My friends and I stopped here to kill some time this afternoon. We mainly wanted to see dogs at the off-leash dog area and we saw many dogs. There is a nice walking path around the park as well as a playground. The parking lot is pretty big. The bathrooms were closed for repairs but looked like they had been like that for a while, so don't count on them being accessible when you visit. read more

Creston Park - Park - Parks Near Me - Portland, Oregon

I used to live literally across the street from Creston Park. I loved it. I miss it. It's boasts a fabulous green space, plenty of tree cover, walking paths, picnic tables, play structures, skate park, tennis court (in need of some TLC), and a community pool. My step-kids used to walk through the park to their elementary school, every day. There are a plethora of events that happen here every year, particularly in the warmer, sunnier months, including free lunches for under-privileged kids, festivals, games and more, and there's *always* a family or two barbecuing, picnicking, and playing music here, when the sun is out. Of course, with any open space like this in Portland, it inevitably attracts a few unsavory types. I'm not insensitive to the plight of the homeless, but it's one thing to seek shelter, and another to shoot up in public, or shout, stalk and harass kids, joggers and dog-walkers, simply for existing. Those types should be (and were, at least when I was there), forcefully ejected from the park, using whatever means necessary. The pool can be a bit tricky to get into, as it has (in the wake of COVID) staffing issue with lifeguards, and irregular, unpredictable hours. I'm hoping this will smooth out and return to normal again, over time. That said, it's one of my favorite parks in Portland, if not *the* favorite, and I always enjoy returning here. I still have a scurry of squirrels and a murder of crows that swoop and swarm around me when I stop by, with a bag of treats in hand. Watching the other park patrons freak out when a squawking cloud of black wings and feathers descends from the trees around me like a cloak is always worth the price of admission (which is free)! read more

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Cool park--lots of trees and places to run around and a small little dog park to let them run around. They're not segmented by size so just be mindful of your little guys out there! Cool kids play equipment that looks modern and upgraded. Plenty of parking usually and a big picnic area at the east end of the property for good birthday parties etc read more

Creston Park - Parks Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Beautiful place to gather under tall, massive evergreen trees. Interested niece's birthday party was held here, and it was the perfect location. There are ample picnic tables and shade. The playground is robust and well-maintained with interesting climbing structures and swings for a wide range of ages. Several families were gathered throughout this large neighborhood park. There are also large grass fields for people who wanted more sun or a chance to exercise their dogs. Check it out--another example of Portland's beautiful and welcoming spaces. read more

Update: SO, THE ENTIRE FIELD IS OFF LIMITS TO DOGS IN THE SUMMER. I'm angry that it's not clear in the park map's verbiage or with a dog symbol over the blob with the diagonal lines is where the dogs should be! Last straw to having my day ruined again by inconsiderate and incorrect dog owners. The people who let their dogs run around without any recall are ludicrous and make YOU the bad guy when you are in the grassy area behind the swings that people are allowed to be in while having a shady picnic with your kids. Their dogs go out of bounds all the time and I'm always yelled at "man, a picnic in a dog park?!" Seriously, I'm made to feel I'm in the wrong?? I keep thinking next time it won't happen, but it does, over and over. I'm not going to sit in the sun on a 95 degree day, I'm in a kids park giving my kids lunch! Parks are for people first and we are held hostage as second class citizens to dogs and their owners. I am sick of Portlands off leash parks with no clear boundary markers. They only get HALF of the field, and it's not the grass directly next to the kids park. I've watched dogs bite children here, too. I'm sure other people have stopped going here for the same reasons... let me know when we can reclaim our parks. read more

Creston Park - Parks Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Creston in Park was remodeled and opened up in early 2020. The children's play features include a big rubber hill with a slide down it, a large half sphere that kids can climb on top of, a suspension bridge, multiple different types of swings, musical instruments the kids can play with sticks they find on the ground. There are plenty of trees around to block sun so you can find some shade on those hot summer days.The park also features a large open green space for off leash dogs as well as a Portland Parks and Recreation swimming pool. There is a lower parking lot on 43rd but most people just park A long South East Francis Street and walk in through the walkway. read more

