With its cloak of tall firs, the volcanic cinder cone of Mount Tabor rises like a green oasis, climbing 400 feet above the neighborhoods of East Portland.
The vistas, trails, birds, trees, staircases, reservoirs and events draw visitors from far and wide.
But it's those who live around the 196-acre city park who love it most.
"Mount Tabor lets you be in the center of a city, with all its hustle and bustle, then take a short walk into some of the most beautiful woods you can find anywhere," Dave Hillman, a neighborhood resident, said.
Hillman is also chairman for what may be the park's biggest event since early city residents filled picnic baskets, drove Model T's to the 641-foot summit and spent hours watching the city grow around them.
Mount Tabor is observing its 100th anniversary as a Portland park this summer, with a two-day Centennial Celebration on Aug. 1-2. The weekend will be filled with free activities, including music by the Pacific Crest Wind Symphony and Get a Life Marching Band, plus vintage and futuristic car shows.
But there's no reason to wait until then to enjoy Mount Tabor Park. Head east into the park from the main Salmon Street entrance, off southeast 60th Street, and let your imagination run wild.
Volcanic overtures: Mount Tabor is one of more than three dozen extinct volcanic cinder cones in the Boring Lava Field (others include Kelly Butte and Rocky Butte). These predate the major Cascade volcanoes and have been inactive for 300,000 years. The crater at Southeast 69th and Taylor was partially excavated in 1912 to provide cinders for park roads.
The wolves of Mount Tabor: Pioneer settlers recalled hearing wolves howl and cougars scream on the slopes of Mount Tabor, according to Laura O. Foster in "Portland Hill Walks." Early Portlanders hunted bear and elk there, until a streetcar line that started on Belmont Street in 1888 led to rapid development of eastern neighborhoods.
The making of the park: The taller, southern half of Mount Tabor was preserved as a city park 100 years ago, while the lower northern half became a neighborhood. The park was designed by city park superintendent Emanuel T. Mische, a disciple of the renowned Olmsted family of landscape architects who designed city parks across the U.S. in the early 20th century. The park was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 through the efforts of local resident Cascade Anderson Geller, who researched and wrote the application.
Reservoir lore: Near the turn of the last century, the city built six open reservoirs to store and deliver municipal water. Nos.1, 5 and 6 remain in operation at Mount Tabor; No.2 (nearby on Division Street) was demolished and converted to an apartment; Nos.3 and 4 are in Washington Park. The Mount Tabor reservoirs were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004, protecting the gatehouses (with their concrete exteriors that mimic cut stone), wrought-iron fences and single-post concrete lamps. Each reservoir has a popular walking circuit; the longest is 0.53 mile around the twin basins of No.6 on the lower west side. The first four reservoirs were built in 1894; Nos.5 and 6 were added in 1911.
The city has been fighting a federal requirement to cap the reservoirs to protect the drinking water. In case its efforts to gain an exemption to the federal rules fail, the city is also working on plans to build underground reservoirs elsewhere and take the Mount Tabor reservoirs off-line.
Overlooks galore: The views are the best in East Portland. Visitors congregate on the park's west side, near Reservoir 5, to watch the sunset over Hawthorne Boulevard, the downtown skyline and West Hills. Heavy tree cover restricts summit views, but one spot offers a downtown vista bookended by Portland's tallest buildings, the Wells Fargo and Bank of America towers. East Tabor Drive has parking spots where the view of Mount Hood, plus a half dozen Boring Lava Field volcanoes, is outstanding.
For the love of song: The park bureau's free summer concert series brings jump blues, bluegrass, Latin pop and classic rock to the amphitheater (Southeast 69th and Taylor) at the volcano's crater. The band lineup is announced in May for the 6:30 p.m. Tuesday concerts in July. (Check www.taborfriends.com, under events.) If you can't wait for the band, listen for freelance drumming echoing through the trees on balmy evenings and weekends.
For the love of songbirds: Mount Tabor has long been a hot spot to see migrating warblers and other songbirds, from late March into May. An unusual sighting occurred last May, when a water bureau employee photographed a bald eagle roosting in the park.
Stairways to heaven: Mount Tabor has two staircases of note. The 96 steps from Reservoir 6 up to Reservoir 5 make up the longest continuous staircase in the city. The 280 steps on the park's northeast side make up the longest public staircase in the city. Residents walk the stairs slowly, soccer teams charge up them and athletes stop to do pushups at each landing on the long staircase.
Bring your soapbox: The park's biggest annual event, the adult soapbox derby, is the one time the park runs tight on parking spaces. This year's event is Saturday, Aug. 22 (www.soapboxracer.com). If you didn't line up at 4 a.m. one Saturday in March to register, you don't have one of 39 entry spots that sell for $100 each. Soapbox racers come in crazy designs but must obey rules and not cost more than $300.
Cycling and recycling: Watch cyclists go round and round during the six-race Velo on the Volcano, on consecutive Wednesday evenings beginning June 3. Or enter if you wish (www.mttaborseries.com). The park's masterfully laid out roads are ideal for road biking, including laps to the summit of the volcano, while more than a few mountain bikers have discovered the same to be true about its trails.
It's a dog's world: Dogs love Mount Tabor. I know, because I live at a park entry and watch dozens of them parade by into the park every day. So does my cat. While dogs range throughout the park on leash, the busy off-leash area is on the park's south side, between Warner Pacific College and Lincoln Street. Hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
The harlequin glorybower ... and other glorious trees: Mount Tabor isn't Hoyt Arboretum, but it has many lovely trees. Joanne Arnst, neighborhood tree liaison, has published a 39-stop brochure (portlandonline.com/parks, look for tree walks under "nature") that describes the park's special trees, including a harlequin glorybower, Oregon myrtle and black tupelo. Douglas firs grow large in the park, while the ornamental, double-flowering Kwanzan cherry trees that line the Lincoln Street entrance put on a colorful show with April-May blooms and November foliage.
For walkers, an enjoyable maze: The park has many trails, official and unofficial, maintained by Friends of Mount Tabor (taborfriends.com) and Portland parks. Wander at will, because it's just about impossible to get lost because of the reservoirs and neighborhoods as landmarks. Paved paths and roads closed to vehicles, including the one to the summit, make for good universal access, though the hills have to be taken into consideration. Find an online map at portlandonline.com/parks.
Volcanic basketball: Where else can you shoot hoops in the crater of a cinder cone? Look for the court at the park's main visitor area (Southeast 69th and Taylor). A playground and picnic shelter are nearby. Tennis courts and horseshoe pits are on the northeast side, also a popular picnic spot. The park's lightly traveled roads, with some closed every Wednesday, give skateboarders long rides down to the neighborhoods.
Summit statue: The 10-foot tall bronze statute at the south end of the summit loop is Harvey W. Scott, editor of The Oregonian most years from 1865 to 1910. Even more impressive is the man who made the statue, Gutzon Borglum, who also carved the stone presidential heads at South Dakota's Mount Rushmore in the 1930s.
Pick a house, any house: Neighborhoods surrounding the park contain many types of single-family-home architectural styles, from 1880s Queen Anne to 1980s Benson High School shop class. You can find Colonial revival, four square, Arts & Crafts, bungalow, English Tudor and English cottage styles. Find an online guide at mttaborpdx.org under "history."
Terry Richard: 503-221-8222; terryrichard@news.oregonian.com
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