How many kids can say they picnicked on a volcano? In Southeast Portland, Mount Tabor Park rises 636 feet on the cone of an extinct cinder volcano — one of the few urban volcano parks in America — crowned with open reservoirs, Douglas-firs and some of the city’s best sunset views.
Families spread blankets near the summit playground, walk the easy reservoir loops, and hunt for the park’s volcanic cinder in the paths. Wednesday evenings in summer, adult soapbox derby racers give way to cyclists who claim the closed roads; in fall, the park’s maples and the annual “Tabor Til Dawn” energy keep the trails busy.
It’s Portland’s neighborhood mountain: big views, gentle trails, and bragging rights no other playground can match. We climbed a volcano before dinner, indeed.
