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Every winter I prepare myself for the dismal and cold dampness that envelops much of Oregon. I go to work in the dark, teach in my classroom with no windows (I’m a music teacher and my classroom is the stage), and go home just as the darkness creeps back. In early February we usually get a week or so of sunny and warmer weather, giving one hope that the bleak skies and seemingly unending drizzle will soon be gone. And then those hopes are dashed to the ground as a huge winter storm coats everything in an inch of ice for a week. We call it the February Fakeout. We all hate it.
Then slowly, as March progresses, so does the emergence of green shoots. The buds on the trees start to swell. Then the daffodils appear. Soon after that you get in your car one morning and realize that everything is blooming! It’s almost like when Dorothy first steps out of her house and walks into the land of Oz. The world which was so colorless has been painted with blush and cream, deep purple and bright yellow. Time to celebrate!
Portland and the Willamette Valley offer no shortage of spring splendor. From gardens to farms to hiking trails, here’s a play by play of the best spots to enjoy the wonder and beauty of spring!
Wooden Show Tulip Farm placed it’s pink tractor strategically during the 2024 bloom season.
Pink Tractor
Thousands of folks make an annual pilgrimage to Wooden Shoe Tulip Farm in early spring to revel in the colorful glory of millions of blooms. 2024 was a particularly great year to attend, when the field rotation resulted in this gorgeous view with Mt Hood in the background. I waited for kids to finish playing … Read more
EARLY SPRING:
Portland Cherry Blossoms
The first real color comes around in March. It begins in a big way on the trees. NW Portland’s Japanese American Historic Plaza along the Willamette River Waterfront features a beautiful stand of flowering cherry trees which have become well known as an early spring favorite. The
park is free and includes monuments dedicated to the experience of Japanese Oregonians during the internment of World War II. My advice is to visit in the early morning, before too many folks arrive and when the sunrise light is in the blossoms. It really is quite a beautiful sight, almost like rows of giant cotton candy. It’s also fun to run around under the trees as the petals fall like snow. Normally the blooms are out by mid-March and last for about three weeks.
Lan Su Chinese Garden
After checking out the cherry blossoms along the river, head into the city a few blocks to Lan Su Chinese Garden. I was delighted at the amount of color and growth that was emerging here this early in the season. The garden is absolutely splendid and worth a visit at any time of year, but it has a real delicacy in early spring, when the mist and soft spring light mingle with the camelia blooms beneath the ornate awnings of the bridges and pavillions. The garden is built in a distinctive 17th century style from Souzhou, China and is considered to be the most authentic of it’s kind outside of Souzhou itself. Most people, even locals, do not realize how pretty this garden becomes this early in the season, making the uncrowded garden that much more serene. If you’ve never been, Lan Su is an absolute must. It really is incredible.
“How can you tell if a fish is happy?” is the question on everyone’s mind while contemplating the koi that swim in the pool next to Knowing The Fish Pavilion in Lan Su Chinese Garden, Portland, Oregon.
Knowing The Fish
“How can you tell if a fish is happy?” Knowing The Fish Pavilion inside Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon is the place to contemplate that question. The beautiful and authentic-feeling garden was just waking up and coming into first bloom when I visited in late March 2023 on a quiet weekday morning. To … Read more
Cross through this magical portal from the entry courtyard and become awakened within the gorgeous Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland’s Old Town.
The Portal To Awakening
This incredible portal in Lan Su Chinese Garden in Portland, Oregon leads into the main gardens from the walled-in entry courtyard. What a spellbinding way to cross into the lush and intricate surroundings of this gorgeous and authentic-feeling urban paradise. The stark white of the wall and purposeful minimalism of the entry courtyard provides a … Read more
Wildflower Hikes in the Columbia Gorge
If you’re eager to hit the trails, my favorite early spring hike is Upper McCord Creek Falls in Yeon State Park. The various environments along the trail feature a big diversity of early spring wildflowers, including flowering currant, trillium, paintbrush, salmonberry and thimble berry. The bloom just gets better as you go. Plus the view from the cliff walk section of this hike is amazing and the falls at the end of the trail looks great at this time of year.
Indian Paintbrush is one of the many wildflowers found growing out of cracks in the mossy walls of the Columbia River Gorge.
Indian Paintbrush
It’s astounding how strong and hardy some plants are. I found this beautiful Indian Paintbrush specimen growing out of a crack in the solid rock beneath an overhang on the Upper McCord Creek Trail in the Columbia River Gorge.
