5 Summer Things to experience in Portland

There are so many different things to do around this fun city! Summers are sunny, dry and warm so there is plenty of time to get out and enjoy the long days and cool evenings.

Ladd Circle Park & Rose Gardens

This garden was designed in 1909 by William Sargent Ladd and is located in the beautiful neighborhood of Ladd's Addition. There are four diamond shaped rose gardens located on the points of a compass and each one is filled with a variety of stunning roses. Volunteers adopt rose beds and care for them throughout the season.

They welcome additional help deadheading every Saturday and post a sign each week listing which bed to show up to!

Paddleboard on the Willamette River

There are a number of places to put your paddleboard or kayak in the water. Two of our favorites are Sellwood Riverfront Park (where there was often someone offering rentals) and Cathederal Park (at the base of St. Johns Bridge). Both have great views and large grassy areas to relax and enjoy a picnic, sunbathe or nap in the shade. If you work your way from the put-in at Sellwood to the right you can head into a quiet channel where the water is quite calm and frequented by a pair of eagles.

Hike Forest Park

This city park is 5,200 acres and filled with numerous trails so it's easy to find something that works! There are over 40 access points and a variety of parking areas depending on which trail you've selected. Some of these offer beautiful views (like from Pittock Mansion) but most them are just lush green forest vegetation.

Bike along the riverfront

There are numerous places to access the trail so this can be tailored to fit the length you want to ride. We love doing the Portland River Loop Trail which is 10.9 mile loop and goes over the Sellwood Bridge and the North Steel Bridge covering both sides with fantastic views the entire way.

Pick fruit on Sauvie Island

There are a number of wonderful farms to choose from and some of them hold concerts and other events so it's well worth checking out what's planned and what fruit is in season to pick. We visited Sauvie Island Farms where we filled our box with an incredible variety of blueberries and rasberries which we turned into a scrumptious pie. There were also beautiful fresh flowers to cut and they charged by the stem depending on the variety we selected. It was fun to design a custom bouquet.