Rebecca's Favorite Locations for Sessions in the Portland, Oregon Metro Area
Cooper Mountain Nature Park in Beaverton
This nature park is located in Beaverton, and offers multiple scenic spots including dense evergreen forest, mountain views, and open grassy areas. In the summer you'll also have spots with wildflowers. It has public restrooms, an overflow parking lot, and miles of hiking trails. This area is unfortunately not pet-friendly as it is a nature park, so furry family members will have to be left at home.
Canemah Bluff Park in Oregon City
This park is located in Oregon City, and also offers diverse photo spots including open grassy areas, river overlooks, forest, and a rock face. Like most parks in Oregon, the summer brings wildflowers. It has public restrooms and miles of hiking trails, but a very small parking lot. This area is also not pet-friendly as it is a nature park, so furry family members will have to be left at home.
Powell Butte Nature Park in Portland
This park is located in Portland, and is probably my favorite place to photograph. Depending on where you enter, the park can look like you're deep in the forest or in a wide open field with views of Mt. Hood. Like most parks in Oregon, the summer brings wildflowers. It has public restrooms and miles of hiking trails, as well as a large parking lot, but can be busy on sunny weekend days. This area is also pet-friendly.
Kelley Point Park in Portland
This park is located in NE Portland where the Columbia and Willamette rivers meet. It has a sandy beach bordered by forest, so is beautiful any time of year. It has plenty of parking and is pet-friendly, but has no public restrooms and the path to the actual beach can be challenging in certain footwear.
Cathedral Park in St. John's
This park is located in NE Portland on the Willamette river, and is situated beneath the iconic St. John's Bridge. It has river views and trees that change in the fall, as well as lots of the actual bridge structure to photograph on and around. It has plenty of parking, including a mostly covered parking lot and is pet-friendly, but has no public restrooms and the path from the parking lot into the park has numerous stairs. This is my favorite option for sessions year round as it is protected from most weather.
George Rogers Park in Lake Oswego
This park is located on the Willamette river, giving it beautiful river views as well as a paved path along a wooded trail with a hidden waterfall. It has plenty of parking, and is pet-friendly. It also has public restrooms, and has a ramp from the parking lot down to the river.
Hoyt Arboretum in Portland
As the name implies, this Portland park is known for its trees. There are various trails dedicated to types of trees, with everything from flowering magnolia in the spring to towering redwoods year round. It has designated pay parking lots and spots, but gets very busy on the weekends. It is pet-friendly as well. There are no public restrooms that I know of, and some spots require some hiking to access.
Jenkins Estate in Beaverton
This park is located in Beaverton, and while beautiful year round, really shines in spring and summer. Known for its gardens, when in season there are lots of blooming bushes to tuck into of varying colors, as well as patches of bluebells and daisies. It has plenty of parking and is pet-friendly, but has no public restrooms and the path to the gardens can be challenging in certain footwear. This is a great option on rainy days, as it does have some covered areas as well.
