Leach Botanical Garden Autumn Walks & Aerial Tree Walk

About this adventure

Tucked away along Johnson Creek in Southeast Portland, Leach Botanical Garden is a 16-acre historic woodland garden created by pioneer botanist Lilla Leach. The garden's star attraction is the dramatic Aerial Tree Walk—an elevated circular wooden boardwalk that lifts families 35 feet up into the native cedar and maple canopy, giving children a thrilling bird's-eye view of the forest floor. Families can wander winding paths past historic stone cottages, traverse bridges crossing bubbling Johnson Creek, explore pollination pavilions, and admire golden Japanese maples and native ferns. Family Experience & Accessibility: • Stroller Accessibility: The Upper Garden, Welcome Pavilion, and Aerial Tree Walk are ADA compliant with smooth, paved or grated boardwalk surfaces; historic lower paths contain gravel and stone steps. • Nursing & Rest Spots: Modern restrooms with baby changing counters in the Welcome Pavilion; quiet wooden benches situated along the creek and upper meadow. • Age Suitability: All ages; kids especially love the sensation of walking among the treetops on the aerial catwalk. • Sensory Tips: Serene woodland sanctuary with ambient creek sounds, rustling trees, and minimal urban noise.