A dog-friendly guide to Portland

I’m not too sure what to say about Portland… It was a place we really wanted to visit as we’d heard so many good things, especially about the craft beer and food scene. But when we arrived in mid-2022 it was obvious that the city had been hit hard by COVID, the streets felt deserted and dirty, there were many unhoused people and it honestly didn’t feel very safe or welcoming. I know these issues are something that the city is keenly aware of, and so I hope that in time the vibrance and reputation that Portland once had will return.

However, we did stay for a couple of days, so I’ll list all of the dog-friendly things we did during our time here.

THINGS TO DO

Downtown and Pioneer Courthouse Square

As mentioned, downtown Portland was looking a little rough around the edges when we visited, with lots of empty shop fronts and not many people about. Many of the stores that were open had pretty serious looking security guards stationed out front and there was a decent Police presence around the city.

However, if you are in town then I encourage you to visit the city as the shops that are there need to be supported to help the city revitalise and become a safer and more vibrant place.

Downtown Portland is quite empty at present, but will hopefully come back stronger

Pioneer Courthouse Square sits right in the middle of the city and is a large, open-air plaza that has shops on three sides, with the fourth side being the historic Pioneer Courthouse. There are also some public artworks in the Plaza as well some really good food trucks that are worth a visit.

Pioneer Courthouse Square in downtown Portland

A three min walk from here and you will reach a second plaza, called Director Park that is an open area that has an interesting looking fountain (called Teacher’s fountain). Across the road from here is Pendleton, which has a pretty cool looking sign out front.

We found all of downtown to be dog friendly in terms of walking around and exploring, but we didn’t visit many stores so can’t comment on the pet friendly policies of these. You’ll also find some interesting murals around the city and even some of the rubbish bins / trash cans are decorated!

Its not often you want to pose with a rubbish bin…

Terry Schrunk Plaza and the Edith Green - Wendell Wyatt Federal Building

Terry Schrunk Plaza is about a ten minute walk from Pioneer Courthouse Square. It is one in a series of three square blocks of parkland located next to each other. We walked down to have a look at these as there were some interesting monuments and brickwork in them. However the first two parks had more trees and unhoused people in them, so we mainly stayed in the third one, which had a lot more open space and felt safer.

Directly opposite the Plaza, you’ll see a really architecturally interesting building called the Edith Green - Wendell Wyatt Federal Building that is also worth checking out if you’re in this area as its a really interesting looking high rise.

Tom McCall Waterfront Park

This large waterfront park on the Willamette River has a wide, paved trail to follow that goes right along the waterfront (but watch out for cyclists!) as well as lots of grassy areas to relax on.

Tom McCall Park has a nice wide path next to the river and good views to the various bridges

The park itself is quite big and includes several landmarks, so its a really good spot to walk your dog. You’ll also get great views of river from here as well as be able to see some of the interesting bridges that cross the river.

Tom McCall park also offers great views over the river

While there is lots of open space and seating, do be aware of your surroundings as there are also a lot of people loitering and sleeping in the park, as well as lots of rubbish and graffiti etc. But on the flip-side, you’ll also see lots of locals just going about their lives, jogging, walking dogs, relaxing or socialising - so while we did see a bit of unruly behaviour, if you keep to yourself you should be fine.

Portland Saturday Market

Located within Tom McCall Park (under the Burnside Bridge) is the Portland Saturday Market which has a wide range of vendors and stalls selling everything from arts and crafts to clothing. The aisles are reasonably wide and its set out in a grid formation so its relatively easy to navigate and browse for souveniers and your dog is welcome to join you. The market continues across the road in the plaza where more vendors are busy selling arts and crafts.

Portland Oregon White Stag Sign

One of the most famous icons in Portland, we had to see this sign for ourselves. I thought it would be easier to photograph, but its in a bit of an odd location on the Naito Parkway. The best view seems to be from street level next to the Burnside Bridge in Tom McCall Park, but due to its height you probably won’t be able to get a selfie with it. But if you’re heading to the Park or the Saturday Market’s you can’t miss it.

Nob Hill District

We decided to walk out to the Nob Hill district as had heard it was a pretty area to walk to and through and also had lots of good eateries and quirky stores to browse.

The main shopping area is NW 23rd Ave where you’ll find some cute cafes and restaurants, clothing and homewares stores and a great pet store, called The Hip Hound. Beatle absolutely loved this store as they had a paddling pool out front, a great selection of food and treats as well as an in-store bakery - so it ticked all her boxes!

Nearby is another cute pet shop called Mud Bay which had lots of dog food, treats and toys, as well as a fabulous mural outside.

Nob Hill is about a 30 min walk from downtown Portland, or around a 10 min drive. It’s also on the way to Hoyt Arboretum and the Rose Test Garden if you want to make a morning or afternoon of it.

International Rose Test Garden

The Rose Test Garden is a testing location for new rose varieties, but has beautiful grounds and offers lovely views across Portland. It is only about two miles from downtown Portland and and dogs are welcome to join you provided they are leashed. The gardens are open daily between 5am and 10pm and are free to visit.