MID SPRING:
Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival
This is the big one! Tens of thousands of people head out to the fertile fields of the Willamette Valley in April for the spectacular spring show at Wooden Shoe Tulip Farms near Canby. The farm covers 40 acres, with several fields of exquisite tulips to explore! If you’re looking for family fun or incredible photo ops, this is the place. The farm includes a botanical garden area, a gift shop, and of course a little Dutch-style windmill. During the Tulip Festival the farm grounds include an area of food trucks plus arts and crafts vendors and little amusements for youngsters. On weekend mornings there are even hot air balloons that fill and lift from the farm. This annual event has become quite popular over the years, to the point where advance tickets are required. 2024 promises to be an exceptionally good year for photographers as the fields that are planted this year have Mt Hood as a backdrop! Peak bloom is expected this year in early-mid April.
If you’re at all interested in this event or other offerings from the farm, you should subscribe to their mailing list. You’ll get insider info about the Tulip Festival plus special offers on bulbs, digging and planting events, and any other special goings-on at this beautiful farm!
Every spring there are new bands and stripes of color gracing the fields at Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival near Woodburn, Oregon.
The Red Stripe
Stripes and bands of tulips decorate the fields every spring at Wooden Shoe Tulip Festival. This impressive display is from spring 2024 when we lucked out with a beautiful sunny afternoon on our annual visit, with the strong golden beams of light amplifying the colors and creating contrasty patches of shadow beneath the blooms. To … Read more
Duniway Lilac Garden
Hidden just outside downtown Portland, the Duniway Lilac Garden offers a symphony of scents drifting from over 100 different varieties of lilacs. The garden is not huge by any means, and it’s smaller size and lack of notariety make this an actual springtime hidden gem! When I visited on a clear and pleasant late afternoon in the middle of peak bloom there was only one other couple in the entire garden. The lawns around the garden are the perfect spot to spread out a blanket and enjoy a picnic or read a book in the spring sunshine. The best time to visit is normally mid-April to early May.
Eastern Gorge Wildflowers
In early May, the eastern section of the Columbia Gorge goes wild – with flowers! Several sites feature tons of flowers putting on their spring show. Some of the most popular include: Rowena Crest – featuring two different trails through meadows of lupine and balsamroot. Dogs are allowed at the overlook viewpoint but not on the nature trails. Free site. Memaloose State Park – a wide variety of wildflowers in meadows along the Columbia River. Dog Mountain Trail – a longer hike up a small mountainside on the Washington side of the gorge to beautiful wildflower meadows with incredible views. Permits are required on weekends in spring due to the popularity of this hike.
The last rays of sun spread golden light across a field of balsamroot and Indian Paintbrush flowers at Tom McCall preserve.
Tom McCall Sunset 1
The last rays of sun spread golden light across a field of Balsamroot and Indian Paintbrush flowers at Tom McCall Preserve at Rowena Crest in May 2024. To find out more about Rowena Crest: Rowena Crest Viewpoint https://denphototravel.com/2024/a-dozen-ways-to-celebrate-spring-in-oregons-willamette-valley/
Spring is a gorgeous and popular time to visit Rowena Crest when the balsamroot blooms.
Balsamroot In Bloom
Clumps of yellow balsamroot flowers grace windy Rowena Plateau every May in the Columbia River Gorge east of Hood River, Oregon. To find out more about Rowena Crest: Rowena Crest Viewpoint https://denphototravel.com/2024/a-dozen-ways-to-celebrate-spring-in-oregons-willamette-valley/
My hidden gem recommendation is the Mosier Plateau Trail, which offers strolls along rolling hillsides dotted with oaks and cloaked in bachelor’s buttons and sweetpea flowers. The trail passes Mosier Falls before climbing to a view looking out over the gorge. If you’re not up for a long hike then just a quick jaunt to Mosier Falls and back will satisfy your spring wildflower itch.
Bachelor’s Buttons are a common wildflower along the Mosier Plateau Trail in the eastern Columbia River Gorge.
Bachelor’s Button
Most people flock to Rowena Crest or Dog Mountain to witness the particularly spectacular springtime burst of yellow balsamroot and purple lupine offered in the eastern stretch of the Columbia River Gorge. Mosier Plateau Trail provides a refreshing alternative with a different and more varied mix of wildflowers, including purple bachelor’s buttons. Rather than photographing … Read more
Western Gorge Blooms
If the eastern portion of the gorge seems to far, try Guy W. Talbot State Park. This beautiful state park, which features stunning Latourell Falls, puts on a really nice spring flower display which is totally different than what you’ll see on the grassy terraces further east. Here you’ll find a vernal paradise filled with bleeding hearts, shamrocks, foam flower, and salmonberry flowers dancing in a sea of new leaves on the ferny forest floor. Hike to the upper falls to see the full array of flower types that Mother Nature offers! The park is free and does get increasingly busy as the weather warms up.
LATE SPRING:
Mother Nature’s floral display reaches it’s peak in late spring. With warmer temperatures and long days, this is one of the most incredible times of year to revel in the glories of spring!
