City Cast Portland logo

Places to See Portland's Fall Color

Posted on October 18, 2023   |   Updated on October 20, 2025

Rachel Monahan

Red leaves in the foreground, hills in the background, at Portland Arboretum

A sourwood tree in the Portland Arboretum. (Rachel Monahan / City Cast Portland)

You never have to go far in Portland to see the bright colors of fall. Here are a few spots to visit in the coming days while there’s sun, and in the coming weeks to enjoy the red maples, yellow sour gums, and orange persimmon leaves.

A few trees are approaching their peak. Also: learn your trees from their catalog of all their plants. Check out their maple trail in the coming weeks.

There's a wide variety of trees about to burst into color and fine evergreens.

The St. Johns Bridge from Cathedral Park. (John Notarianni / City Cast Portland)

The St. Johns Bridge from Cathedral Park. (John Notarianni / City Cast Portland)

Get in your share of the fall colors with a walk along the river with a view of the photogenic St. Johns Bridge.

The first bit of color. (Portland Japanese Garden)

The first bit of color. (Portland Japanese Garden)

Perhaps my favorite spot is the Japanese Garden. They predict the brightest colors are still to come.

What Are Your Favorite Places for Fall Colors in Town?

Share article

Hey Portland

Stay connected to City Cast Portland and get ready to join the local conversation.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.

Neighborhood Guides

See All
Neighborhood GuidesOctober 4

Your Guide to Parkrose

Petting zoo, line dancing, and live music: Portland Fall Fest hits Rossi Farms on Oct. 4. Here’s how to make a day of it in Parkrose, plu...

A mural at 10721 NE Sandy Blvd. in Portland’s Parkrose neighborhood depicts farmers working in fields colored orange, red, and green. The blue-hued figures load yellow crates onto a blue truck.
Neighborhood GuidesSeptember 27

Your Guide to Kerns

When members of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral moved into the large church at the corner of Northeast Glisan Street and 32nd A...

A street view from the corner of Northeast Glisan Street and Northeast 28th Avenue of the Apambichao Building, a cream and white colored Victorian apartment building that sits above Pambiche, a Cuban restaurant painted a deep blue.
Neighborhood GuidesFebruary 3

Your Guide to Oregon City

To Portland, Oregon City may be just a small suburb. (If you don’t even really know where it is, take 99 south past the Goodwill Bins and...

Pink, purple and yellow sunset views of the Willamette River at Willamette Falls
Neighborhood GuidesJanuary 21

Get To Know South Burlingame

Portland's South Burlingame neighborhood is small, but mighty. From lively cemeteries to neighborhood gems, here's everything you need to...

View of autumn trees at a cemetery.
Neighborhood GuidesDecember 8, 2025

Your Guide to an East Portland Neighborhood You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Maybe you’ve never heard of the East Portland neighborhood Russell. But now you have: It’s an affordable, safe, and largely residential n...

trees line a paved path
Neighborhood GuidesNovember 10, 2025

The Neighborhood Hotspots in Family-Friendly West- and Eastmoreland

The charm of the Eastmoreland and Westmoreland neighborhoods is how great they are for the families that live there. Willamette Week’s ar...

people at tables at Monty's Red Sauce, Portland, Oregon
Neighborhood GuidesOctober 20, 2025

Your Guide to Hood River's Fruit Loop

Out near Hood River there’s a cluster of orchards and wineries along a 35-mile stretch of country roads. The area now goes by the attenti...

flowers in the foreground, Mount Hood in the background
Neighborhood GuidesSeptember 10, 2025

The Portland Neighborhood for Living in the Woods

Arnold Creek is a Portland neighborhood that you may never have heard of — maybe because it’s just barely inside city limits in Southwest...

map of Arnold Creek neighborhood. With Tryon Creek at the eastern edge.

The latest in Portland

Food & DrinkOctober 5

The Best Fall Foods in Portland

A fall festival at Bauman's Farm apples at a Hood River orchard (Kiyokawa Family Orchards, ideally), and a Sauvie Island pumpkin patch (B...

A pulled pork sandwich, soup, and apple cider slushy at Sugarpine Drive-In.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandOctober 4

Side Quest: A Smile That Can’t Be Bleat

Need a mood boost? Portland's goats deliver. Here's where to visit, feed, and hang out with the city's most charming herds, from St. John...

A black and white goat stands elevated on a stone and wood tower outside of the Sellwood Goat House in Portland, Oregon.
Portland Life HacksOctober 2

Tips for a Better October 2026 in Portland

You know what’s coming: The next six months in Portland involve a lot of rain and colder weather, so let's get ready for it.

River with the steal bridge in the background, I-5 on the right side, downtown showing on right
Portland's BestOctober 1

What To Do in Portland in October 2026

Check out these classic October outings in Portland, including corn mazes, fall foliage viewing, and Halloween celebrations.

Tree leaves turning red.
Food & DrinkSeptember 27

Take a Tour of Franz Bakery in Portland

There are some things you knead to dough (sorry, seasonal allergies are the worst) about Franz Bakery, a fifth-generation, family-owned b...

Loaves of Franz bread tumble off of a conveyor belt at Franz Bakery in Portland, Oregon.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandSeptember 20

Side Quest: Go Big or Gourd Home

It’s almost pumpkin patch season on Sauvie Island, that time of year when caravans arrive in search of colorful squash to carve, and appl...

A pile of orange and green pumpkins at the entrance to The Pumpkin Patch on Sauvie Island. In the background, there’s a large red barn and farm store.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandSeptember 20

Your Guide to Sauvie Island

Located about 10 miles northwest of downtown Portland, Sauvie Island is a slice of nature that draws city folks year-round.

A flock of geese descends toward the Multnomah Channel and Sauvie Island. Kayakers can be seen on the water and in the background, the Wapato Bridge rises above a floating home community.
The Weekly Wander by City Cast PortlandSeptember 13

Side Quest: Charting History’s Course

While most of the Overlook neighborhood sits above the bluffs, the industrial area of Swan Island down below does actually fall within it...

An aerial photo from 1935 shows the Swan Island airstrip, built on a peninsula that juts out into Portland’s Willamette River.