Hoyt Arboretum Visitor Center

The Hoyt Arboretum Visitor Center is at 4000 SW Fairview Blvd in Portland's Washington Park and is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day. It is the best place to start a visit: staff and volunteers hand out free trail maps in English and Spanish, suggest walks for the season and sell snacks, cold drinks and nature gifts. Restrooms and water are in the courtyard outside.

What You'll Find

• Free trail maps in English and Spanish, in the courtyard and inside. Hoyt Arboretum Friends asks visitors to use the digital map where they can, or to hand the paper one back when done.
• People to ask. During open hours, staff and volunteers at the front desk suggest routes for the season and for how much time you have.
• Snacks, cold drinks and nature-themed gifts. Sales support Hoyt Arboretum Friends programs.
• Restrooms. Two all-gender restrooms in the courtyard; the one on the right is wheelchair accessible. Park rangers unlock them around 7 a.m. and close them around 9 p.m., so they are open longer than the building.
• Water. Two drinking fountains and a dog water fountain in the courtyard.
• Seats. Two large benches and a low stone wall in the courtyard.

Who Runs It

The Visitor Center is run by Hoyt Arboretum Friends, a membership nonprofit that works in partnership with Portland Parks & Recreation, which owns the arboretum. The phone number for the Visitor Center is 503-865-8733. This website is an independent guide and is not connected to either organization.

Getting In

• From the main parking lot: take the stairs or the ramp up to the courtyard.
• From the small lot across Fairview Blvd: sidewalks and a crosswalk lead to the courtyard.
• From Fairview Blvd on foot: the courtyard has its own entrance from the sidewalk.
• By shuttle: the Washington Park Free Shuttle stops right in front.

See parking for rates and accessible spaces.

Walks That Start Here

Three of the arboretum's paved or easy routes begin within sight of the building:

• Visitor Center Loop, a paved 1/10-mile loop under the beech and oak collections and past a small alpine garden.
• Overlook Trail, ½ mile of paved trail above the Visitor Center with views to Mount St. Helens and Mount Rainier on a clear day.
• The 30-minute Fir Trail loop, which starts at Stevens Pavilion across the street.

See hiking and suggested loops and paved trails.

Good For

• A first visit. Pick up a map and ask which trees are at their best that week.
• Families. Restrooms, water and an easy paved loop are all in one place.
• Bad weather days. It is a short, dry stop before or after a walk.

Maybe Skip If

• You are hiking the Wildwood Trail end to end. It starts at the south end of the arboretum by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, not here.
• You arrive before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. The building is closed, though the courtyard restrooms and the trails are open.