There are lots of places to explore, and spots to sit or picnic on a sunny day. If you are a rose fan, then the best time to see these beauties bloom is between May and October.

For more information about the Rose Test Garden click here

The Rose Test Garden is beautiful and has great views to downtown

Hoyt Arboretum

Hoyt Arboretum is located next to the Rose Test Garden and you have the option to drive or walk between them. The Arboretum is full of plants, some of which are endangered, and there is plenty of shade if you are walking the trails as well as open areas to relax or picnic.

The Arboretum is open daily between 5am and 10pm and is free to visit. Dogs are allowed on the many park trails provided they are leashed. There is a Visitor Centre on site where you can get a paper map, or you can visit their website for a digital copy. For more information about the Arboretum, including a trail map, click here

The Pearl District (and The Fields Park)

We had heard that the Pearl District was a really nice area to explore, so decided to walk there from downtown. The walk itself is only about 30 mins and there is plenty to explore along the way. We decided to go via the North Park Blocks (a set of five blocks of parkland).

Like the Plaza Blocks, it can be hit and miss in terms of unhoused people, rubbish etc but there is some good public art in here and grassy areas for your dog. Again, its just a case of being aware of your surroundings. At the end of the parks you’ll need to cross over to NW 10th Ave to continue on.

We loved the very cool Da Tung & Xi’an Bar Bao sculpture

If you’d prefer to avoid these parks, then you can always take NW 11th Ave which is a main throughfare through the Pearl District and is more populated.

Weather you take 10th or 11th Ave, your next stop will be Jamieson Square. This park has lots of grassy areas and a water feature that doubles as a splash pad. We weren’t too sure about the water quality, so didn’t let Beatle drink from it.

Splash in the water, but maybe don’t drink it…

Continuing along you’ll reach Tanner Springs Park, which is a very pretty park, but you’ll have to walk around the outside of this as dogs are not allowed in here, due to it being a natural habitat. But you can still get good views from the outside.

Beats will do anything to get a good view….

The one more block and you’ve reached The Fields Park - which is a large open space that is very popular with dogs (apparently 5pm is the busiest time!) There is lots of space here to relax and take in the views out to the older buildings along the river, as well as the newer apartment buildings located here.

Weather you choose to stay in this area, or closer to the city, the Pearl district seemed very popular and had a lot of great looking places to eat and drink, including some very cool looking breweries.

Enjoy Locally Produced Beer and Wine

If you’re looking for a dog-friendly spot to enjoy a wine with your dog, then head to Cellar Dog Even better, every drink you buy supports a range of charities - so as their website says, you can ‘drink for a cause’. You can see their pet policy here

If beer is more your scene, then Portland has a huge number of craft breweries, many of which allow well behaved doggos on their patios. For more information head to the Travel Portland site for an overview.

EAT AND SLEEP

We stayed at the Royal Sonesta (previously a Kimpton) in downtown Portland as it was walking distance to many of the things we wanted to see. The hotel itself was really nice, it had a great restaurant on site and the room we had was huge and beautifully decorated. You can see their pet policy here

While we walked as much as possible as the hotel was so close to downtown, the area itself didn’t feel particularly safe and so next time we would likely stay in the Pearl District. Wherever you choose to stay, my advice is to speak to the hotel concierge / accommodation host to get information about areas to avoid.

We ate at a few different places in Portland including;

Deschutes Brewery on NW 11th Ave - serves generous portions of gastropub style food. It has a good sized outdoor patio where you can enjoy a beer - while your dog hopes something delicious falls onto the ground.

Scooter McQuades - is a busy dive bar that stays open late (till 2.30am every day) and has a decent sized outdoor patio. The staff and patrons here are friendly and we all enjoyed making some new late night friends.

If you’re after a cheap and quick lunch, then ‘Fried Egg I’m in Love’ has you covered. This food truck is located in Pioneer Courthouse Square (along with other food truck options) and serves delicious egg based toasted sandwiches. You can enjoy these while people watching in the Square.

Beatle insisted we share this eggy deliciousness

For a more comprehensive list of dog-friendly patios in Portland click here

GETTING AROUND

Downtown Portland didn’t feel particularly safe with many unhoused and aggressive people on the streets. We really kept our wits about us walking around downtown and rarely ventured out at night. The public transport system includes trams, but unfortunately isn’t very dog friendly, only allowing small dogs on board if they are in a closed carrier which is not an option for many people. This was a real pity as it would definitely make the city easier to explore with your pet, especially in summer. To see their dog policy click here

Cool retro trams, but unfortunately not very dog-friendly…

IN SUMMARY

I’m honestly not sure if I’d go back to Portland, at least not at the moment. At times you can catch glimpses of what it must have been like a few years ago and that vibe is definitely still alive in pockets of the city, but it will likely take some time to be revitalised.

If you’re travelling with a dog, then you’ll find plenty to see and do in Portland as well as lots of interesting places to walk. In addition, it does have lots of great places to eat and drink and we saw lots of doggos out and about, enjoying sunny days with their people in parks and on dog-friendly patios.

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