Welcome to Mt. Tabor!
I'm so excited to give you the tour of yet another amazing park in my city.
Mt. Tabor is an extinct volcano, its last eruption happening over 35 million years ago. It is not much of a mountain, anymore. More like a large hill. In fact, looking at it from the entrance, you would never think it had at one point been a volcano.
But it was! And I'll show you the crater along our tour.
Mt. Tabor is approximately 176 acres, and was designed by Emanuel Tillman Mische in the early 1900s. You can read more about the park's history here.
One thing I love most about this park is how lost in nature I feel when I hike it. I put together a collection of the beautiful bird songs and calls with an assortment of short videos I recorded on this day's hike. Depending on what system you have, you may be able to listen to the video while you scroll through this post, to give you a more authentic Mt. Tabor experience.
Shall we begin?
There are multiple entrances to the park, but I generally start at the location that I marked for this post on Pinmapple.
Here there is a big, beautiful field, for playing and picnicking.
As well as a very large and lush community garden.
This is also where you can find an entrance to a beautiful part of the park set aside just for dogs!
Are you coming??
Pilot loves getting lost in this forest.
So do I.
There are many paths you can take all throughout the park, some by car or road bike...
And many by foot. These trails are very steep...
...but can lead you to some ideal spots for a romantic picnic.
The path we chose to get to the top is very steep, and takes us through some dense old forest.
In the clearings, beautiful little snapdragons cheer us on as we trek upwards.
Almost there...
We made it!
And just in time to see a beautiful eagle soaring above the treetops.
On the southwest side, where we just summitted, is this new statue, the Bust of York.
Early in the year the citizens of Portland toppled this older statue of Harvey Scott.
Sadly, I learned that a couple of days after I took the picture of the York statue, a woman publicly vandalized it. (Here is a source that will tell you about this incident, as well as some back story on the statue replacement.) However, the city is working on the restoration of the Bust of York.
There are two beautiful views from the top of Mt. Tabor. To the west, you can see the city of Portland.
You can even see the street I live on! That's Hawthorne Boulevard. It's full of fun shops and restaurants and has a very artsy, hippie vibe. When business starts coming back to life again post-covid, I should put together a photographical tour.
To the east, on a clear day, you can see Mt. Hood. This volcano is still active, but hasn't erupted in a long time. It is part of the Cascade range, and a favorite spot for all kinds of nature and winter sports enthusiasts. This is an older picture, taken in the fall some years back.
Most days during winter and spring, this is the view you get:
Yes, it's often cloudy in the Pacific Northwest. But it's worth it, for all the lush green beauty we have around here.
Let's head down the northwest side to the visitor center at the crater.
Did you need to use the restroom first?
No? Well let's go, then!
Steep coming up also means steep going down.
The trails are not only fun for hikers, but also for mountain bikers looking for a local adventure.
Welcome to the Mt. Tabor visitor center, built into the crater of the old cinder cone.
At the visitor center there is a playground.
And a gigantic picnic area that can be reserved for events.
And... what I'm sure you've all been waiting for... the crater!!!
Which was, quite tastefully, in my opinion, converted into an amphitheater.
This amphitheater hasn't seen much action in the past year, but hopefully that will change this summer.
You can also play basketball in the crater!
Let's keep going. I want to show you another part of what makes Mt. Tabor Park so beautiful. We'll go this way.
Just over this crest...
There are so many paths you can take in this park. Maybe we can go that way another day...
For now, let's go down this big road...
... past this little smiley guy...
... and have a seat on the bench...
...and take in the beautiful westerly view of the reservoirs and the city skyline.
I believe that this reservoir, along with the other one I will show you shortly, was the water supply for the surrounding neighborhoods for some time, but I have heard recently that this has changed. Regardless, it still looks beautiful.
On independence day people like to gather by this reservoir (also sometimes called the second water tower) and set off firecrackers and fireworks, most of which are illegal. It's very dangerous, and henceforth a very good time.
Let's continue along the path that goes around this reservoir.
I want to show off yet another amazing view.
That's the first water tower down there. One of my favorites, for personal reasons. This viewpoint is a great place to go for sunsets, and you can get here by foot, bicycle, car, or whatever terrestrial mode of transportation suits you.
There are lots of paths you can take from here, but we'll take the shortcut today.
There's another sweet spot for a picnic.
This is the first reservoir.
Here's a reflection of the afternoon sky on the water.
And some wildflowers along the path around it.
This reservoir doesn't boast as much beautiful surrounding foliage, nor does it have a spectacular view like the others. But I love it because it is a popular place for birds.
Here is a blackbird taking a bath.
And here are my beloved crows, who come here to drink, bathe, and surf the winds that rush up and down the hillside.
There is so much to do at Mt. Tabor park. Hike, bike, picnic, play tennis or basketball, skateboard down roads at breakneck speeds. I wish I could show you all of it, but really, this is a place you should visit for yourself. I have been here more times than I can remember, and each time I discover some new path or learn something I didn't know before. Spring and summer are great times to visit because the weather is warmer and drier, but even in the fall and winter this park is beautiful.
Thank you so much for joining me on this tour! I hope that you enjoyed it. I put a lot of time into this post because I love my city and want to share its beauty with the world. Please share the love with an upvote and a reblog if you can. And if you like seeing different places from around the world, join the Have You Been Here Community!
