Portland is a river city with a 5,200-acre forest in the West Hills, a 163-acre wildlife refuge on the Willamette, and, about an hour east, the Columbia River Gorge.
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Photo: A bend of the Wildwood Trail through Forest Park in Portland, EncMstr, CC BY-SA 3.0
Portland sits on the Willamette, just above its meeting with the Columbia. Official city parks pages describe Forest Park, at 5,200 acres, as a refuge for native wildlife with more than 80 miles of trails, anchored by the 30-mile Wildwood Trail, a National Recreation Trail. Official hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Dogs must be leashed; fires, drones, camping and off-leash dogs are prohibited.
On the east bank of the Willamette, Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge spans 163 acres of meadow, marsh and woodland, with more than 175 species of birds, and the Springwater Corridor trail running through it. Official hours are 5 a.m. to midnight, with the north parking lot closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. West of downtown, Washington Park is a 410-acre park of Hoyt Arboretum, the International Rose Test Garden, the Oregon Zoo and the Portland Japanese Garden. About an hour east, the Columbia River Gorge and Hood River make a natural second day.
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Free No charge to enter · Cheap A small entry, permit or parking fee · Paid Tickets, tours or rentals
Outdoors and nature
Trails, lookouts, waterfalls, beaches and time on the water come first.
Free
Forest Park
A 5,200-acre city natural area in Portland's West Hills, official parks pages say, with more than 80 miles of trails and a refuge for hundreds of native wildlife and plant species. Official hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Permitted uses include walking on all trails and cycling or riding on designated trails. Dogs must be leashed. Fires, drones, camping, off-leash dogs, motorized vehicles, fireworks, hunting and fishing are prohibited. Check the official trail-closures page for current conditions after wind, rain or high water.
Season Official hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Check the official trail-closures page after wind, rain or high water (check before you go).
A 30-mile National Recreation Trail that anchors Forest Park, official pages say, following the contours of the Tualatin Mountains and marked with blue diamonds every quarter mile. Official Forest Park hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Dogs must be leashed. Confirm current trail conditions before you go.
Season Inside Forest Park. Official park hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Confirm current trail conditions (check before you go).
A 163-acre natural area on the east bank of the Willamette in southeast Portland, official pages say, with meadows, marshes, wetlands and woods, a seasonal lake, and more than 175 species of birds. The Springwater Corridor trail runs through the park. Official hours are 5 a.m. to midnight; the north parking lot is closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Dogs must be leashed.
Season Official hours are 5 a.m. to midnight; the north parking lot is closed from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. (check before you go).
A popular hiking and biking trail that official Oaks Bottom pages say winds through the wildlife refuge, with views and chances to see wildlife. Confirm current trail conditions before you go. Dogs must be leashed in the refuge.
A 30.90-acre city park along the Willamette in downtown Portland, official pages say. Official hours are 5 a.m. to midnight. Dogs must be leashed. Official pages noted construction projects in and along the park, including work on Naito Parkway; confirm current access before you go.
Season Official hours are 5 a.m. to midnight. Official pages noted construction along Naito Parkway (check before you go).
A municipal arboretum inside Washington Park, at 4000 SW Fairview Boulevard. Official pages say Multnomah County gave the Parks Bureau perpetual use of about 145 acres, and that the collection holds 6,000 trees and shrubs representing 2,000 species. Official hours are 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; the parking lot and access roads close at 9:30 p.m. Dogs must be leashed. Official pages listed the Bristlecone Pine Trail as closed for construction from fall 2026 through fall 2027. Washington Park is pay-to-park.
Season Official hours are 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.; the parking lot and access roads close at 9:30 p.m. Official pages listed the Bristlecone Pine Trail as closed for construction from fall 2026 through fall 2027 (check before you go).
A 410-acre city park, official pages say, one of Portland's oldest, originally acquired in 1871 and renamed Washington Park in 1912. It is home to Hoyt Arboretum, the International Rose Test Garden, the Oregon Zoo, the World Forestry Center and the Portland Japanese Garden. The park is pay-to-park; official pages recommend MAX Red and Blue line service to the Washington Park station and a free seasonal shuttle inside the park. Confirm current parking, shuttle and attraction hours before you go.
Season The park is pay-to-park. Confirm current parking, shuttle and attraction hours before you go.
A 611-acre nature park on an extinct cinder cone in southeast Portland, official pages say, of meadow and forest, with trails for hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders. Official park hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the entrance road and parking lot have shorter seasonal hours, and the gate may close in icy conditions. Dogs are allowed only on leash and only on trails.
Season Official park hours are 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the entrance road and parking lot have shorter seasonal hours, and the gate may close in icy conditions (check before you go).
Museums, landmarks and the places people come here for.
Paid
Oregon Zoo
A zoo inside Washington Park, named on official city parks pages as one of the park's principal attractions. Confirm current hours and admission before you go. Washington Park is pay-to-park.
Season Confirm current hours and admission before you go.
A garden inside Washington Park, named on official city parks pages as one of the park's principal attractions. Confirm current hours and admission before you go. Washington Park is pay-to-park.
Season Confirm current hours and admission before you go. Washington Park is pay-to-park.
A garden inside Washington Park, named on official city parks pages as one of the park's principal attractions. Washington Park is pay-to-park. Confirm current hours and any seasonal notices before you go.
Season Inside Washington Park, which is pay-to-park. Confirm current hours before you go.
A city park and viewpoint around a historic house in the West Hills. Official parks pages say the park grounds and viewpoints are free, and that dogs must be leashed. A paid lot is managed at times by mansion staff; official pages also describe free gravel pullouts along Pittock Drive. Confirm current mansion hours and admission, and current parking rules, before you go.
Season Park grounds and viewpoints are free. Confirm current mansion hours, admission and parking rules before you go.
City park hours: Official pages list Forest Park as open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., Hoyt Arboretum 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (parking lot and access roads close at 9:30 p.m.), Oaks Bottom 5 a.m. to midnight (north parking lot closed 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.), Waterfront Park 5 a.m. to midnight, and Powell Butte 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., with shorter seasonal hours for the Powell Butte entrance road and parking lot. Dogs must be leashed in these parks.
Powell Butte gate: Official pages say the entry gate closes promptly, and that the main entry from SE 162nd Avenue may be closed in freezing or icy conditions. Road and parking-lot access hours were listed as 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in fall (Labor Day until the switch to standard time), 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in winter, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. in spring until Memorial Day, and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. in summer. Confirm current access before you go.
Washington Park parking: Official pages say the park is pay-to-park and that parking is limited, especially on warm weekends. The MAX Red and Blue lines stop at the Washington Park station, and a free seasonal shuttle runs inside the park. Confirm current parking and shuttle details before you go.
City services: Official city pages noted a city workers' strike beginning 9 November 2026 and asked visitors to check Portland.gov/Strike for impacts to city services.
We list only places we can check against an official source. Hours, seasons and prices change, so confirm before you go.
Photos on this page
Photo: A bend of the Wildwood Trail through Forest Park in Portland, EncMstr, CC BY-SA 3.0
