by Alan K. Lee
My wife and I recently paid a visit to Powells Wood Garden in Federal Way, Washington, just north of Tacoma. We had seen a set of photos taken at Powells Wood that were quite beautiful, so we decided to take a side trip on our recent weekend visit to Gig Harbor and check it out in person.
What we found was a beautiful three acre botanical garden containing eight “rooms” separated by manicured hedges, and an adjacent 35 acre natural area preserve. We spent several very pleasant hours exploring the botanical garden and the nature preserve. It was a nice way to unwind after the drive up from Portland.
The botanical garden is small, but it’s a nicely constructed set of gardens and a place that any flower lover will enjoy.
The adjacent natural area is a maturing second growth forest with many large conifers, a small stream, and the typical temperate rainforest understory of native shrubs and ferns. Several trails loop through the preserve. We hiked most of the trails that afternoon and saw only a few other people.
Powells Wood Garden is located at 430 S. Dash Point Road in Federal Way. The garden is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 3pm. Admission is $7 per person (children 12 and under are free). Tickets can be purchased online on the Garden’s website . Reservations are not required and tickets can also be purchased on site.
If you visit Powells Wood Garden, you might also want to stop in at Dash Point State Park, a few miles west of Powells Wood. The main attraction at Dash Point is the 3000 feet of Puget Sound shoreline. But there are also miles of hiking and mountain biking trails and a campground with 141 campsites.
While Powells Wood Garden is probably not worth a trip to Tacoma on its own, the Tacoma area has a lot of other attractions, not the least of which are the Museum of Glass and the Tacoma Art Museum, both part of the Tacoma Museum District.
And across the Tacoma Narrows from the city of Tacoma, the charming small town of Gig Harbor is well worth a visit, as well. Gig Harbor has a beautiful waterfront and the community has done a good job of preserving its history as it has grown from a small fishing village into a bedroom community of Tacoma. It’s one of our favorite towns in the Northwest and one we return to often.
If you find yourself in the Tacoma area and you’re interested in flowers, gardens, or natural areas, pay a visit to Powells Wood Garden. It’s definitely worth seeking out.
Posted June 12, 2022
All photos © Alan K. Lee
Nearly 300 different forest plants and flowers grow in the park. Blacktail deer, raccoons, coyotes, red foxes, beaver, and more than two dozen other mammals roam the park. More than 70 species of birds have been seen in the park. And cutthroat trout, coho and chinook salmon, and steelhead can be found in Tryon Creek.
The area was saved from development in the late 1960s and early 1970s by a combination of dedicated citizens, the 
Many, if not most, of the park’s visitors come to hike the nearly fifteen miles of hiking and mixed use trails. Some bring their horses to ride the three and a half miles of equestrian trails. There is also a three mile paved bike path running through the park and a paved all abilities trail. The Nature Center, with a friendly staff, interpretive exhibits, a small store, and public restrooms, is a popular starting point for many visitors.
Many of the events and programs sponsored by the park were cancelled or available only online during the majority of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Nature Center was closed and entrance to the park was limited at times. While we’re still living with Covid, most, if not all, of the park’s programs have been restored, and the Nature Center is open again.
Originally posted July 29, 2020. Updated and re-posted May 25, 2022.
After Hulda’s death, her family put the farm up for sale. The local garden society succeeded in having Hulda’s gardens declared a state and national historic site to prevent them from being bulldozed for a proposed industrial site.
Start your tour of the gardens at the Visitor Center, where you purchase your tickets. Pick up a free map of the gardens and check out the gift shop. And there is a retail nursery located adjacent to the Visitor Center where you can purchase plants grown by the garden staff and volunteers.
If you are making a day of it, the Visitor Center has grab and go snacks, and the adjacent Oregon Garden Resort has a restaurant and lounge. Or you can bring a picnic lunch and enjoy it in one of the designated picnic areas. A variety of dining options are also available in downtown Silverton.
