In this Park Facility
Description
Ed Benedict Park is a lively community space in East Portland, located at SE 100th Avenue and Powell Boulevard. The 13-acre park offers something for everyone.
The park's brand-new playground, completed in early 2025, invites kids to climb, swing, and explore. It includes a large climbing boulder, slides, spinners, and play structures for both younger children (ages 2 to 5) and older ones (ages 5 to 12). The new design also features better stormwater drainage to help care for the environment and keep the play area safe year-round.
Ed Benedict Park serves more than 1,600 nearby households and continues to grow as a central gathering place in East Portland. Alongside the playground, you'll find open lawns, trees, and fitness features, plus picnic areas and walking paths that make it easy to enjoy time outdoors.
The park is also home to Portland's first environmentally sensitive skate plaza, a popular 18,000-square-foot space designed with recycled materials and native landscaping. The art installation Tread Lightly by Dan Garland adds meaning and creativity to the plaza, reminding visitors about balance between people and nature.
Named after community leader Ed Benedict, the park honors his legacy of public service and environmental care. Benedict was a nurseryman, legislator, and park advocate who helped turn unused freeway land into this beloved green space.
With its mix of play, art, and nature, Ed Benedict Park offers a welcoming place for people of all ages to enjoy East Portland's open spaces.
Parking lot closed October 15 and 16
The Ed Benedict Park parking lot (10125 SE Powell Blvd) will be closed for maintenance and repaving on both Wednesday and Thursday this week, October 15 and 16. We appreciate your understanding as crews get the job done.
Outer Powell Transportation Safety Project
The Oregon Department of Transportation is making safety improvements to help people get around busy Outer SE Powell Boulevard more safely. The Outer Powell Transportation Safety Project area is located on U.S. 26 (SE Powell Boulevard) between Interstate 205 and the Portland/Gresham city limits, just east of SE 174th Avenue. Safety improvements will reduce both the frequency and severity of crashes and help vehicles, pedestrians, transit, transit users and bicyclists share the road with fewer conflicts.
Park visitors may see construction happening in and around Ed Benedict Park as part of this project. The park and its amenities will remain open during construction.
Skate Plaza Stats
18,000 sq ft of street skating with ledges, edges, stairs, rails, and banks. By using recycled and/or sustainable materials in its construction, and with its native landscaping and on-site stormwater treatment, this site is considered to be the first environmentally sensitive skate plaza ever constructed. Tread Lightly is a multifaceted art installation by Dan Garland, integrated into the skate plaza. It is meant to provoke thought regarding the intersection between natural and man-made environments, and points towards a search for balance and sustainability.
The park was named in commemoration of Ed Benedict, a statesman and community activist who was instrumental in getting the park built. In addition to his work as a nurseryman and landscape contractor, he served three terms in the Oregon Legislature, and was a member of many community organizations, including Urban League of Portland, NAACP, and the East County Coordinating Committee. When the proposed Mt. Hood freeway project fell through, Benedict worked hard to ensure that the land that had been purchased as an easement for the freeway be developed as a neighborhood park. In 1988 the parcel known as Mt. Hood Park was deeded to the City of Portland for "eventual use as a recreational park." Benedict died that year and, in his will, left money to establish a trust fund to develop the park. Ed Benedict Community Park was officially named at a ceremony on July 29, 1991.
In 2009, the skate plaza was added to the park. In 2018, Ed Benedict Park’s restrooms nearest the skate park were renovated with funding from the 2014 Parks Replacement Bond so that they can be open year-round. Improvements included new ADA-compliant pathways to the restrooms.
Accessibility Notes
Parking
- Street parking
- 2 designated parking spaces
- Paved pathway to play area
- 50 feet to play area
Play Area
- Engineered mulch surface
- Ramp into play area
Play Equipment
- Transfer station
- Sensory play elements
Other Amenities
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible picnic table