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Nice play area for the kids. The park has lots of big trees that shade the area. The big green mound is fun for the kids to play on as well as the big climbing structure. There are also some swings and balance beams. Not a huge play area, but not too small. Overall a clean park. There are bathrooms which are decent for any pubic bathroom in a park. The surrounding area (especially downhill of the park where the parking lot is) is a bit of a shady area with a few transient characters and suspicious cars. Probably best to go uphill closer to the park and park in the neighborhood area. read more

Great dog park. There are really like two areas which is great in case ur dog is a little antisocial like mine

This is my go to for my neighborhood park. They have an off leash area for my dog that I love. I like to go everyday so my Jake can run around with out having to worry about aggressive dogs. Never an issue with other dogs. The people are friendly and are always open to letting Jake join in on chasing the ball with their dogs. There is a pool below, but that is more for the kids. Next to the open field there is a school with a play yard for the kids. Down below there is a BBQ and picnic area. Perfect for hosting parties for the family and friends. read more

Creston Park - The contact info in case people need to submit complaints or info about what's happening at the park. - Parks Near Me - Portland, Oregon

Attended the Buddhist Festival here yesterday and found the park to be a pleasant little spot! There is a good amount of space for dogs to run around off-leash and a nice picnic area with some trees + tables. The public restrooms were relatively clean. I cannot speculate on the pool's quality since it was empty when I visited (surprising for June!) Overall I am giving the park 3 stars because it is pretty small and not very groomed, but serves its purpose as a quaint green space. read more

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I go down to this pool around 3pm on a hot Saturday. Firstly I didn't expect to have to pay nearly $5 to get into such a small pool (I'm from Austin, TX, where most pools are free). The website did not mention that. So I walked back home, got the cash, and came back. By this point it was almost 4pm. Less than 10 minutes later they announce the pool is closing. I was like, WTF? "The sign says you're still open for awhile, yet! It's only 4!" They said, "This man here reserved the pool." I said, "I'm a taxpayer, this is a public pool, you didn't tell me it was reserved nor post that information anywhere I could have seen it. And I paid admission!" They said, "You have to leave or we'll call the cops." I said, "Fine! Call the cops!" And jumped in the water. Then the guy who had reserved it said, "It's fine if he stays here." So they didn't call the cops. Then everyone else left, other than the people who had it reserved. Now I looked around, after swimming a lap, and I could see that it was a pool party for pre-teen little girls. I felt pretty dirty at this point so I just left. And I never went back. Worst $5 I ever spent. They don't post the hours online, nor the price, nor if anyone has it reserved. If you call, the recorded message doesn't say either. What a poorly-run operation. read more

Cool little park hidden away off Powell Blvd. There are BBQ pits and Benches. The school near by has lots of kid friendly play things. In the summer there is a Public Pool for Big and Little kids. read more

This is a city park, so don't come here expecting it to look like Disney. Compared to others, if you're not much of an outdoorsy person, this will do just fine. Is it green? Yes. Plenty of space for your dogs to roam? Check. And yes, there are a few homeless people, but I've never had a problem and they don't leave their trash around. This park also has a pool, but I can't review it since I haven't tried it. Although it's right off a major street, this place feels pretty serene. read more

I love this pool! The hours are posted online-- just Google it. Public funding doesn't allow the longer hours I'd like-- but it's never closed by a reserving group-- these people pony-up to keep it open longer. What I like most is what I'll call "an Olympic-sized kiddie pool"-- half the pool is about 3.5 feet deep-- perfect for early swimmers. It's ringed by lovely trees, the staff is a great group of high school and college-aged young adults. I'm so grateful to have this pool in my community-- thank you, Portland! My hope is that it will become ADA-accessible-- such a great pool with no simple lift or system for those with special needs. Someday... read more

