunning views of Mount Hood and Portland’s skyline.
Touted by former Japanese ambassador Nobuo Matsunaga as the most authentic Japanese garden outside of his homeland, the 12-acre Portland Japanese Garden is a breathtaking passageway to the Land of the Rising Sun. Take in eight unique gardenscapes (a strolling pond, ceremonial teahouse, natural garden, flat garden, and sandstone garden) set among cherry trees, azaleas and Japanese maples. Traditional events include autumn moon viewings.
Fun for the Whole Family
Washington Park offers five iconic attractions in one.
Hoyt Arboretum staffers call it Portland’s “living classroom.” How else to categorize a 190-acre (76.89 ha) plot chock-full of more than 1,000 species of plants? Grab a walking map and a picnic blanket and stroll 12 miles (19.31 km) of hiking trails, discovering exotic trees such as the Chilean Monkey Puzzle, weeping sequoias, and a multitude of flowering specimens like dogwood and magnolias.
Credit: Diego Diaz
Designated as a National Recreation Trail, the Wildwood Trail stretches 30 miles (48.28 km), spanning the entire length of Forest Park, and offers endless loop options with shorter paths. The trail begins just northwest of the Washington Park MAX station.
Perfect for a little adventure in the city, the 4T Trail, a clearly marked 4.5-mile (7.2 km) loop, directs trekkers on a unique urban route that ropes in trails, a train, a trolley (aka the Portland Streetcar), and the Portland Aerial Tram. Pick up the trail by following the 4T signs outside the Washington Park MAX station; an all-day TriMet pass is required.
Solemn Memorials
Dedicated in 1987, the Vietnam Veterans of Oregon Memorial is a curved black granite wall that was inspired by the design of the famed Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The names of 800 Oregonians who died or are still missing in action are inscribed here, contrasted by a record of concurrent local events.
Meant to evoke a town square — the kind of place where Jewish citizens were often gathered before being forced into concentration camps — the Oregon Holocaust Memorial is a small monument that packs an emotional wallop. Bronze casts of shoes, eyeglasses and suitcases representing meager possessions lost in the chaos, and a wall engraved with quotes from those who survived spur quiet reflection.
Credit: Steve Rosenberg
Washington Park Summer Festival
Located in the International Rose Test Garden, Washington Park Amphitheater is transformed every August for the Washington Park Summer Festival. The two-day event includes lively outdoor performances as part of Portland Parks’ annual Summer Free for All programming.
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