Shayla B.
Yelp
Washington Park is filled with so many amazing gems, and Hoyt Arboretum is no exception. Defined as the "museum of living trees", the Hoyt Arboretum features over 2,300 species of trees varying from 6 different continents. It has over 12 miles of hiking trails and also features many beautiful flowers and the Oregon Vietnam Veteran's Living Memorial Grove. You could literally spend hours here exploring. I've never been here during the summer or fall, but it's always green in the winter and spring.
There are several different entrances into the Arboretum. I entered through the section where the Vietnam Memorial is located. The Wildwood Trail is located right next to the memorial, and it will take you throughout the park and connect you to the other gardens. If coming during the spring, the trails can be quite muddy. Currently, they are renovating the Wildwood trail and some parts of the trail are still closed. The majority of the paths are paved, but some parts are not.
It's truly a scenic trail. The trees range in size but many of them are strikingly tall. I was surprised at the variety of flowers and plants that I found here. Most of the plants and trees aren't labeled, but can you imagine trying to create labels for over 2,300 plant species? It would be nice to read about each one, but in reality, it would take too much time to read and produce them. I can totally understand why they aren't labeled. In any event, the stroll through the forest is still wonderful.
I didn't have much time to actually hike throughout the entire Arboretum, but even the short amount of time that I spent exposed me to so much. There are easy to read trail maps located near the start of each trail. The park is huge though, and it's easy to get lost if you don't know where you're going. Everything starts to look similar as you go deeper into the park, so just make sure that you can retrace your steps.
Parking is easy and is paid parking only (unless you come after hours). Public transit also passes through the park as well. If you're planning a visit to Washington Park, I would definitely make some time to stop at Hoyt Arboretum. It's fun, it's beautiful, and it's FREE, so no excuses!