Whitaker Ponds Natural Area
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: Natural area; Atlas classification rules. Classification: source-labeled.
Source captured: 2026-06-02. Human verification: Pending.
Check current official informationPublished activities: find a published trail, be in a natural area, and be in a park.
Photo from the City's park pagePark history
The park and its facilities are the result of many collaborative partnerships involving the City of Portland, Metro, the Columbia Slough Watershed Council, and many community members. Portions of the park were used as a junkyard before they were acquired, and over 2,000 tires were removed in the process of restoring the area to a nature park. PP&R manages the park, and the Columbia Slough Watershed Council has offices onsite.
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.
- be in a parkAny park
- find a published trailTrail
- be in a natural areaNatural area
- expect no dogsDogs not allowed
What kind of place this is
A natural area: habitat protection and stewardship guide what uses and facilities are appropriate. Classified from official page labels it a natural area; our model.
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.
Dark by 5 and wet most days: cover, lighting, indoor rooms, and paths that drain.
- find a published trail
- be in a park
- be in a natural area
- expect no dogs
Fields and gardens open; showers between sun. Leagues, planting, first picnics.
- find a published trail
- be in a park
- be in a natural area
- expect no dogs
Water, shade, long evenings — the season the system is built around.
- be in a park
- find a published trail
- be in a natural area
- expect no dogs
Light shortens and leagues wind down; shelters and lighting carry the season.
- find a published trail
- be in a natural area
- be in a park
- expect no dogs
| 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 |
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 ecosystemNo known partner is currently linked to Whitaker Ponds Natural Area in the Partnership Atlas. This is an opportunity signal, not an official priority.
See opportunity signalsSupport this park
Real ways to help Whitaker Ponds Natural Area and parks like it. This site does not process donations; every link below goes to an official giving or volunteering channel.
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 6 assessed assets at this park, 17% 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.
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.
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 0Furnishings the City inventories here, with each item's condition score — 1 is good, 5 is very bad. Asset photos aren't public yet.
From the City's park page
Whitaker Ponds Natural Area on Portland.gov
This page contains information about Whitaker Ponds Natural Area in Portland, Oregon.
This nature park is home to two ponds, a half-mile loop trail, an eco-roof covered gazebo, and a canoe launch into Whitaker Slough. The two ponds are surrounded by a black cottonwood forest, which has been enhanced over the past 15 years with thousands of native plants. Native shrubs and wildflowers support local pollinators in the summertime, and the path around the west pond highlights plants from the Northwest region.
A sloping ramp leads down to an observation dock on the west pond, from which visitors can see fish, frogs, and water bugs. A second dock into Whitaker Slough is located on the north side of the park, and offers excellent access for canoes and kayaks. Paddlers can launch from the park and travel west on Whitaker Slough to connect to the main stem of the 19-mile Columbia Slough. Note that no fishing or paddling is allowed in either of the ponds.
The park is frequented by many animals, including downy woodpeckers, rabbits, beavers, garter snakes, osprey, dragonflies, otters, and wood ducks. In February, park visitors may spot fuzzy grey owlets from the great horned owl’s nest in a bare cottonwood tree. And in May, bird enthusiasts can enjoy the feisty territorial spats between individual rufous hummingbirds as they establish who has rights to which red-flowering currant bush.
Park hours: 5am to midnight
This page, on a sign
The QR label for this park points here. Print labels →
https://parks.portlandciviclab.org/parks/whitaker-ponds-natural-area-856?utm_source=park_qr&utm_medium=sign&utm_campaign=park_856
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.