Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden

Breathtaking and peaceful, this place is about a 10 minute walk from reed college where I was visiting a friend. I would go again. Every kind of duck in Portland is present, ready to pose for your pictures to show mom back home, a great place to take really cute pictures as a couple. Rhododendrons are so explosively colorful and huge, I was really taken with them. You can tell this garden is really well kept, it was immaculate. I loved it.

We took a nice family walk here yesterday. Beautiful gardens. I actually just learned about this place last year when I was looking for photo locations. Unfortunately, I came when the rhododendron were not in bloom but instead burnt to a crisp hanging off the trees holding on for dear life.
Mad squirrels running around this place too. Seen one jump across the bridge and run right up to a lady to grab food out of her hand. Pretty cute! I thought the gardens were beautiful. It’s set up right next to Eastmoreland golf course. Tons of trees and water. Some cute bridges. A weird looking building that looks to be abandon. I just kept having Jurassic park flashe in my head, reminded me of the building the raptors got into. I’m assuming it has something to do with the weddings they host there, just a guess.
I can only imagine how beautiful everything is in early spring. Many different walking paths, most are not paved; dirt and rocks. Can be a little bumpy for strollers but at least it’s not all stairs and you can actually push one. I’d recommend a heavy duty stroller with big tires and not the umbrella stroller we brought.
We had to pay to get in, 8 bucks for two adults. Toddler was free. Parking lot up front is on the smaller side but luckily there weren’t many people when we went later in the evening. So we got in quickly.
We will be back when the flowers our bloomed and pretty. Though beautiful, it’s not somewhere I’d go all the time simply because I don’t want to pay to get in.

Back again for the full-​on technicolor glory and splendor of this place. Sucked it up and went early morning on Mother’s Day weekend. Nothing to whine about. I knew everybody (and their Mother) would be there. I just needed a little color blitz, nature style.
The place does NOT disappoint. And, who can’t feel the love for Wood ducks!!! Bridges, streams, waterfalls, ponds, wildlife, shade, sun, and a butt-​load of Rhoddies! It’s a deal.
Obviously, the ideal time to visit is late April/​Early May for the bodacious blooms but you can truly align your chakras any time of year. This place is a Portland gem!

Beautiful place. Walking trails, ponds and wildlife. We saw baby geese and baby ducks. The only bad part is the parking lot. It only holds about 12 cars. Cars were parked along the street and each one had an $ 80 parking ticket on it. I had to circle the parking lot quite a few times until I saw someone leaving. Took about 20 minutes to find a spot.

Wow, what a surprise. Never expected such a wonderful place to take photos. There’s sky, water, and moutains. There’s color. There’s pattern. There’s animal. What a secret place hidden in SE Portland, one would never expect.

I read a couple of one star reviews for this park and can only shake my head and laugh at how idiotic some people can be. Some poor fool was disappointed that there was no «foods.» It’s a fucking park, bring a picnic for yourself if you must have «foods» «because this is America .» Seriously, this is a gorgeous park where a picnic would be a terrific idea.
Some girl was unhappy because the rhododendrons were not in bloom. Do yourself a favor girlfriend, consult Google or something prior to visiting a garden to find out what’s blooming at any given time. Quite frankly, there is no bad time to visit, just educate yourself on what to expect and appreciate the beauty that all four seasons has to offer you.
During my most recent visit in mid-​March, I too found that most of the rhododendrons were not in bloom. I was not surprised or disappointed because I knew that the cherry blossoms, magnolias and azaleas would be spectacular. There were however a few varieties of rhododendrons in bloom and they were stunning. The immense size of some of the rhododendrons was awe inspiring; many have to be about 100 years old.
The ducks and geese were plenty entertaining as well. They are all rather pushy and demanding of food, I guess those feathery creatures and our homeless population have that in common. If you are going to feed the ducks though, bring them proper food, not human (garbage) food.
In order to avoid the inevitable crowds and really get a sense of the tranquility and beauty, try to visit early in the morning and on a week day. You’ll thank yourself for making that effort and you’ll enjoy your visit much more and you probably won’t even have to pay the bank breaking $ 4 admission fee.
One last thing to bear in mind: the parking lot is rather small, so again try visiting during non-​peak times and if you ride a bicycle, don’t be a douche like some other reviewer, park it properly on the bike rack, lighten up and enjoy all this natural beauty.
2016 — Review # 32

Going to the Rhododendron Garden can be a beautiful experience. It is not worth gas or admission if that is indeed needed to go here. The price is charged or not charged for admission depending on the time of year, so check the internet. There is a vast array of plants, water, trees and so on. This is also wonderfully situated near the Woodstock neighborhood.
Going here with no admission was delightful. I was one of only two people there, and I only saw the other person for a minute upon exiting the garden. The plants are a bit of a shrug of the shoulder, but seeing ducks and those tall trees make this a worthwhile hike. I would by far rather suggest the International Rose Test Garden, but that location on the hills of westside may not always be convenient.
The Rhododendron Garden is an elegant set of local culture.

