With so many Mt. Hood Territory restaurants offering easy to-go food options and a growing number of food carts and food pods throughout the area, the only question is: Where to eat? If you're hoping for a bit of color, we have five picnic-perfect picks that will get you outside in the wide open beautiful summer air... maybe even with a light floral scent.
Located at Luscher Farm, a Lake Oswego city park, Rogerson Clematis Garden boasts North America's most comprehensive collection of clematis, with over 1,700 clematis plants in both a greenhouse and outdoor garden space spanning two acres and surrounding an early 1900 farmhouse with plenty of space for picnics. You'll see these blooms year-round.
Want a beautiful garden picnic with the ease of grabbing your food onsite? The good folks at Our Table Cooperative in Sherwood offer incredible food and a farm store. With an inhouse chef and kitchen, they are able to create great dishes, perfect to nosh on at one of their picnic tables overlooking their flower garden. Fridays are also "hot food" nights if you'd like something a bit steamier.
Swan Island Dahlia Farm in Canby opens their fields and gift shop from August through September. Pack a picnic for an outing at the largest dahlia grower in the U.S. They offer plenty of picnic tables and free parking.
This one acre formal rose garden is located near the entrance to North Clackamas Park in Milwaukie. Sara Hite Memorial Rose Garden's central red brick plaza is surrounded by manicured rose beds at ground level and framed at four corners by raised beds, walkways and low plantings. Roses are typically in bloom April through October, with peak bloom in June. Park benches line the brick plaza, making for lots of welcoming picnic seating, or bring a blanket and spread out on the garden's lawn.
In 2019, the Clackamas County Historical Society completed wildflower plantings along the McLoughlin Promenade, from the entrance near the Museum of the Oregon Territory (MOOT) to Oregon City's Municipal Elevator. This 7.8 acre linear park overlooks downtown Oregon City and Willamette Falls, with park benches and grassy areas along the way. Different wildflowers bloom throughout spring and summer. Right now, poppies are the most noticeable, lighting up the Promenade's entrance near MOOT.
A fun way to picnic here would be to grab food from downtown, visit the Oregon City Municipal Elevator, walk the Promenade and visit MOOT. Travel tip: Visit more than 25 heritage sites throughout Clackamas County on the Mt. Hood Territory Heritage Trail.
