Hoyt Arboretum - One of the Top 100 in the World

Portland’s Museum of living trees is a historical landscape, an outdoor laboratory, and a curated woodland – all in one Public park

All photos courtesy of Mike Drewry, Hoyt Arboretum, Portland, Oregon

How Hoyt Arboretum Came to Be

Originally a dense forest of Douglas fir, Western red cedar, Western hemlock, bigleaf maple, and red alder, the land that is now Hoyt Arboretum was initially farmed by pioneers in the mid 1800s, before being sold to the county for use as a "Poor Farm."

In 1911, after the Poor Farm was relocated to Troutdale, Portland Parks Superintendent E.T. Mische began lobbying for the land to become an Arboretum and a public park. Mr. Mische had been trained at the Olmsted landscape firm in Brookline, Massachusetts, and was inspired by the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard. He also shared the philosophy of Frederick Law Olmsted (who designed the Arnold Arboretum and co-designed New York’s Central Park) that every city should have an arboretum.

Multnomah County eventually sold the land to the city of Portland in 1922, and the Arboretum was founded in 1928 as a Portland Public Park.

Two years later, Hoyt Arboretum’s collections were planned and organized by horticulturalist and landscape designer John W. Duncan. The "Duncan Plan" included roads, trails, and more than 4,000 trees grouped together by taxonomy, and was closely followed by the Arboretum's first curator Ernie Fischer. While the Plan continues to serve as the foundation of the Arboretum's collections, it has been refined to promote conservation, education, research, and recreation.

In 1986, a membership-based nonprofit organization called "Hoyt Arboretum Friends (HAF)" was established in partnership with the City of Portland to advocate support of the park. Through significant fundraising and a robust volunteer program, HAF’s staff and volunteers continue to enhance visitors’ on-site experiences, provide a range of educational opportunities, and raise critical funds for capital improvements.

Today, Hoyt Arboretum is a 198 acre park located in Portland’s Washington Park, minutes from Portland's city center. It draws more than 500,000 visitors annually who explore the global tree collection planted along 12 miles of trails. With over 6,000 trees, including 2,300 tree and plant species from six continents, Hoyt Arboretum’s visitors are greeted by a diversity of sights, scents, and experiences every month of the year.

Three Nationally-Recognized Collections

Hoyt Arboretum is home to three nationally-recognized collections:

1. Conifer Collection: Alongside native Douglas firs, Western red cedars, and hemlocks, Hoyt Arboretum’s collections of redwood, spruce, pine, fir, and cedar have grown to impressive heights. This collection is an American Conifer Society reference garden thanks to its diversity, rare and endangered species, and many notable trees, including the first dawn redwood to set cones in North America in 6 million years.

2. Maple Collection: Containing over 120 species, subspecies, and cultivars, this collection is mostly planted along Maple Trail in the south side of the park. The Maple trail is about 3/4 miles long, and bursts into fall color in October and November.

3. Magnolia Collection: Containing more than 90 cultivars and species that burst into bloom in the spring months, exploring Magnolia Trail in March enables visitors to witness big, fuzzy buds and signs of post-winter life, though its full blooming majesty occurs in April and May.

Both the Maple and Magnolia Collections are accredited by the Plant Collections Network of the American Public Gardens Association, which recognizes the quality and breadth of the collections, the garden’s long-term commitment, a favorable local environment, and institutional expertise.

Conservation, Education, Research and Recreation

Hoyt Arboretum is proud to be a center for botanical education, conservation research, outdoor recreation, and family-friendly activity. As a free public park, all people can take part in the mental, spiritual, and physical enrichment that green outdoor spaces can offer.

Thanks to the partnership between Portland Parks & Recreation and Hoyt Arboretum Friends, Hoyt Arboretum is the largest provider of outdoor field trips to Portland-area youth in the region. In 2024, more than 7,100 students visited Hoyt Arboretum on a field trip. Even more meaningful is that 78% of those students came from Title I schools or schools with high financial need. Thanks to HAF members, these field trips were entirely free—including transportation costs—providing many children who spend their outdoor time on blacktops or in small urban spaces with their first experience in a forest.

As a member of Botanic Gardens Conservation International, one of our primary goals is the conservation of rare and endangered species. Maintaining a species here in the Arboretum that is endangered or has been extirpated in the wild is known as ex situ or “off-site” conservation, and serves as a reserve of wild genetic diversity. These plants can then provide fertile material like seeds or clones that can be used to restore habitats and reestablish native populations.

Portland's Museum of Living Trees

Hoyt Arboretum is a living museum, a historical landscape, an outdoor laboratory, and a curated woodland—all in one park. This distinctiveness comes from the rich and varied history of the land, and from the unique partnership in which management of the Arboretum is shared by Portland Parks & Recreation and Hoyt Arboretum Friends. This partnership ensures that the Arboretum’s world class global tree collection is cared for and accessible to local residents and visitors from around the world.

Hoyt Arboretum is also an ArbNet Level 3 arboretum, making it one of the top 100 arboreta in the world.

Hours:

Hoyt Arboretum’s grounds are open from 5am to 10pm daily. There is no admission fee to visit the Arboretum. The Visitor Center is located at 4000 SW Fairview Blvd, Portland, Oregon, and is open daily from 10am to 4pm.

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