Touch Grass: Washington Park
The largest park explored by Touch Grass to date, Washington Park’s roughly 241 acres contain a wealth of different smaller attractions, which all merit their own visits. Some of the places within Washington Park are the Portland Japanese Garden, the International Rose Test Garden, and the Hoyt Arboretum, all of which have been covered in previous editions of Touch Grass. This week's edition endeavors to create an overview of the space that holds so many important Portland outdoor institutions. Washington Park also includes the Portland Zoo, an Archery Range, Tennis Courts, the World Forestry Center Discovery Museum, as well as regular park locations and amenities, per the park’s website. With this many different attractions, trying to see all of Washington Park at one time is likely impossible, especially when the entrance fees to some of the locations are taken into account.
While some locations, like the Japanese Garden, World Forestry Center Discovery Museum, and the Zoo, charge admission, other areas of Washington Park are free, such as the Rose Garden and Hoyt Arboretum. Getting to the park from Reed via public transit is difficult, but through the bus and MAX it can be done in about an hour; the park is also roughly a 15-minute drive from Reed. With the long trip, it's good there are so many places within the park so it can easily be made into a full day trip. There are locations to purchase food within the park as well, but it is not cheap. Luckily, picnic spots abound, and people can even be seen eating within some of the specific attractions, such as taking lunch on the Rose Garden’s many stone benches. The park at large is open 5:00am–10:00pm daily, though individual attractions’ hours vary. Washington Park’s website has sections on each attraction, and links to their specific websites when available, for more specific information.
The land for Washington Park was acquired by the city in 1871, and has gone through many transitions since then, detailed on its section of the Portland.gov website. The most recent project is the Washington Park Reservoirs Improvement Project, which aims to be completed in 2025, “replacing reservoirs that have served the city since 1894 with a new 12.4-million gallon, seismically reinforced underground reservoir.” This project has its own section on the Portland.gov website, to keep up to date with its progress. Of the park’s origin story, “City Park, as Washington Park was originally known until 1912, developed slowly. In 1885, the city hired Charles M. Myers as its first parkkeeper. A seaman and native of Germany, Myers had no formal training but enthusiastically began to develop the park by using his memories of European parks as a guide.” These touches can still be seen today.
The Portland Zoo specifically has a fascinating history in the park, and originally the zoo, created by Dr. Richard B. Knight, “began as an animal attraction in the mid-1880s. Dr. Knight was an English-born seaman who became a pharmacist upon moving to Portland. He purchased two bears (a grizzly named Grace and a brown bear named Brownie) along with other animals from his seafaring friends and exhibited them on a vacant lot next to his downtown pharmacy.” The zoo was transferred to near where the reservoirs are now, where “he constructed the bear pit, which is believed to have been the first sunken, barless cage anywhere in the world. In 1925, the zoo moved to a higher location, the present site of the Japanese Garden. The zoo opened at its present location in 1959 and in the 1960s its management was transferred to Metro.” More of this history can be accessed on Washington Park’s section of the Portland.gov website.
While the park is sprawling, there is also ample parking scattered around, including some lots located directly next to attractions. Some of these lots require parking payment, like that at the Japanese Garden, but not all do and street parking is free. There is a specific Washington Park lot that is the easiest to get to and park in, which has a $2 parking fee. The park is a popular destination, so finding parking during the weekends may be difficult, especially this fall due to reservoir construction, according to the Washington Park website. There is also a free daily shuttle around the park, if mobility is a concern. The park’s website has more information on the operation of the shuttle. The website also includes a section about upcoming events, which includes items from all the attractions in the park. To learn more check them out on Instagram @explorewashingtonpark and visit its section on the Portland.gov website. So, go out and touch grass in Washington Park!