Elk Rock Garden

Since the late 1890s, Elk Rock Garden has been the living embodiment of the vision of Scottish businessman Peter Kerr, who transformed a modest Portland hillside into one of Oregon’s most treasured historic landscapes. Perched dramatically on a cliff overlooking the Willamette River, this 10-acre estate represents over a century of meticulous garden craft, blending Scottish heritage plants with Pacific Northwest natives in a picturesque design that celebrates both cultivated beauty and natural wilderness. Created through collaboration with renowned landscape architect John Charles Olmsted and plantsman Emanuel Mische, the garden features winding pathways that reveal spectacular views of Mount Hood, the Willamette River, and Elk Rock Island while guiding visitors through carefully orchestrated plantings, woodland scenes, and expansive lawns.

Elk Rock Garden’s mission is to conserve, restore and enhance the Elk Rock Garden property to serve as a nationally recognized historic garden and center for learning, where partner nonprofit organizations and gardening enthusiasts of all backgrounds can meet and collaborate on nature-based solutions that improve the health and beauty of cities. Through the dedicated stewardship of the Elk Rock Garden Foundation, this remarkable garden remains free and open to the public, inspiring joy and peaceful enjoyment while promoting biodiversity and climate resilience in our changing world.