St. Johns · District 2 · Mid-size park · 5.9 acres

St Johns 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 information

Confirm the inferred property type with PP&R.

Suggest a correction

Published activities: let my kids play, play on a field, and sit down to eat.

Hours

5:00am-midnight

Getting there

8427 N Central Street Portland, OR 97203

Dogs

Dogs on leash

Photo from the City's park page

Park history

The park is located in the community of St. Johns, which was named in honor of settler James John. In 1846 he built a brick house at the edge of the river on what was once an Indian camping ground. He filed for a Donation Land Grant of 320 acres in 1850. In 1852, he operated a general merchandise store in part of his house as well as a ferry across the river. James John laid out part of his property as an eight-block town site which was platted in 1865 with an eight-block addition in 1868. It was named for him in 1892. It is said his reputation as a hermit and recluse inspired the title "Saint" John. One explanation for the additional 's' that now appears in the town's name is that the area may have been referred to as St. John's - meaning that the place belonged to James John - and the apostrophe was eventually dropped.

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

sit down to eatPicnic table

…play

let my kids playPlayground
let every kid playAccessible play area

…compete

play on a fieldAny sport field
play soccerSoccer or futsal field
play ballBaseball or softball

…get here and move

be in a parkAny park
walk or roll on pavementPaved path

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

Summer water play — Cooling and swim programs.
Youth drop-in — Free unstructured play with somewhere for adults to sit.
Nature education — Environmental programs and guided walks.
All-weather indoor — Programming that survives a Portland winter.

One addition to investigate

Evening use — needs restroom
League play — needs restroom
Markets & festivals — needs restroom

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 →

School grounds nearby

Public school grounds within a half mile, by straight line. What is listed is what OpenStreetMap mappers have recorded, not an inventory. The district sets public access.

James John Elementary · Portland Public Schools · 3.3 acres
0.2 mi
On record: 4 four square pitchs, 4 pitchs, 3 basketball pitchs, 2 playgrounds, 2 kickball pitchs, 2 tetherball pitchs, 2 tracks, 1 soccer pitch, 1 garden, 1 funnel ball pitch, 1 futsal pitch. Not recorded in this property’s inventory: basketball court, running track.

Beyond parks explains what opening a school ground would take.

School grounds: Metro RLIS. Features inside them: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

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.

walk or roll on pavement
sit down to eat
be in a park
let my kids play
let every kid play

0 programs · 0 events starts captured

Fewest modeled facilities

Spring

Mar–May

Fields and gardens open; showers between sun. Leagues, planting, first picnics.

let my kids play
play on a field
play soccer
play ball
sit down to eat
be in a park
+2 more

0 programs · 0 events starts captured

Summer

Jun–Aug

Water, shade, long evenings — the season the system is built around.

sit down to eat
be in a park
let my kids play
let every kid play
play on a field
play soccer
+2 more

0 programs · 0 events starts captured

Fall

Sep–Nov

Light shortens and leagues wind down; shelters and lighting carry the season.

play on a field
sit down to eat
be in a park
let my kids play
let every kid play
play soccer
+2 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.

Reserve at St Johns Park

This park has facilities you can reserve. Booking happens on the city's official systems — every link below goes straight there.

Athletic fields

Permit sports fields through PP&R's customer service center.

Reserve on Portland.gov503-823-2525

Partners & friends

The whole ecosystem

Opportunity signal

No known partner is currently linked to St Johns Park in the Partnership Atlas. This is an opportunity signal, not an official priority.

See opportunity signals

Support this park

Real ways to help St Johns 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 atlas

Across 44 assessed assets at this park, 9% 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 · 1Above fair · 11Fair · 28Poor · 1Very bad · 3

Assessed asset families here

Amenities & furnishings2007 (2007–2026)Buildings2018Fences2022Pathways & trailsPlayground equipment2020Sport fieldsSport courts

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

Public data does not currently flag repair candidates for this park. Additional PP&R maintenance exports can be added without changing the page structure.

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 18

Furnishings the City inventories here, with each item's condition score — 1 is good, 5 is very bad. Asset photos aren't public yet.

Picnic Table×7

2323332

Bench×5

23222

Permanent Trash Can×2

Bike Rack×1

Bleacher×1

Drinking Fountain×1

Permanent Bollard×1

Official Portland.gov profile

From the City's park page

St. Johns Park on Portland.gov

Open official page

Learn more about closures and postponements related to the COVID-19 pandemic response.

A Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Node (pronounced beacon) is a place to go in Portland after a major earthquake to ask for emergency assistance if phone service is down, or report severe damage or injury. More information can be found at the Basic Earthquake Emergency Communication Node page.

City label

Park

Year acquired

1941

Official acres

5.873

City section

North

Neighborhood

St. Johns

Location

8427 N Central Street Portland, OR 97203

Directions

Hours

Park hours: 5:00am-midnight To reserve a sports field, call 503-823-2525.

Amenities and activities

Paths (paved)Softball fieldSoccer fieldAccessible play areaPicnic tableBEECN – basic earthquake emergency communication nodePlayground

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/st-johns-park-681?utm_source=park_qr&utm_medium=sign&utm_campaign=park_681

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.