And if you’re visiting from outside the area, a trip to nearby 
Today, the arboretum features more than 100 collections of trees and plants, organized by taxonomy and geography, spread over 189 acres in Washington Park in Portland’s West Hills. There are more than 2300 species native to six continents represented in the arboretum collections.
More information on the arboretum, directions, and parking and public transit information can be found on the arboretum’s website (linked above).
Originally posted April 8, 2020. Updated July 15, 2020 and May 5, 2022.
The Connie Hansen Garden in Lincoln City, Oregon is one of the smallest botanical gardens in the Northwest, at just 1¼ acres, but don’t let the size fool you, it’s also one of the best.
Connie Hansen grew up in Oregon, but moved to California to attend the University of California at Berkeley, where she earned a degree in botany. She moved back to Oregon late in her life, after her husband’s death and her retirement from the faculty of UC Berkeley.
She began creating her garden in 1973 and she tended and continually expanded it for the next 20 years. After her death in 1993 a group of neighbors and local gardeners formed the 
The garden is located at 1931 NW 33rd Street in Lincoln City. It is open daily from dawn to dusk. Admission is free, but donations are welcomed. The Garden House, Hansen’s former home, now houses a small gift shop where you can find gardening supplies, books, and souvenirs. There is also a small art gallery. It is open from 10:00 to 2:00 Tuesday and Friday through Sunday from March to mid-December.
The Conservancy conducts spring, summer, and fall plant sales, and there are usually plants for sale at other times as well. Garden memberships are available through the conservancy website for those that want to support the garden.
Originally posted June 17, 2021. Updated and re-posted April 27, 2022.
Both the Stone Cabin and the Manor House still stand. The Manor House now houses the garden’s gift shop and is a popular wedding venue and event space. (The part of the garden south of Johnson Creek, including the Stone Cabin, is currently closed to the public).
Lilla Leach was an amateur botanist and discovered five plants previously unknown to science. One, Kalmiopsis leachiana, is named after her, and the southwest Oregon wilderness where she discovered it is now known as the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. Over the years she planted many native plant species, some of them rare, on the estate they called Sleepy Hollow.
There is currently no admission charge, but donations are encouraged and go to support operation of the garden and the garden’s educational programs. You can also register for a garden tour on the website, which is currently the only way to visit the Stone Cabin and the historic Outdoor Kitchen on the south side of Johnson Creek..
The garden is located at 5801 SE 28th Avenue. The small parking lot fills up early in spring and summer, and there is no on street parking on 28th or other nearby streets, so come early if you’re coming by car (and do not park in the Reed College lot across the street from the garden). Or take the bus (Tri-Met bus #19 Woodstock).
Whether you are a garden lover, birder, photographer, artist, or just looking for a beautiful place to spend some time in, Crystal Springs is a place you’ll love. For my money, only the 
The garden came about through Portland’s sister city relationship with Suzhou, in Jiangsu Province, China. Suzhuo is noted for its Ming Dynasty gardens, and Lan Su Garden was created by artisans from Suzhou following a 2000 year old tradition that melds art, architecture, and nature into a harmonious and serene whole.
Entering the garden, you come first to the Courtyard of Tranquility. The courtyard (and the whole garden, for that matter) is designed to be a peaceful and soothing place to escape the problems of everyday life, and it succeeds in that remarkably well. It’s surprisingly quiet, and once inside it’s easy to forget that you are in the middle of a busy city.
From the courtyard, you pass through the Hall of Brocade Clouds, traditionally the place where a family entertains guests, and then onto the Terrace. This is a great place to just sit and take in the view. Most of the garden can be seen from the Terrace. The various pavilions and the Tea House (the “Tower of Cosmic Reflections”) are beautifully reflected in the central pond known as Lake Zither.
From the Terrace, wander at will through the Painted Boat In Misty Rain pavilion, past the Rock Mountain and Waterfall, across the boardwalk to the Moon Locking Pavilion, Scholar’s Study and Scholar’s Courtyard, and the Knowing the Fish Pavilion. Take some time to visit the Tower of Cosmic Reflections teahouse where you can enjoy a cup of tea and learn a little about the Chinese social art and culture of tea.
