Touch Grass: Woodstock Park

By Adrian Keller Feld

Located a short walk east along Steele Street, Woodstock Park provides the perfect escape for an afternoon, with tall shady trees and plenty of places to sit for a chat or a meal. The park boasts a playground, restrooms, a horseshoe pit, picnic tables, some public art, a dog off-leash area, a soccer field, and a softball field, according to the Portland government website on parks. Situated next to a local elementary school, the park does have a large playground, but there are plenty of areas to be enjoyed by older people as well, including a large section of picnic tables and multiple sports fields that can be reserved for use by calling (503)-823-2525, and some smaller tables and art designed for sitting interspersed throughout the park. There is also a large area devoted to a dog park, so it is a great place to go on a walk with a four-legged friend. The 14-acre park was acquired by the city in 1921 and is a perfect example of a classic neighborhood park. There are facilities, and its beauty comes from its simplicity, with many opportunities for activity partnered with sloping green hills and large trees, some of which are beginning to show brilliant autumn colors, and many of which are imposing evergreens that will stay stunning year-round. The park is open from 5am to 10pm daily, and as a public park entry is completely free.

The park is a great place to just hang out, but could also be used to read a book under a tree, host a party, have a picnic, or go for a nice stroll, and with its proximity to campus, it is easy to take advantage of what it offers. In contrast to the gardens this column has previously examined, Woodstock Park is a departure into more mundane territory, but that is not a bad thing. On the contrary, the unstructured nature of a park allows for the visitor to do whatever they’d like, and spend their time relaxing in nature. To learn more about the park, like the specific accessibility it offers and more information on reserving spaces within it, go to the park’s page on Portland.gov. So, go out and touch grass in Woodstock Park!