Botanists John and Lilla Leach fell for this Johnson Creek hollow in the 1930s and called it “Sleepy Hollow.” Today Leach Botanical Garden keeps their wonder alive across 16 acres of fern-lined trails, a historic stone cottage and more than 2,000 plant species in Southeast Portland.
The garden’s showpiece is the Aerial Tree Walk — a curving bridge suspended 30 feet up in the fir canopy, where kids walk at squirrel height and look down on the creek valley like birds. Below, trails pass a pollinator garden, a fireside terrace and the Leaches’ quirky plant collections gathered from expeditions worldwide.
Family programs, story walks and nature crafts fill the calendar, and admission stays gentle on the wallet. It’s a fairy tale with roots — literally.
