In this Park Facility
Mt. Tabor Park Winter Weather Damage Update
Last updated Monday, March 25th, 2024: Due to damage from severe winter weather, some areas of the park remain limited or closed to the public.
The week of Monday, 3/25 through Friday, 3/29 crews will be removing large, downed trees from the park.
A portion of the road leading to the upper area of the park, which is between the playground and Picnic Shelter A, will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians. Do not cross any areas that have caution tape. This is for the safety of park visitors and park employees.
When you visit Mt. Tabor Park, please continue to be aware of your surroundings.
Trailheads and trails may still present hazardous conditions for trail users. All trail closures are listed on the trail closures and delays webpage.
Mt. Tabor Maintenance Yard and Trail Project
March 2024
The multimodal pathway work is wrapping up! The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) has installed temporary crosswalk striping on SE Division Street at SE 64th Avenue, to allow for safer crossing. The City expects to finish and open the path on April 1, 2024.
TriMet will install more robust pedestrian facilities as part of their SE Division Street Transit Project later in 2024. A community celebration is being planned for summer 2024.
Mt. Tabor Park Dog Off-Leash Area map
Renovation work is being planned for the Mt. Tabor Dog Off Leash Area to reduce erosion of the hillside. You may observe PP&R engineering staff onsite and see surveying marks in the area. We will update with a timeline for the work and what areas will be closed for construction once we have that information.
Friends of Mt. Tabor Park
This park is maintained with the volunteer assistance of the Friends of Mt. Tabor Park. To find out how you can volunteer at your neighborhood park, call 503-823-5121.
Mt. Tabor Invasive Plant Control and Revegetation Project
Portland's Mt. Tabor is a volcanic cinder cone. In 1894, the city built two open reservoirs on the site (two other open reservoirs were built in 1911). By 1900, Portland's growing eastside population demanded park space; in 1903 landscape architect John C. Olmsted recommended the city obtain more land at Mt. Tabor. In 1909, the Board of Park Commissioners used voter-approved bonds to buy approximately forty lots on Mt. Tabor for $366,000.
Portland Parks Superintendent Emanuel Tillman Mische, who had worked with the Olmsted Brothers' landscape design firm in Massachusetts, developed a naturalistic design for the park. The plan included long flights of stairs, gently curving parkways, numerous walking trails, and a nursery yard. It also showcased native plants. In 1912, construction workers discovered volcanic cinders which were later utilized in surfacing the park's roads.
At the crest of the park is a bronze statue of Harvey W. Scott, editor of The Oregonian newspaper from 1865-1872 and from 1877 until his death in 1910. A gift to the city by Scott's widow, Margaret, and family, it was sculpted by Gutzon Borglum in the early 1930s while he was at work on his monumental sculpture of four American presidents on Mt. Rushmore in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Cast by the Kunst Foundry in New York, it was unveiled in June 1933 with great ceremony.
In 2017, the Mt. Tabor Park summit restrooms were reopened after being closed for many years. Funding from the 2014 Parks Replacement Bond allowed critical improvements like new plumbing, electrical systems, sewer line, lighting, roof, seismic upgrades, and ADA accessibility improvements from Harvey Scott Drive to the ADA accessible restroom.
Accessibility Notes
Parking
- Parking lot and street parking
- 1 designated parking space (van)
- Paved pathway to play area with a moderate slope
- 500 feet to play area
Play Area
- Engineered mulch surface
- Ramp into the play area
Play Equipment
- Transfer station
Other Amenities
- Accessible restroom at the summit
- Accessible picnic table