Throughout the garden you will see Lake Tai Rocks. These large, fantastically shaped rocks were imported from China – 600 tons of them. The rocks were formed underwater through the erosive action of Lake Tai’s acidic waters, and are highly prized by landscape architects.
The garden exhibits more than 100 species of trees, shrubs, and plants native to China, including the Pacific Northwest’s largest collection of lotus. The plants found in the garden were not imported from China due to import restrictions, but were found in botanical gardens and nurseries in the United States and transplanted to the garden.
Part of the mission of the Lan Su Chinese Garden is to promote better understanding of Chinese art, history, tradition, and culture. Classes and demonstrations of Chinese calligraphy, brush painting, paper folding, poetry, music, horticulture, wood carving, and other arts such as kite making, are held throughout the year at the garden. And public tours of the garden led by trained docents are held several times a day.
The Lan Su Garden is small, taking up only one city block, but it is one of Portland’s premier gardens (along with the 
Lan Su Chinese Garden is open from 10:00 to 4:30 daily in the winter and 10:00 to 6:30 in the summer. The garden is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. Admission is $16 for adults, $15 for seniors (62+), and $13 for children 6-18 and college students (2025 prices). Children five and under are free. Annual memberships are available for $60 (one individual plus one guest per visit). Senior and student memberships are $40 (one individual). Family memberships (two individuals plus two guests ) are $100. You can find more information about the garden at the Lan Su 
The serenity and transcendent beauty of the Portland Japanese Garden make it one of my favorite places in the Pacific Northwest. Located in Washington Park in Portland’s West Hills, the garden overlooks downtown Portland, but it is worlds away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The tranquility that the garden aspires to is somewhat compromised by the 450,000 annual visitors that it attracts, but the beauty of the gardens make it more than worth visiting despite any crowds.
Former Japanese Ambassador to the United States Nobuo Matsunaga has called the Portland Japanese Garden “the most beautiful and authentic Japanese garden in the world outside of Japan.”
The Portland Japanese Garden came out of the sister city relationship between Portland and Sapporo, Japan, which was created at least in part as an effort to heal the wounds of World War II. The garden website says it best: “Born out of a hope that the experience of peace can contribute to a long lasting peace. Born out of a belief in the power of cultural exchange. Born out of a belief in the excellence of craft, evidence in the Garden itself and the activities that come from it. Born out of a realization that all of these things are made more real and possible if we honor our connection to nature.”
The site, once the location of the Washington Park Zoo, was dedicated in 1961. Construction of the garden began in 1963, and the garden opened to the public in the summer of 1967. Designed by Professor Takuma Tono of Tokyo Agricultural University, the garden originally consisted of five different garden styles spread over 5.5 acres.
Over its more than half a century of existence, the garden has evolved and more than doubled in size. The Kashintei Tea House was built in Japan in 1968, dismantled, and shipped to Portland. But it wasn’t until 1980 that it was reconstructed on its present site. It was dedicated on May 18, 1980, the same day that Mount St. Helens erupted.
The most recent expansion, completed in 2017, added a new entrance and entry garden, a courtyard garden, a bonsai terrace, and a Cultural Village consisting of three new buildings designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma: the Jordan Schnitzer Japanese Arts Learning Center; the Garden House; and the Umami Cafe. Today, the Portland Japanese Garden consists of eight gardens covering 12 acres.
The garden is open Wednesday through Monday. Summer hour are 10:00 to 5:30. Admission is $18.95 for adults, $16.25 for seniors (65+), $15.25 for students (with ID), and $13.50 for youths (6-17). Children under six are free. Group tickets (for 15 or more people) are offered at a discount. Tickets must be purchased in advance through the garden’s 
Covid-19 update (April 2022): The garden is open to everyone, and masks are required only on the garden shuttle that runs from the parking area up the hill to the old garden entrance. (You do not have to take the shuttle and masks are not required if you walk). Some of the paths are one way only, and entrance to the Umami Cafe requires proof of vaccination. all garden staff are fully vaccinated.