Summer, to me, has always been about the local pool for the most part. Sure, the family spent time at the beach & as a teenager (despite parental warnings), I skipped school plenty of times to go swimming in the river. But, we were not a family of means - there was no 'summer house', or cabin by a lake, or extended trips to 'The Shore'....none of that. Summer=my friends & me at the pool. Thus is it so now. The boys need exercise. I need an hour or two outside for peace of mind. Presto! The Summer Swim League at Creston Pool! What a deal! For $105.00 each, the boys get to swim all summer long. Now, this sounds expensive, but when you consider camps run about $300.00 a WEEK per kid ( what a racket!), this is pretty cheap. The coaches are great, the pool is big, clean, & well maintained, and the surrounding park is beautiful. It really does not get much better. In addition, the locker rooms are nice, there's hot water for the showers (a luxury in a public pool), and all in all, a swell time is had by all! Throw in all the moms hanging out with coffee & chatting in the mornings and you've got yourself a solid beginning to each day. Nothing says 'sanity' more to moms in the summer than a clean pool for the kids & time outside. Plus, the benefits are amazing: tired kids who are too worn out to fight and go to sleep early!! Can't beat that with a stick! Highly recommended. If my mom had had this option for me, she would'a been all over this. Instead, I squandered my hard-earned 50 cents each day, basking in Johnson's Baby Oil with lemon squeezed all over my hair (you know, for blond highlights!), while wiling away many an afternoon. Things are a bit healthier now, thankfully, and the 3 Musk-A-Teers and I are all benefiting from this arrangement with Parks & Rec. Highly recommended! PS When I looked at this review, it came up located in 'Old Town'. WRONG!! It is deep in SE at 41st off of Powell. read more

I hate to give an entire park 1 star based on the poor management at the pool, but that's what I'm going to do. We called the management at Creston Pool to make a reservation. Whomever answered the phone told us they couldn't discuss availability -- only a manager could. They took our name and number and said they'd have a manager call back. In the meantime, we called 3 other Portland Parks with pools and were given availability over the phone immediately. Days passed, and we had no call back from Creston Pool. Finally, we called back Creston Pool and whomever answered the phone DID give us availability. We asked to book that time slot, but she said only a manager can do that. I asked how long it would take to hear from a manager, and she said up to 2 days (this was a Thursday). I asked if there was any way I wouldn't get the time slot I was requesting, and she said only if someone else had already requested it and was also waiting for a manager to confirm it. Ok then. Two days passed and it was nearing the end of the business day Saturday -- we still hadn't heard from Creston Pool. We called them and were told the managers don't work weekends. We asked if there was anyone else we could talk to and were told "yes, but they only work on weekends." Monday roles around, and we call them because we're not waiting around for them again. What do we learn? They booked out half of the time we had requested to reserve 4 days earlier. Complete incompetence. You know what we did? We called another Portland pool and booked over the phone immediately within 5 minutes. It's obviously not difficult for other similar locations to run things properly! We will not be going to Creston Pool. Ever. read more

This park is big and beautiful! Dog park up on the hill which is a large grassy knoll. Theres a large wooden play structure for kida up on the hill by the dog park. Down at the bottom of the hill by the parking lot are several picnic tables BUT NO GRILLS TO BBQ IN! MAJOR FLAW! PLEASE PUT IN A COUPLE GRILLS PARK DEPT. There's a horseshoe pit down there too. The swimming pool looks awesome though i haven't used it yet. I plan to remedy that when it gets warmer. My only other complaint about this park besides the lack of grills is that they let the tennis courts go to shit. You cant even play on them they're so crappy. Oh, there's a hand ball wall and stairs that lead to the top of the hill by the dogpark from the pool. To me those stairs are an exact replica of the ones from Rocky. Run up them and throw your fists up in triumph and spin around in slow motion when you get to the top. read more

I LOVE CRESTON PARK! It has a little something for everyone. There is a swimming pool, a dog park, picnic tables, bathrooms, and a playground. Bonus, there is a great staircase if you like to run stair drills. read more

Love this park. There's always plenty of space, the dog park area is really big and people have always been good about cleaning up. The different rec areas are well-spaced and the playground has good equipment. Only glitch, it advertises tennis courts but, I've lived nearby for over a year, they've always been covered in tree-debris and the nets are gone. Not a great court. read more

Love free swim on Monday. Wish the dogs off leash area was fenced since lame dog owners treat the whole park as an off leash area not just the designated spots. read more

Review is for the summer outdoor pool. Gorgeous outdoor location and nicely heated pool that feels great even on cool summer days. A fun slide and a basketball hoop on the deeper side. Nice snack bar. Some play tubes and a baby slide on the shallow end. Negatives are that it is a big rectangular white concrete tub, sort of ugly and institutional looking. And, as you would expect, the summer open swim times can be quite over crowded. read more

A great park, especially after swim lessons, with a tire swing - score! The wide open space is great for running around and playing tag.