PROS:
Loooooved how gorgeously beautiful this place was! I felt like a little kid at Disneyland with eyes wide with wonder! It is so beautifully laid out and such a feast for the eyes. Parking is limited because the size of the parking lot is small, but I was able to find parking the day I visited with no problem. :) Admission cost is worth it!
CONS:
Moss is slippery when wet. I had never encountered real moss before and slipped on it. I hit my leg against a stone wall/​garden border and am nursing a painful bone bruise. Word of caution from those outside the state – that stuff is slippery! lol Also, the geese there are a little temperamental. I didn’t have an issue with them, but a friend who has visited before has said that sometimes they like to come running after you to peck at you. They just gave us the stare down, blocking the path. We decided on another route. ;)
TIPS:
–Not a concern unless you have a bee allergy. It is a garden, so there are, naturally, bees around the area. Be aware of this if you are allergic to bees. They seem to keep to their own, but a heads up if you have an allergy to them.
–Bring your camera if you visit here – you won’t be disappointed! It is so beautiful! I still can’t get over how beautiful it is!
–There are only outhouses for the bathrooms, so keep that in mind. There are real bathrooms and eating places down the road about 5 minutes away if that bugs you.
ENJOY! You will love it!

So I was out and about, returning from a stop at Gigantic Brewing, when I rode by the entrance and realized it was free on Mondays and Tuesdays, and it was… Monday-​ish. Thinking I might find a nice tree that needed my attention (did I mention the brewery stop?) I wandered in to discover a pretty sizable landscaped garden and pond area that distracted me for a solid two hours that evening.
Established…a long time ago, I guess, the area is home to some natural fresh water springs and the pond was created when they built the golf course in the 1920’s. Or something. It’s pretty well taken care of, with nice wide footpaths and bridges overlooking water features, all framed by a variety of flowering plants and tress that give off a succulent bouquet of aromas around sunset time.
As you might imagine, it’s a popular spot for photographers of all stripes — pros and amateurs use the setting for bridal photos, contests and general nature shots. They’ve got to fight for the best views, though, as it’s also a popular spot for dating couples and power walkers as they wander the paths.
I don’t recall what the usual cover is, I think it was $ 4 for adults, but it’s free early in the week. I don’t know how the place is looked after, they appear to have volunteer sessions weekly but the place still needs professional help. Some of the ‘springs’ are in fact artificial, a minor nitpick I have because it was easy to spot the un-​camoflaged water pickups in the otherwise natural-​looking pools. There are also orange caution cones scattered about in the water, for some reason, which is weird. Maybe they need more volunteers? Dunno.
Those weird upkeep things are really the missing star for an otherwise great location for some quite strolling. Hopefully it’s not an indicator of troubles for the park, this is a really nice place to have in your neighborhood… I’ll stop by again.

A must see spot in Portland. They have a couple water features; ²⁄₃ fountains and a pond with ducks and geese. Overall it’s a really nice spot to take your family or just go by yourself and walk around the trail.

Gorgeous sprawling rhododendron gardens, complete with a duck pond, a lake with a bridge and you can even take your dog. Its $ 4 admission is well worth the oasis you’re entering and I had a great time wandering the grounds with my family. There are benches, but no picnic tables that I saw, and the trails were all wheelchair accessible. There are moderate inclines in some places if frailty is an issue, however they appeared avoidable as there are many trails to choose from. Sellwood neighborhood is close by if you’re hungry afterwards. 13 Virtues brewery had excellent beers and subs for a reasonable price.

I had a lovely visit here on a Saturday afternoon, even though I’m not much of a rhodie fan. I am a big fan of dog friendly and free parking here! The admission was reasonable at $ 4. Tons of different colored rhodies which made for pretty photo shoots. I went in mid-​May and blooms were aplenty. I liked how there seemed to be a lot of benches to sit and relax. Large pond with lots of ducks and geese. It actually made me a little nervous being around so many geese, but apparently they don’t pose harm since I saw kids and adults feeding them (I think seeds you can purchase on-​site). Park is bigger than I first expected… make sure to cross the bridge if you want to see the entire place.