The Portland Japanese Garden is, in my opinion, a must see for anyone visiting Portland. And you’ll probably also want to visit the 
Other gardens featured on this site include Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden, Butchart Gardens, Hulda Klager Lilac Gardens, Lan Su Chinese Garden, and the Connie Hansen Garden. Those and other Northwest gardens have been or will soon be featured on this site. Check the Recent Posts list or click on the Upcoming Posts tab at the top of this post for gardens to be featured this spring.
Originally posted August 13, 2018. Updated December 20, 2020 and April 4, 2022.
Jeanette (Jenny) Butchart created the gardens in the early 20th century. Her husband, Robert, owned a cement manufacturing business. He was drawn to Vancouver Island because of its abundant limestone deposits, a key ingredient in Portland cement. Near the turn of the 20th century he purchased the site of what is now Butchart Gardens and began mining limestone and manufacturing cement. In 1904 the Butcharts built their estate on land adjacent to the quarry. Shortly thereafter, Jenny Butchart hired Isaburo Kishida to design and build the Japanese Garden at the estate.
Numerous improvements and additions to the Gardens have been made over the years. In 1953 Ian Ross added lighting to illuminate the Gardens at night, and in 1964 the Ross Fountain was installed in the lower reservoir in the Sunken Garden. The two large totem poles next to the Fireworks Lawn were erected in 2004. In 2009 Robin-Lee Clarke added the Children’s Pavillion and the Rose Carousel.
There have been a few reviews that have called the Gardens overpriced and under-whelming, but that’s definitely a minority opinion. And I’m siding with the majority here. Butchart Gardens may not be my favorite garden, but in my opinion the Gardens reputation and World Heritage Site designation are well deserved. And the Gardens are so beautiful that the cost of admission and the crowds shouldn’t dissuade anyone from visiting. If you have never been to Butchart Gardens, they should be on your bucket list, if they aren’t already. And now is as good a time as any to start planning a trip to 
Portland, Oregon is known as the Rose City, and has long had a love affair with roses. The Portland Rose Society has been in existence for more than 130 years. Portland’s premier festival is the annual Rose Festival, held in June every year since 1907. And one of the city’s best, if not the best, botanical gardens is the International Rose Test Garden.
The International Rose Test Garden was conceived in 1915 as a safe haven during World War I for hybrid roses grown in Europe, and rose hybridists in England began sending roses to Portland in 1918. Over the years, other hybridists have sent roses to Portland from all over the world.
The primary purpose of the Garden is to serve as a testing ground for new rose varieties. The Garden is home to a variety of formal rose evaluation programs in designated test beds. Rose companies send potential variety introductions for evaluation. How each variety performs determines if it makes it onto the
Today, the 
The Rose Garden is located in Washington Park, west of Portland’s downtown. Admission is free. To get there from downtown, take Burnside Street west, turn left onto Tichner Drive, then right onto Kingston Avenue. The Rose Garden will be on your left, behind the public tennis courts. Parking is limited, though, and will be hard to find on a summer weekend. Come on a weekday, if possible, and come early in the day to have the best chance to find a spot. Or consider parking in the downtown area and taking the Washington Park 
If you want a souvenir of your visit, or information on growing roses, check out the 
Posted March 16, 2022
Boise is Idaho’s capital and largest city, with a metropolitan area population of around 750,000. It’s large enough to have many of the amenities of a big city, but small enough to still retain something of a small town feel. And it’s a surprisingly modern and cosmopolitan city, blending elements of both West Coast and Rocky Mountain cultures.
Many fine Victorian houses and architecturally interesting buildings can also be found in the downtown area.
Anne Morrison Memorial Park on the south bank of the river, and the Julia Davis Park, just south of the downtown area on the north bank, are large urban parks with a variety of open spaces and tree lined paths along the river.
