Mt. Tabor Park (Portland, Oregon)

 mountain, park

Southeast Salmon Way
Portland, OR 97215
(503) 823-2525
www.portlandonline.com/parks/finder/index.cfm?action=Vi...

Mount Tabor is an extinct volcanic cinder cone, surrounded by a city park, surrounded by a neighborhood, in the Southeast section of Portland, Oregon. This cinder cone is one of at least three in the city, along with Rocky Butte and Powell Butte. The crater is located in the northwest part of the park. Half of the cone has been cut away (now housing a basketball court and outdoor ampitheater) and the cinders were used to pave the nearby parking lot. Mt. Tabor now contains a permanent exhibit of the volcanic cone.

The Tabor cinder cone is part of the Boring Lava Field, an extensive network of cinder cones and small shield volcanoes dating to the Plio-Pleistocene era. Portland is one of only two cities in the continental U.S. to have an extinct volcano within its boundaries; the other city is Bend, Oregon with Pilot Butte. The volcanic features of Mt. Tabor became known in 1912, years after it was included in a public park.

This dormant volcanic cinder cone offers something for the casual sight-seer as well as the romantic. When weather permits, there is a great view of downtown Portland to the west and amazing views of Mount Hood to the east.