Tuck Woodstock
Tuck Woodstock has been writing and editing content for Travel Portland since 2014. Read More
Best Spots for Spring Flowers
Admire beautiful blooms at these Portland parks and gardens.
Tuck Woodstock
Tuck Woodstock has been writing and editing content for Travel Portland since 2014. Read More
Find your favorite blooms, from roses to rhododendrons and tulips to trilliums, with our guide to where to spot spring flowers in Portland.
Tryon Creek State Park
One of the region’s earliest blooming native flowers, trilliums are a common sight in Pacific Northwest forests. These small, white flowers are abundant in Portland’s only state park, Tryon Creek. So abundant, in fact, that the park hosts an annual Trillium Festival each April. If you miss the festivities, you can still find the flowers yourself and enjoy Tryon’s hiking, biking and horse trails all season long.
Forest Park
Trilliums also bloom along many trails in Northwest Portland’s Forest Park, which sprawls over more than 5,000 wooded acres (2,023 hectares) and boasts 70 miles (113 km) of paths filled with fascinating flora and fauna.
Hoyt Arboretum
From Forest Park, follow the Beech Trail to Hoyt Arboretum in Washington Park. Home to more than 2,000 species of shrubs and trees, Hoyt has plenty to offer all year-round. Spring highlights include bell-shaped Oregon plum flowers, magnolias, blooming dogwood and cherry blossoms.
Waterfront Park
Speaking of cherry blossoms, stroll through downtown’s Waterfront Park in late March or early April to find a breathtaking sight: 100 Akebono cherry trees popping with pink and white petals. (Fun fact: The trees were given to Portland in 1990 by a group from the Japanese Grain Importers Association.)
Japanese and Chinese Gardens
For cherry trees in a more traditional setting, visit the Portland Japanese Garden, heralded as one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan itself. And while you’re exploring authentic Asian gardens, don’t miss downtown’s Lan Su Chinese Garden. In spring, fragrant scents of daphne and Edgeworthia enhance this Ming Dynasty-style garden.
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
Visit Southeast Portland’s Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden in April or May to catch its collection of rare rhododendrons, azaleas and hybrids in full bloom. The garden boasts 7 idyllic acres (2.8 hectares), including three waterfalls, two picturesque bridges and tranquil Crystal Springs Lake, where nearly 100 species of birds feed and nest. For an extra treat, visit the garden in April the annual Rhododendron & Daffodil Show & Sale and in May for its annual Mother’s Day Rhododendron Show & Sale.
Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm
A 45-minute journey south of Portland delivers you to Woodburn’s Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm, home to 40 acres of colorful tulips. The annual Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival, returns every spring, offering wine tasting, wagon rides, children’s activities, a food court and a marketplace offering freshly-picked tulips and bulbs for fall planting.
Portland Rose Gardens
No flora-viewing adventure would be complete without the City of Roses’ namesake flowers. Both Peninsula Park in North Portland and the International Rose Test Garden boast thousands of rare and beautiful rose bushes. The flowers typically begin to bud in early April. To catch them at their peak, visit in early June and don’t miss the Grand Floral Parade at the annual Portland Rose Festival!
Spring Flowers
View gorgeous blooms at these local parks and gardens.
Upcoming Outdoor Events
Enjoy the great outdoors at these upcoming events in Portland.
Bridge Pedal
THE 2020 EVENT IS CANCELED. The Bridge Pedal is scheduled to return Aug. 8, 2021. Please visit the event website for current information. Portland’s annual Bridge Pedal is a community celebration of the city’s iconic bridges and biking culture. Join your friends and neighbors for the one opportunity each year to bike or walk on…
Portland Adult Soapbox Derby
The PDX Adult Soapbox Derby at Mt. Tabor Park pits grown-up kids against each other every August in pursuit of speed and laughs.
Sunday Parkways: Green Loop
The 2020 Sunday Parkways bike rides have been canceled and events will be digital-only due to the coronavirus pandemic. See the Sunday Parkways Facebook page for details. Sunday Parkways heads to the historic North Park Blocks for a 7-mile route along Portland’s Green Loop. This ride will pass by multiple cultural hotspots, including the Portland…
Hood to Coast
EVENT CANCELED. Please visit the event website for current information. Hood to Coast is the world’s largest running relay race, stretching 200 miles from the top of Mount Hood to the Pacific Ocean in Seaside. The overnight event culminates in the West Coast’s largest beach party and draws more than 12,000 runners and walkers annually….
Dahlia Festival
EVENT CANCELED. Please visit the event website for current information. Portland’s annual Dahlia Festival is a must-see for the dahlia lover, or if you just love flowers. View over 400 floral arrangements of dahlias and over 15,000 cut dahlia blooms on display in the three indoor display rooms. This is the largest display put on…
River Lantern Lighting
Join family, friends and neighbors to celebrate life together. The River Lantern Lighting brings together individuals from all ages, backgrounds, and walks of life to join in one memorable night to celebrate community in Portland, Oregon. Every participant gets a lantern, candle, marker, beer or cider (over 21), snacks and live music.
Chapman Swift Watch
Every September, spectators gather to see the world’s largest roost of Vaux’s swifts swarm and spiral into the chimney of a Northwest Portland school.
Portland Dragon Boat Festival
EVENT CANCELED. Please visit the event website for current information. Enjoy Portland’s annual Dragon Boat Festival, featuring dragon boat racing along with food vendors, a beer garden and more. The event features as many as 96 dragon boat teams from all over the world who race in Taiwan-style dragon boats.
Cambia Portland Classic
The Portland Classic is the longest-running stop on the LPGA tour, and 2020 marks its 49th year. Watch world-class women golfers who are “keeping Portland diverse, legendary, strong and powerful.”
Sunday Parkways: Northeast Portland
The 2020 Sunday Parkways bike rides have been canceled and events will be digital-only due to the coronavirus pandemic. See the Sunday Parkways Facebook page for details. Come out and enjoy the last Sunday Parkways of the season with this 7.6-mile ride in Northeast Portland! Enjoy the walking/biking boulevard of Ainsworth along with the neighborhood…
Portland Marathon
Taking runners along a loop of Portland along the east and west sides of the city’s Willamette River, the Portland Marathon is an excellent way to see a lot of Portland in one great run. The race starts and finishes at Waterfront Park, crossing four bridges and passing by some of the city’s most iconic…
West Coast Giant Pumpkin Regatta
This annual race series consists of paddlers piloting a gaggle of gigantic gourds through a water course.