Boise is definitely worth visiting, and southwest Idaho has many truly unique, beautiful, and enjoyable places to visit, all within a short drive of each other. For more on those, check out my other Exploring Southwest Idaho posts:
The falls are long gone, flooded by construction of Swan Falls Dam in the early 1900s. Swan Falls was the first hydroelectric project on the Snake River. A fish ladder was constructed, but was largely ineffective, and the dam effectively blocked salmon and steelhead passage. That was a different era, and the fish ladder was never made functional. Newer dams were built both upstream and downstream with no fish ladders at all. Electricity was the point. The fish didn’t matter. But it’s a historically interesting and beautiful area, so it’s worth a visit even if, like me, you’d rather see the dam gone.
A new power generation facility was constructed at Swan Falls Dam in the 1990s. The dam’s original power plant is now open to the public, with some of the century-old generators and other equipment still in place. There are also displays depicting the history of the area, and the construction and operation of the dam. We walked across the dam after visiting the power house museum, then drove down the canyon a ways. The road was too rough for the car, though, and we turned around and drove back up to Dedication Point, and then on to Celebration Park.
Celebration Park is Idaho’s only archaeological park. Petroglyphs dating back as far as 10,000 years can be found there. Visitors can learn about the Native American “lifeways” at the visitor center, try their hand at throwing a spear with an atlatl, and explore the petroglyph area on a self-guided walk. There is a picnic ground, and a small tent campground. The visitor center is open from 10:00 to 2:00 daily, except holidays. Check the park 
A short ways downstream, the Guffey Railroad Bridge provides pedestrian and equestrian access to the south bank of the Snake River and the Guffey Butte area. The bridge was built in the late 19th century and carried rail traffic until the 1940s. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Guided tours of the area highlighting the area’s early mining and railroad history are conducted periodically.
Back in Boise, we toured the 
After touring the Thousand Springs area at the beginning of an extended Memorial Day weekend trip to Southwest Idaho, my wife and I took a short side trip to 
Balanced Rock is located about twenty miles west of Twin Falls and ten miles from Buhl, the nearest town. The area around Buhl is flat, featureless farm land that looks more like Kansas than the pictures I had seen of Balanced Rock, which had more the look of the Arizona or Utah deserts. But after a few miles, the road began to drop into a canyon and the view and landscape changed radically.
Balanced Rock is nearly fifty feet tall, weighs forty tons, and is supported precariously by a stem of rock less than three feet in diameter. It is, to say the least, a striking sight. We climbed up to the rock and hiked along the hillside above the rock formations (there’s quite a lot more than just Balanced Rock). It’s not a large area, and the trail is short and not difficult. It’s easy to explore in an hour or so, and I found it definitely worth the time and effort. But you can still get a good view of Balanced Rock and the other rock formations from the parking area if you don’t want to, or are unable to, climb up to them.
Bruneau Dunes
The dunes are impressive and certainly the main attraction here, but the park also has two small lakes, marshes and wetland areas, and open desert areas to explore. The marshes and lakes are full of waterfowl, and coyotes, jackrabbits, lizards, and gopher snakes can be found in the drier areas of the park. In the spring, desert wildflowers are abundant.
For hikers, there’s a six mile loop trail that takes you over the top of the dunes. There is also an equestrian camp and a ten mile long horse trail, two campgrounds, a picnic area, and a visitor center. We didn’t do the six mile hike, but did climb the Small Dune, hiked around the smaller lake, checked out the picnic area on the Big Lake, and, of course, spent a lot of time photographing the area.
Bruneau Dunes is also an outstanding “dark skies” area, and the Boise Astronomical Society has constructed an observatory at the park. On weekends, visitors can view the depths of space through the observatory’s 25 inch telescope.
The weather was better than it was for our Thousand Springs and Balanced Rock visits on the previous day, and the sunshine made for some good photo ops. But it got a little warm on the dunes after awhile, and there were swarms of mosquitoes by the water where it was cooler. Still, it was a nice morning’s outing. The dunes and the small lakes between them are incredibly beautiful, and climbing the dunes was a fun adventure.
