Imagine spending your day surrounded by groves of trees from around the world, basking in the peacefulness of a Japanese garden or watching chimpanzees groom, forage and socialize. Now imagine enjoying those memorable experiences all in one day. You can find it all at Washington Park, which occupies more than 400 acres just west of downtown Portland in the city’s West Hills.
Your best bet for getting to Washington Park is to take TriMet’s MAX Light Rail Service, whose red and blue lines serve the park via an elevator-accessible underground stop. TriMet Bus Line 63 also runs between downtown and Washington Park, with stops at the International Rose Test Garden and the Portland Japanese Garden. Once at the park, get around via the wheelchair-accessible Washington Park Free Shuttle — which follows a loop within the park, visiting many of its top sites all year long. Here are some ideas to make the most of your next trip to Washington Park.
See Wildlife at the Oregon Zoo
The Oregon Zoo is home to nearly 3,000 animals from around the world — including Asian elephants, primates and polar bears. Over the years, the zoo has earned acclaim for its conservation efforts, such as advocating for an end to the illegal wildlife trade, and it educates visitors through interpretive panels, keeper talks and other fun events.
Away from the animals, highlights include children’s play areas and a short train ride that heads into Washington Park’s forest. Every holiday season, Zoo Lights takes over the campus with millions of twinkling lights and colorful, animal-shaped displays — including tunnels of lights, animated hippos, flashy underwater scenes and trees wrapped in lights.
Fuel up for the day with a filling breakfast at The Daily Feast or hearty comfort food at Mother’s Bistro & Bar, one of Portland’s most popular brunch spots. Both eateries sit within a few blocks of MAX stops in downtown and provide easy access to the park.
Savor Colorful Displays at Washington Park’s Well-Manicured Gardens
Washington Park is home to a pair of gardens that offer a wide range of experiences — one an explosion of color between spring and fall, and the other a getaway into an oasis of peace and tranquility. Best of all: The gardens are across the street from each other.
The International Rose Test Garden serves as a testing ground for new rose varieties and hosts more than 10,000 individual plants. Overlooking Mt. Hood on the horizon, the garden’s bushes — comprising more than 600 rose varieties — typically bloom between late May and October.
Just across Southwest Kingston Avenue, which runs through Washington Park, sits the Portland Japanese Garden. The tranquil oasis hosts eight garden spaces, each showcasing a different aspect of Japanese garden history and design. A stream bisects the contemplative Strolling Pond Garden, for instance, while a dry landscape garden is made up of sand, stones and rocks. Peruse an on-site gallery that showcases works by a mix of established and up-and-coming artists from Japan. A springtime trip rewards visitors with brilliant azalea and rhododendron blooms of pink and purple, and a fall outing shows off the garden’s Japanese maples, whose leaves turn red, orange and yellow in October. Make a reservation to visit the on-site Umami Café for a bevy of light bites — including Japanese teas, miso soup and mochi ice cream.
Farther north, the Oregon Holocaust Memorial remembers people who died in concentration camps during World War II.
Dive Into the Hidden World of Trees at a Pair of Attractions
Portland is a famously leafy city, and a pair of attractions within Washington Park helps connect visitors with the natural world in creative ways.
Start at the World Forestry Center, where two floors host hands-on exhibits that invite visitors to operate a simulated timber harvester, view a petrified stump that dates back 5 million years and learn about the animals that call Pacific Northwest forests home.
For a closer look at our outdoor wonders, step into the Hoyt Arboretum. Portland’s so-called “living museum of trees” hosts 12 miles of hiking trails that pass more than 2,000 species of trees and shrubs from around the world. Highlights include towering sequoias ringing the photogenic Redwood Deck, groves of bamboo and more than 90 species of maple trees — whose leaves turn vibrant hues of red, yellow and orange in October and November.
A somber yet important attraction resides nearby. At the Vietnam Veterans of Oregon Memorial, a curved black wall lists the names of all Oregonians who died or went missing in the Vietnam War.
From there, it’s a quick shuttle or max trip back to downtown. Head for NW 23rd, a major pedestrian-friendly retail and dining hub, to grab upscale cocktails and Japanese cuisine at Takibi or toast to your adventures with brews and an order of Portland-famous Cajun tater tots at McMenamins Blue Moon Tavern.
