By August Walrod ‘26

Portland’s 156 developed parks contribute to the beauty, health, and community-orientation of the city, but the vast number also raises the question: which parks should I visit? While parks like Forest Park stand out as uniquely stunning, this review highlights lesser-known parks all around Portland.

Each park serves as a wonderful place to host a picnic with friends, enjoy an afternoon reading a book next to a tree, or to walk through nature paths. Due to the many different aspects people are looking for in parks, I will be evaluating them according to the general criteria of their surrounding area, natural beauty, and the availability of activities.

Mocks Crest Park:

Located in North Portland on a ridge overlooking the Willamette River, this narrow park provides a great view of the train tracks bounding the river, Northwest Portland, and a glimpse of downtown. A main dirt path meanders from the south end to the north end, stretching a few blocks. Along the path lay a couple of benches, some surrounded with romantic circles of little rocks.

The park fills up for the sunset hours, and for good reason, relaxing in the grass while the sun disappears behind the west-side hills is a splendid way to spend an afternoon and evening. Beware, though, that during the summers, you may want to go earlier to get a good spot.

In terms of the surrounding area, to the east of the park is a quiet, residential neighborhood, and to the west is a steep cliff that ends next to the train tracks. Due to the lackluster options for food or attractions, Mocks Crest has a slightly below-average surrounding area.

The oak trees, as well as the park’s view across the river, including the northern half of the city and Forest Park are wonderful. However, the park is much less appealing during colder months or cloudy days due to the lack of cover combined with the diminished view from fog or cloud cover.

Besides relaxing in the grass or climbing a tree, there are not many activities available to one visiting this park. While I recommend summer afternoon picnics at Mocks Crest, if you are looking for a place where you can go from tennis to swimming, you may want to check out other parks on this list.

Surrounding Area: ★★☆☆☆

Natural Beauty: ★★★★☆

Availability of activities: ★★★☆☆

George Rogers Park:

Technically outside of the City of Portland, George Rogers Park is a relaxing and fun riverside park in Lake Oswego. The park includes a large forested area with a creek inside it, two baseball fields, a soccer field, two outdoor tennis courts, a playground, onsite parking lots, an open grass circle, and a stretch of beach.

The grass field and beachfront areas are popular on nice days, often full of people launching off to go paddleboarding. Besides water-related activities, the park's two high-quality tennis courts and well-maintained fields for baseball or soccer are a great place to come for people wanting to be active. Clearly, George Rogers deserves top marks in terms of the availability of activities.

Not only does the park feature scenic river bends, but it also hosts a quieter stream that’s great for an adventure. George Rogers offers a range of natural sights, and the many small paths throughout the park are worth a visit.

*View of a stream at George Rogers Park. Courtesy of August Walrod.*

While being about a twenty-minute walk from downtown Lake Oswego, the park’s distance to Portland and the immediate surrounding area being largely residential leads to the park feeling more like an isolated attraction.

Surrounding Area: ★★☆☆☆

Natural Beauty: ★★★★☆

Availability of activities: ★★★★★

The Fields Park:

A central park in downtown Portland, The Fields Park is the size of a large city block and features a large grass circle.

On one side of the park are the train tracks that run along the river, and on the other are mid-sized and tall apartment and office buildings. With many coffee and other shops to choose from, Fields Park is in a great location if you are looking for nearby places to visit.

*A photo capturing The Fields Park and the surrounding buildings. Courtesy of Kyle Eldridge.*

The park itself, however, is quite plain. Known for its flat and almost completely bare grass field, besides from a few short trees and mild landscaping, the park does not present any particularly memorable aesthetic features.

In terms of activities, the park is a great candidate for those looking to play frisbee or spikeball or to tan during the summer. It's also well known as a historic park with a longstanding history of acting as an event space, mostly for musical performances. While The Fields Park does not offer every activity, there is plenty to do if you plan your visit well.

Surrounding Area: ★★★★☆

Natural Beauty: ★★☆☆☆

Availability of activities: ★★☆☆☆

Laurelhurst Park:

An all-around park located on the central east side of Portland, Laurelhurst hosts tall trees, a large dog park, an array of recreational amenities, and a wonderful lake. Featuring a decent skatepark and many picnic tables, Laurelhurst’s impressive size allows for a great availability of activities.

While the lake is the prettiest feature of the park, the grass fields and the immersion in nature that you feel as you walk through the park are what truly constitute a high rating for natural beauty.

Laurelhurst feels like a true neighborhood park where local residents can retreat underneath the trees from the sun on hot days. The surrounding area is vibrant and diverse, with a mix of quiet streets and fun commercial hubs.

Surrounding Area: ★★★★☆

Natural Beauty: ★★★★☆

Availability of activities: ★★★★☆

These four parks are just a few of the wonderful options for recreation that Portland has to offer. My top picnic spot would have to be Mocks Crest; the best park to stop by while exploring Portland is The Fields Park; the best park for recreation and nature is George Rogers; and Laurelhurst is the best neighborhood-focused park.

As spring warms up and school comes to a close, please consider giving our parks a visit!

REVIEW: Exploring four amazing Portland parks