When you love on the city and have a passion for gardening it can be tough to find a place to do…read moreit. The South Waterfront has fixed that issue by offering raised planter boxes filled with organic soil for rent. The rent is due annually. Included in your rental fee is the water, tools and the hauling away of the debris. People plant everything. There are flowers large and small and every kind of vegetable you can think of. Tomatoes especially seem to grow really well because the boxes get a lot of sun. The sunflowers are super happy as well. The other gardeners seem very nice and social, it's a great way to meet other people that live in the area as well. So if you have a hankering to grow something and live in close proximity....check it out!

Lents Park is a nice enough neighborhood park…read more It's got the Pickles baseball stadium, a couple other baseball fields, soccer fields and goals, basketball and tennis courts, wall ball, big open fields, some picnic tables, and a community garden. There's a wood chip walking path that encompasses it all. It's not huge and the streets that surround it are pretty busy, so it doesn't really feel like you're out in nature. It's mostly flat so it doesn't have any scenic views. I wish people took better care of the park - I saw a number of dogs that weren't picked up after. There is a small parking lot along 92nd, otherwise it is street parking. Not sure about bathrooms, but there were portapotties.

This is a review for the Lents dog park…read more There's no real indicator of where the dog park actually is. There's a fenced community garden which takes most of the flat grassy area with some trees, and up the hill is a sports field. There were only a few other dogs in the "dog area".

Earl Boyles Park is an 8 acre park adjacent to the similarly named elementary school. Apparently…read morethey are both named after a beloved janitor who worked at the school in the 1930s and 1940s. The park is nice. It is street parking only, with entries and exits on multiple sides. There are paved and wood chipped paths throughout and around the exterior. There is a small kids playground, a large community garden, open grassy fields, and shady areas under tall pine trees.

I regularly lean against the fencing and stare with extreme focus at what folks have in their…read moregardens here. I feel like a kids with my faces pressed against the glass of a locked candy store. The 33 organic garden plots are well kept, but I am on the waiting list and every time I see an unattended plant wilt, I am filled with hope that I will get that plot! They have a picnic table inside the garden that is for gardeners only, it calls to me! You can add your name to list, just follow the link, it is very affordable, about $20 per year.

What could be more Earth Day appropriate? I joined the community garden this year through…read morePortland.gov. It isn't for a lack of space, we do have a sizeable yard but I didn't know how to organize it or if I'd want to move it come next year so I thought this was a good compromise: nearby, a defined plot, probably some "experts" around to guide me. So it's about $40 for the season, going April to October for a plot that's about 10x10'. My plot had some things in it already that I opted to leave. The garden is secured by padlock but they have had tools go missing. I haven't taken many photos yet but I will as the season goes on. There are plentiful hose spigots and I like that it's nestled in a natural copse and has houses nearby. It makes me feel like I'm close to neighbors and there is a bit of community. I find the whole Ed Benedict area quite appealing, and feel it adds value to the neighborhood for green space, the skate park, the memory garden and the community garden.

I can't believe nobody has reviewed this! That being said, I have come here for years and am just…read morenow getting to it. This park is behind the elementary school and they are separate entities even though they appear to share the open spaces. The school has covered basketball courts and playground for smaller kids. The park has a fenced community garden, picnic tables, large field, soccer goals, baseball field, a walking track and some bleachers. There are several entrances in and out, rough neighborhood, you might see a "gang" of guys pretty regularly but they are usually hiding out from their moms or wives and don't bother others. Somebody had taken it upon themselves to thumbtack their poetry onto the trees around the track and they nicknamed it "poetry park", so you can take a quick look as you speed walk into the sunset. My favorite part of the park is the well developed trees, they have so much character and I tend to focus on them a lot when I am hanging out here.

This park is really accessible for younger parents. It's really large so you can go on walks and…read morethe playground is fantastic.

Wow, pretty incredible park!…read more They've got a ton of pavilions and picnic tables for gatherings, a really fun splash pad, a paved three-quarter pathway around the park exterior, various sports field including volleyball/tennis/basketball/horseshoe, THREE fenced dog parks for big dogs and small dogs and both, new play structures, and acres of wetlands with a boardwalk path. Only feedback to make it better: 1. Currently they're doing construction on the sports field, so there's large empty dirt patches between areas of the park. 2. The boardwalks over the wetlands could use a map. I got a little lost!

Lovely park with a community garden nearby, many benches, sports balls spots for several types of…read moresports balls. Playground equipment also resides here. Close to the bus stop on public transportation. Very quaint and well maintained.

We went here recently and the kid play area is big with a cool park but felt very unsafe. There…read morewere homeless literally surrounding the park staring at us and a couple came up yelling at us forcing us to retreat to our car. We were then sitting in car and someone started walking across street to our car so we left vs having to deal so ended up being horrible experience. City should not allow homeless to dominate the park and decide who comes and who goes

Frazer park is centrally located mid-city, and offers a more tranquil alternative to the nearby…read moreNormandale Dog Park. The hilltop area near the street has several picnic tables, a small playground setup with swings and a slide, as well as a basketball half-court. There is abundant space for parking along the eastern edge of the park. This location is delightful during the spring and summer months, and offers some great views of downtown and evening sunsets. The park has a beautiful community garden, as well as several large chestnut trees that attract folks looking to harvest them in the late fall. Make sure you venture past the garden to the area where the hillside crests downward toward the off-leash zone. I've rarely encountered more than 4 or 5 people in the park at any given time. It's a nice, quiet place to take a break.

It's a gigantic patch of grass or a tiny, rectangular park, which ever way you want to view it. It…read moreoffers lush green, open space and shade. If you live in the neighborhood this would be quite the gem, I'm thinking block parties. Parking is easy. So why the 2-Stars? The ever-increasing homeless camps have found it and have claimed the West-end. No way I'd bring kids or pets here. Partially due to safety, but more because of needles. Yes, Portland's lax regulations and homeless nirvana aura have resulted in possibly another loss.

Of you're looking for a nice place for a picnic with an impressive view of the Willamete River this…read moreis the place for you. There a nice walking trail, picnic tables and plenty of green space. If shade is your things there is that as well. Occasionally, you see some members of our houseless community coming through but know permanent dwelling happening that I could see. Anywhoo check it out.

A lovely quiet river walk off of the highway. Some nice shaded benches to sit on and watch the…read moregeese and ducks on the Willamette. A good spot for a picnic or a cup of coffee. Some bikes whizzing by - so keep your wits about ya!