A beautiful garden
With space for reflection
And time for introspection
Paths among flowers galore
And waterfalls of different sizes
For wonderful enjoyment by
Human and dogs

While the Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is a beautiful lush sanctuary year-​round, it is a must see during the rhododendron bloom season, which is mid April through mid-​May. Blossoms were out earlier this year because of the mild winter and warm spring.
Many times over the years I have driven by here and wanted to stop and check out the park. But the parking lot is small and always seems to be filled, so I never stopped. So it was with determination on a gorgeous sunny Sunday a week ago, that we found street parking a block or two north of the park on SE 28^th (though I’m not sure if our street parking near the fruit stand was legal).
For adults, admission is cheap: $ 4.
The park really isn’t that big, so on a nice day, it can get a little crowded. And I don’t mean just people. Canadian geese are there in abundance. And they are not sweet and cuddly, as some little kids (and also adults) in the park think. The geese are actually pushy and bossy, and will hiss at you if you get too close, especially if they have babies nearby.
In addition to the rhodies, there are several sharp-​looking azaleas to be seen here. The centerpiece of the park is Crystal Springs Lake, which serves as a boundary between the park and the golf course. It’s kind of like «look, but don’t touch» with the huge rhododendron trees that you can see across the lake, but that you cannot get to from the park.
The only downside is that even though the park asks that you not feed the birds, you can count on some yahoos bringing in bags of seed to toss to the fowl.
An hour or two should give you plenty of time to check out the scenery.

Neat place to stroll through with the kids and enjoy all the different colors of the flowers. Lots of ducks along the paths. There is a lake between here and a golf course. At the entrance/​exit of this place you can purchase plants. Weddings can be hosted here. Many great photo opportunities.

Visited in the first week of May. Rhodies at their peak bloom. Several baby ducklings and goslings. Just beautiful and peaceful. A must-​see if you are here this time of year.

Pretty sweet flower garden park! Just watch out for the goose poop…
It’s $ 4 to get in usually, but on Mondays and Tuesdays it’s free!
Includes about 10 acres of rhododendrons (beautiful flowering trees) other eye-​catching plants, bridges over ponds and streams filled with ducks and geese, and plenty of winding paths and places to sit.
They do weddings and other events here, too. I’d imagine this would be an excellent place to do an engagement or family photo shoot.
Their parking lot is way too small though and street parking is non-​existent on that stretch of road. Maybe you can park across the street at Reed College?

This is a great place to tromp around with young kids. My family went today and as I suspected, we were treated to beautiful flowers on the early side for Portland. It has been a crazy warm winter. The ducks and geese were also out in full force. Best of all, it wasn’t very crowded at all. I was able to park in the main lot with no problem. Older out of towners also enjoy a visit. The paths are easy to walk and the sights can be breathtaking if you catch it in bloom. The cost is $ 4 starting in March though I think I saw that Mondays and Tuesdays are free. Kids under 12 are also free. All in all, this is a fun way to spend an hour or so and get in some steps if you are busy tracking that sort of thing.

This place is still lovely as ever. I make a point to visit here every time I’m in Portland. It’s open late so that’s a plus. There is no cost for admission until March but donations are welcomed. It’s very scenic, lots of great photo opportunities. It’s calming here with the trees and the lake. Turns out I spoiled an opportunity to get proposed to in the rain on the bridge by the lake. It’s a perfect setting to be proposed to. The person that gets propose to here would be lucky. It’s so pretty and has an intimate vibe.

Take your Mom, SO or kids here on or around Mother’s Day. The rhodies are about perfect at that time. I understand it’s pet friendly but the thought of bringing Fred down here gives me the Heebee Jeebees. I forsee a bad combo of Ultimate duck, duck, goose and Death Race 2000. Let your conscience be your guide.
It will be crowded but I’ve always been able to park across the street at Reed (sshhh).
Don’t forget to get a bag of duck food from the little produce stand next door. Make it 2.
Please do not feed them bread; it’s bad for them.
Mind you, the local ducks and geese are used to being fed by the visitors.
If you don’t feed them, the geese might beat you up and take your lunch money.
My last visit was on Mother’s Day and this place got pretty slammed. The designers took that into account. The trails are spread out in such a way that even when it’s crowded, it doesn’t feel crowded.
A great spot to bring visitors and a PDX must-​see.