Regional Arts & Culture CouncilCo-manages this parkConfirmed
Intergovernmental partners
Portland.gov — Governor Tom McCall Waterfront ParkPortland Downtown · District 4 · Large park · 34 acres
Gov Tom McCall Waterfront Park
Developed parkPublic entry documented
The captured official page publishes visiting hours. Check the source for current closures. Public-entry status is separate from wheelchair accessibility.
Classification and evidence
Official page label: Park; Atlas classification rules. Classification: inferred.
Source captured: 2026-06-02. Human verification: Pending.
Check current official informationConfirm the inferred property type with PP&R.
Published activities: use a restroom, find a published trail, and walk or roll on pavement.
Hours
5:00am-midnight
Getting there
Naito Parkway between S Harrison Street and NW Glisan Street Portland, OR 97204
Dogs
Dogs on leash
Access
Accessible restroom
Photo from the City's park pagePark history
The idea for this park came at the turn of the century when the 1903 Olmsted Report pointed out the need not only for parks within the city, but for a greenway scheme for the riverbanks in order to ensure their preservation for future generations. The 1912 Bennett Plan again showed a need for more parks and river greenways, but instead of reorienting itself to the river, the city's focus was pulled further inland. In the late 1920s, the seawall was built along the Willamette's west bank for the protection of downtown from the annual floods. The seawall not only cut off the water from the people, but the people from the water as well. The construction of Harbor Drive along the west bank in the 1940s continued the trend of isolating the public from the river.
With the opening of the Eastbank Freeway (Marquam Bridge, I-5), Harbor Drive became less important to the traffic flow of the city. Governor Tom McCall created the Harbor Drive Task Force in 1968 in order to study proposals for creating a public open space in its place. In 1974, Harbor Drive was torn up and construction of a waterfront park began. It was completed and dedicated in 1978, gaining instant popularity. In 1984, the park was renamed Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
From the City's page for this park.
Visitor amenities
Published amenities are checked separately from entry conditions. Each links to other documented locations; confirm current hours before visiting.
…stay a while
- use a restroomRestroom
- use an accessible restroomAccessible restroom
…gather
- meet in a public squarePlaza or terrace
…cool off
- splash in a fountainInteractive fountain
- sit by a fountainFountain
…get here and move
- be in a parkAny park
- walk or roll on pavementPaved path
- find a published trailTrail
…be in nature
- launch a boatBoat dock or ramp
- look out over waterRiver or vista views
…remember and belong
- see public artPublic art
Potential additions to investigate
Passing the initial size-and-type screen is not a feasibility finding. Usable space, existing uses, habitat, public access, utilities, permission, construction costs, and ongoing maintenance funding require site-specific review. Missing acreage or uncertain classification remains unassessed.
Enabling assets recorded
- Evening use — Programming after dusk — leagues, classes, walks.
- Gatherings & events — Concerts, movies, cultural events.
- Summer water play — Cooling and swim programs.
- Nature education — Environmental programs and guided walks.
- Markets & festivals — Vendor events and neighborhood festivals.
One addition to investigate
- League play — needs any sport field or any sport court
- Youth drop-in — needs playground
- All-weather indoor — needs indoor space or community center or arts or cultural center or gymnasium
Inventory-based screening only. Recorded assets do not establish opening hours, program staffing, permission, or operating funding. Potential additions require review of usable space, habitat, utilities, access, and ongoing maintenance. Unverified properties remain unassessed.
What else should this park let you do?
Something specific to this park — the thing you'd use it for if it were here.
Send an idea for this park →Through the year
Seasonal facilities and listings captured by the Atlas. These records do not measure attendance, utilization or all activity at the site.
Counts describe captured listings, not attendance or all activity. No listings captured does not mean the site is unused.
Winter
Dec–Feb
Dark by 5 and wet most days: cover, lighting, indoor rooms, and paths that drain.
- use a restroom
- walk or roll on pavement
- find a published trail
- use an accessible restroom
- meet in a public square
- be in a park
- +5 more
0 programs · 0 events starts captured
Fewest modeled facilities
Spring
Mar–May
Fields and gardens open; showers between sun. Leagues, planting, first picnics.
- find a published trail
- use a restroom
- use an accessible restroom
- meet in a public square
- be in a park
- splash in a fountain
- +5 more
0 programs · 0 events starts captured
Summer
Jun–Aug
Water, shade, long evenings — the season the system is built around.
- use a restroom
- use an accessible restroom
- meet in a public square
- be in a park
- splash in a fountain
- sit by a fountain
- +5 more
0 programs · 0 events starts captured
Fall
Sep–Nov
Light shortens and leagues wind down; shelters and lighting carry the season.
- use a restroom
- find a published trail
- use an accessible restroom
- meet in a public square
- be in a park
- splash in a fountain
- +5 more
0 programs · 0 events starts captured
What the record holds here, by season
| Season | Programs | Recurring events | One-time |
|---|---|---|---|
Winter Dec–Feb registration opens 10/08 (activities Nov 2 – Dec 13 and winter-break camps Dec 21 – Jan 3) | — | — | — |
Spring Mar–May Recorded from 2026-06-11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Summer Jun–Aug Recorded from 2026-06-11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Fall Sep–Nov Recorded through 2026-09; 2 months still to come | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Our reading of the calendar
Which facilities count as in season is our model of Portland's year (splash pads and wading pools in summer, fields and gardens spring through fall, everything else year-round) — not the City's schedule. Check posted hours for pools, splash pads, and restrooms. From 12 weekly catalog snapshots (2026-06-11 to 2026-09-07). "Programs" are distinct titles; "sections" are the catalog's individual records — a swim level at one time slot for one week is one section. Complete through 2026-09; later months fill in as registration opens. Winter counts fill in when winter registration opens.
