Leach Botanical Garden Hike

Overview

In the early 1930s, drugstore owner John leach and his wife Lilla purchased a property on Johnson Creek they called Sleepy Hollow and built a small stone cabin. In 1936, the Leaches moved into the new house they had constructed on the property. Both John and Lilla were members of the Mazamas and often spent their summers on botanizing trips. It was on one such trip that Lilla Leach discovered the rare kalmiopsis (Kalmiopsis leachiana), which was named after her. The Johnson Creek property was bequeathed to the City of Portland as a botanical garden, but after Lilla’s death in 1980, the city seemed reluctant to take it on. However, Commissioner of Parks Charles Jordan became enamored of the site, and the property, supported by a very active friends group, became a public park. In April 2021, an extensive renovation of the upper garden area, including new parking lots and an aerial tree walk, was completed. The garden contains about 2,000 species of plants, both native and exotic, and the Leach’s house and courtyard are a very popular wedding venue. Once you pass the admissions booth, you’ll head to the newly laid out pollinator garden, where young plants, dominated by large ball-headed Allium, are becoming established. Past the Fireside Terrace, the circular Tree Walk begins under a canopy of Douglas-firs with a potted Dicksonia tree fern (from Tasmania) as entry sentinel. The Tree Walk is not a canopy tour but rather gives you an elevated view over the Woodland Garden below. From the right side of the Tree Walk (as viewed from the entrance), you can take a looping trail down through the Woodland Garden or a more direct set of steps. Then head left down to the Rock Garden and the Manor House, the Leach’s old home, where there’s a gift shop. Behind the Manor House is a courtyard (the East Terrace) with a fountain. From here, you can take stone steps down to the riparian area along Johnson Creek, dominated by native cedars and a purple-blooming Campanula ground cover. Heading to the right and looping back fro

Trail Stats

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