Adelman Gardens Peony Festival
Visit a 30-acre farms just bursting with peonies near Salem! It’s beautiful! And free! Row after row – it goes on for a long way! Wander amongst the pink, blush, crimson, garnet, ruby, and snow white rose-like blossoms until you look up and realize that you’ve walked over half a mile through the spring glory. The main farm building features a gift shop for cut flowers and live plants, and is surrounded by an acre of botanical garden dotted with benches and picnic tables. Dogs are ok too! Visit May to early June. I really cannot recommend Aldeman Gardens Peony Festival enough!
Schneider’s Iris Gardens
Schneider’s offers two different experiences during their annual Iris Festival in May. The farm is a huge expanse of bearded iris in more colors than you can imagine. The only color that’s really missing is bright red. The cool thing about bearded iris is that the scent varies with the color. The brown and white ones smell like root beer! I have a personal affinity for bearded iris because we had a few purple types at my parents’ house growing up. The flowers are big and floppy. Visit and stroll through the fields for free!
For a small fee, visitors can gain entrance into one of the most sublime flower gardens I have ever seen. It’s stunning, with so much blooming all at once that it’s almost overwhelming. Every flower in the garden is labeled, making this a gem if you’re looking for inspiration for your own yard. If you keep walking past the main garden you’ll wind up in another big (but less busy) section of the garden which includes a big display of leafy hostas. In addition you’ll find a gift shop, flower market, food vendors, and shaded picnic tables in this paid section of the property. Folks in the Salem area know about this flower festival while most Portlanders have never heard of this one. I honestly can’t tell you how impressed I was with this garden.
Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden
I love Crystal Springs. What a beautiful garden! Here you’ll find 9.5 acres of rhodies and azaleas blooming beneath tall Douglas Fir trees next door to Reed College in SE Portland. The entire garden is set on the shores of a spring-fed man-made lake. The bloom season is fairly long, beginning with the azaleas in late April, then the dogwoods, and finally the hundreds of rhododendrons, some of which are so old and large that they’re bordering on becoming trees. In addition to the seemingly unending variety of flower colors, visitors will see a wide variety of waterfowl and songbirds too! Ducklings paddle amongst the blooming yellow flag iris reeds every year – and they are so stinking cute! This garden needs a bigger parking area, because it gets very busy on nice spring weekends and parking can be a pain. My one big complaint is that Crystal Springs offers extremely limited hours. Dogs are welcome. The $5 admission for adults is well worth it!
Western Columbia Gorge Wildflower Hike to Angel’s Rest
Angel’s Rest Trail is a wonderful late-spring hike. In late May and early June this trail features a surprisingly wide variety of wildflowers. The deep blue-purple larkspur flowers steal the show beneath the tall fir and cedar trees on the first half of the hike, but give way to a big collection of flowering shrubs as the hike ascends towards the magnificent Angel’s Rest viewpoint on top of the bluff. The mountain laurel is especially noticeable as it’s sweet fragrance fills the air in little clouds. Watch for wild Oregon iris, wild roses, California poppies, sweet peas, western bleeding heart, and many more types of wildflowers.
Portland Rose Festival
The transition to summer is marked by the Portland Rose Festival, a citywide event which includes a parade and a big carnival on the waterfront. The City of Roses wouldn’t be what it is without these showy blossoms gracing our sidewalks. Portland offers two incredible rose gardens, both of which start blooming in May and reach a gorgeous climax in early June. Choose from the famous International Rose Test Garden in Washington Park in Portland’s West Hills, or the English-style elegance of Peninsula Park Rose Garden in North Portland. Both gardens are free, and you honestly can’t go wrong with either one!
Can’t Get Enough?
There’s more! Hoyt Arboretum in Washington Park offers dozens of types of flowering trees with various bloom times throughout the season. Portland’s award-winning Japanese Garden, also in Washington Park, comes alive with azaleas in mid-spring. In May the entire town of Milwaukie, just south of Portland on the east side of the Willamette, absolutely bursts with neon pink dogwood blooms. And in June it’s time to head up into the Cascades to see the wild rhododendrons grace the forest with their light-pink clusters of flowers. The west side of Mt Hood is an especially good area for rhodies. Similarly, a drive to the Oregon Coast reveals a forest filled with spikes of blooming purple and white foxgloves.
Hopefully one of these gorgeous places is inspiration to shake off the winter blues. Yes, spring comes around all across the Northern Hemisphere at this time of year, but the Willamette Valley does a particularly good job of celebrating it. From parks to farms to trails to drives, you really can’t go wrong! Just get out there any way you like and enjoy the most beautiful season of the year!
Raindrops dot the petals of a bright coral red tulip as it begins to open in early April 2024.
Tulip In The Rain
Raindrops dot the petals of a bright coral pink tulip as it begins to open in early April 2024. I’m an avid gardener and I took this shot in my backyard as a light rain began falling on a cool spring afternoon. To find the spring flowers in Oregon: https://denphototravel.com/2024/a-dozen-ways-to-celebrate-spring-in-oregons-willamette-valley/
