Washington Park- Portland, OR - VirtualTourist.com

There is a new arena in town, and it may be called "The Rose Garden" (which has few, if any roses anywhere near it), but the much older and at one time more famous rose garden located in Washington Park is used for some of the official Rose Festival activities, and is where the plaques giving the past Rose Festival Queens are located.

The true rose garden features views of Mt. Hood and downtown.

The official name of this Rose Garden is actually the "International Rose Test Garden" and it is one of several large rose gardens operated in city of Portland parks by the Portland Rose Society.

The Rose Garden is broken down into a number of smaller gardens. The Shakespeare Garden has been the most popular place in Portland to have outdoor weddings for a number of years.

Getting Here: There is a bus that comes from downtown Portland to the Rose Garden, but bus route 63 has been severely cut back to the point where it doesn't operate very often at all. Parking is very limited, and even during weekdays during peak tourist season trying to find a place to park can be quite difficult. However, during the summer months, it is possible to take MAX to the Washington Park / Zoo station, and the "Washington Park Shuttle" (which only operates during the summer months) from the zoo MAX station to the Rose Garden. If you plan to visit the Portland zoo, it is also possible to take the zoo train to the Rose Garden station, but you must pay zoo admission to do that.

Driving: I don't recommend it due to the complicated nature of the roads, and the difficulty in finding a place to park, but here are some options:

+ from Burnside going west, turn left onto SW 23rd (you may want to make 3 right turns and go around the block for that one) going south. After several blocks, turn right onto Park, which is the first traffic light. When you get to the one way streets, turn right at the large stone staircase. Continue around the circle and follow the signs to the Rose Garden and Japanese Garden. You may find some parking places near the traffic circle, which is about a 10 minute walk from the Rose Garden.

+ from SW Taylor Street, turn south onto SW 17th Avenue, then right onto Salmon Street. Continue climing hill after you go past the Multnomah Athletic Club. There will be a slight northward jog in the road as you cross King Avenue, and continue climbing the hill on Park Place. When you get to the one way streets, turn right at the large stone staircase. Continue around the circle and follow the signs to the Rose Garden and Japanese Garden. You may find some parking places near the traffic circle, which is about a 10 minute walk from the Rose Garden.

+ from the zoo, go up the hill until you are at the uphill side of the parking lot. There is a small road to the right before the steep climb uphill begins. Follow this road, and the signs to the Japanese Garden and the Rose Garden.

+ from eastbound on Burnside, turn right onto SW Kingston, and follow signs to Washington Park and then signs to Rose Garden.

Washington Park, Portland

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Washington Park, Portland

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Visiting Portland?

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