What's on
No current listings were captured and matched to this property. This does not establish that no activity takes place. See the citywide calendar and programs.
Partners & friends
The whole ecosystemCommunity organizations that steward, fund, operate, or run programs at Gov Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Labels show what is confirmed and what is still being filled in.
Support this park
Real ways to help Gov Tom McCall Waterfront Park and parks like it. This site does not process donations; every link below goes to an official giving or volunteering channel.
Donate via Portland Parks FoundationThe independent nonprofit philanthropic partner for Portland's parks. Gifts support parks and programs citywide.Volunteer with Portland Parks & RecreationJoin official PP&R volunteer and stewardship programs, from work parties to ongoing roles.Find park partners and friends groupsDozens of community organizations steward specific Portland parks. See who works where.
How it's holding up
The City's own inventory of what is here and the condition it last recorded for each item. Dates are the source's; old dates mean no newer public assessment, not that nothing has happened since. PP&R does not publish itemized repair costs, so needs appear without dollar figures.
Condition across all assets
Citywide condition atlasAcross 411 assessed assets at this park, 4% are in poor or very-bad condition (rated 4–5). Pooled from the City's public assessment layers — buildings, bridges, playgrounds, courts, fields, fences, paths and amenities.
This count comes from the City's rated asset layers; the “Public assets” list below is a separate furnishings inventory, so its items and scores are counted separately and the two totals need not match.
Good · 32Above fair · 222Fair · 141Poor · 16Very bad · 0
Assessed asset families here
Amenities & furnishings2007 (2007–2026)Buildings2018Pathways & trails
Condition is rated 1 (good) to 5 (very bad); no score means not yet assessed and is excluded. Park trees are inventoried separately and not counted here. No repair costs — those aren't published.
Repair ledger
Each row is one record from PP&R's public asset layer. No itemized repair cost is published for these records, so none is shown. Dates are the source's last published assessment; treat older ones as unverified.
| Asset | Condition | Status | Replacement | Assessed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bench Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Record 241 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-09 |
Bench Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Record 3933 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-09 |
Bench Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Record 4598 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-09 |
Bench Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Record 6128 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-09 |
Bench Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Record 6506 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-09 |
Bench Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Record 7417 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-09 |
Bench Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Record 8162 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-09 |
Permanent Trash Can Condition rated poor (code 4). Priority high. Public note: ARPA Victor Stanley Record 2205 | Poor condition code 4 | Active | no | 2007-07-09 |
Showing all 8 public repair candidates.
Know this park?
Seen something here that's broken, fixed, or missing from this list? Records are updated periodically; tell us what you see.
Send a condition note →Public assets
All 326Furnishings the City inventories here, with each item's condition score — 1 is good, 5 is very bad. Asset photos aren't public yet.
Bench×132
4×73×152×951×2–×13
Bike Rack×74
3×182×451×11
Permanent Trash Can×52
4×13×122×29–×10
Permanent Bollard×27
3×92×18
Memorial×16
3×42×31×1–×7–×1
Flag Pole×8
222222–3
Telescope×8
12121122
Drinking Fountain×6
332322
Art Work×3
2––
Official Portland.gov profile
From the City's park page
Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park on Portland.gov
UPDATED May 7, 2025
In early 2025, Multnomah County constructed a 10-foot diameter shaft (or foundation) just north of the west end of the bridge in Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Multnomah County’s Earthquake Ready Burnside Bridge Project now has a clearer picture of how soil composition will interact with new Burnside Bridge foundations. This comes after several months of work building a 10-foot diameter test shaft (foundation) just north of the Burnside Bridge in Tom McCall Waterfront Park. Construction and subsequent testing finished in March and fencing around the construction site came down Friday, May 2. Check out the project’s time-lapse video for a full look at the test shaft work.
For more information and updates, please visit the County's project page at multco.us/info/burnside-bridge-test-shaft-work
City label
Park
Year acquired
1927
Official acres
30.902
City section
Downtown
Neighborhood
Portland Downtown
Hours
Park hours: 5:00am-midnight
Amenities and activities
Accessible restroomHistorical sitePlazaStatue or public artVisitor attractionBoat dockRiverfront viewsPaths (paved)Trails (biking)FountainFountain (interactive)
All dogs must be leashed in this park.
This page, on a sign
The QR label for this park points here. Print labels →
https://parks.portlandciviclab.org/parks/gov-tom-mccall-waterfront-park-156?utm_source=park_qr&utm_medium=sign&utm_campaign=park_156
Where this comes from
Facilities from the City's amenity pages and asset layers; hours, photo, and history from the City's park page; programs and events from its catalogs; condition from PortlandMaps public records. Where the City publishes nothing, this page says so instead of guessing.