Bruneau Dunes definitely exceeded my expectations. The dunes are huge, much bigger than I expected, and the area around them is interesting and very beautiful. The park is small enough that it can be explored in half a day, which is what we did, but there’s enough there to keep you occupied for a few days, at least. It’s also a place where you can slow down, relax, and spend some time just enjoying the views and the peace and quiet, which won’t be marred by the presence of dune buggies and trail bikes. They’re prohibited in the park to protect the dunes.
We returned to Boise that afternoon and spent some time exploring the downtown area and the parks and paths along the Boise River Greenway. The next day it was on to the Snake River Canyon, the Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, and the World Center for Birds of Prey. Click on the links below to view other posts from our trip.
Originally posted June 20, 2019. Most recently updated April 2, 2025.
The park can be very crowded on summer weekends, but gets much less use after Labor Day. Even on a sunny October day there were just a few people fishing from the river bank and some out for a hike or just enjoying the sunshine. This section of the river is popular with kayakers and rafters in the summer, but we didn’t see anyone on the river other than one family that floated by on stand up paddle boards.
The Sandy River flows from its headwaters on Mount Hood to the Columbia River at Troutdale. Two sections of the river totaling 25 miles are designated Wild and Scenic, including the section of the river that runs through Oxbow Park.
In 2007 the Marmot Dam on the Sandy River was demolished, making the river free flowing for its entire 57 mile course for the first time in nearly a century, and opening up miles of restored spawning grounds for salmon and steelhead. A smaller dam on the Little Sandy River was also demolished.
One of the more popular events at Oxbow is the annual 
Most of the visitor activity at the park takes place along the banks of the river. The upland trails through the mixed conifer and hardwood forest get much less use. But the forest is beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. If you’re looking for tranquility, head away from the river. On our visit when these photos were taken, we hiked some of the forest trails and saw almost no one.
To get to the park, take I-84 east from Portland to Exit 17 at Troutdale. Turn right onto Graham Road, then left onto the Historic Columbia River Highway. In two blocks, turn right onto Buxton Road. Follow Buxton (which becomes South Troutdale Road) to Division Street. Turn left on Division and follow the signs to the park.
One of the great things about the Pacific Northwest is that there are so many beautiful places like this that are within a half hour drive of even the biggest cities. Just one of the reasons that I think this is one of the best places in the world to live.
If you’ve never been to Point Defiance, check out the park’s 
There is a wide, paved, ADA accessible path (the Promenade) connecting the beach with the marina area of the park and the Point Ruston Waterwalk, giving unhindered pedestrian and bicycle access to the park from the Tacoma waterfront. And a construction project completed in 2022 expanded the parking lot, created new entry and exit paths for pedestrians and cyclists separated from the vehicle roadway, a new beach pavilion, new restrooms, a new ADA accessible children’s playground, new ADA accessible plazas and pathways, and a renovated WPA-era picnic shelter.
The outer loop of the Five Mile Drive provides numerous waterfront access points with views across Dalco Passage to Vashon Island and across The Narrows to the 
The outer loop is closed to vehicular traffic part of the day to give cyclists, runners, and pedestrians access to the northern half of the park free from conflicts with motor vehicles. On our most recent visit it was closed after 2:00 pm, but on our previous visit it was, I believe, closed in the morning. Check the Point Defiance Park website (linked above) for the current schedule if you plan to visit the park.
On both of our recent visits our final, and longest, stop was at the botanical gardens area near the entrance to the park. Here there is a large pond with a waterfall, an herb garden, a large rose garden, a dahlia garden, an iris garden, and a Japanese garden. We could easily have spent even more time here than we did on either visit. And if you visit the 
Point Defiance Park is one of the largest, and best, city parks in the Pacific Northwest. The park is similar in many ways to Vancouver, BC’s Stanley Park. Point Defiance is, without question, one of Tacoma’s top attractions.
Originally posted May 19, 2019. Most recently updated February 18, 2025.