Laurelhurst Park

Stroll through a forest of old and majestic trees, play frisbee on the expansive grassy fields or just sit back and watch the wildlife from a comfortable bench. Park visitors should pack a lunch and picnic under one of the shady trees. In addition to a man-made lake, you will also find a large children's play area, more than 30 acres (12.14 hectares) of grass and trails, tennis, volleyball and...

The park also has an amphitheater for summer concerts, picnic tables, playground and children's art studio.

You'll find people playing everything from Frisbee to football. The basketball courts at the southeast corner of the park are host to serious weekend games and less-intense weekday competitions.

In Short
Despite its location along busy Southeast 39th Street, Laurelhurst Park is surprisingly serene. With a tree canopy blocking much of the traffic noise, the interior ofthe park is...

In 1909, the land that is now Laurelhurst Park was purchased from the estate of William S. Ladd, who developed Ladd's Addition and twice was mayor of Portland. Ladd named his 486-acre parcel Hazel Fern Farm, after the name of one of the streets in the area. Here Ladd developed one of the most prestigious stock farms in the West. In fact, his purebred Jersey cattle probably laid the foundation...