The Oregon Garden

About

The Oregon Garden is a botanical garden in Silverton, Oregon, made up of more than 20 specialty gardens spread across roughly 80 acres. Collections include a rose garden, a conifer garden, a children's garden, and a certified Wildlife Garden, connected by pathways that loop through open lawn, tree cover, and planted beds.

Most visitors walk the garden at their own pace, using a map from the visitor center to pick which specialty gardens to see first. A narrated tram runs the grounds daily from April through October and takes about 20 to 25 minutes; it can carry one wheelchair per trip. Guests who skip the tram can expect to spend one to three hours on foot depending on how many specialty gardens they visit, with benches placed along the main path for rest stops.

Outside food and picnicking are allowed anywhere in the garden, including at picnic tables, on lawns, and at bistro tables, all first come, first served. An open-sided wooden pavilion near the lawn area hosts weddings and small events, with gravel and paved paths branching off toward the flower beds. Hours and admission change by season, so check the current calendar on oregongarden.org before a visit.

Silverton sits about 15 miles east of Salem and roughly an hour south of Portland by car. The Oregon Garden Resort, a hotel built along the garden's edge, sits next door and shares the accessible route into the grounds. Silver Falls State Park is about a 20-minute drive east, and Mount Angel Abbey is a short drive north. Downtown Silverton, with its own shops and cafes, is about 10 minutes away by car.

Accessibility

The Oregon Garden is accessible for most wheelchair and scooter users, with a paved main path and a staff-run loaner program, though some secondary paths use bark or gravel that is harder to roll on.

Parking is in two large gravel lots, with designated ADA spaces and a drop-off area at the visitor center. The gravel lot surface is not paved, so the approach is bumpier than the garden paths themselves. The garden describes the visitor center and its other buildings as ADA accessible, and the route from parking into the main garden is accessible.

Inside the grounds, a 1.4-mile paved path connects most of the more than 20 specialty gardens and can be navigated by wheelchair or power scooter. Other sections use asphalt, bark, and gravel, so how easy a given path is to travel depends on which garden you head to. A narrated tram runs daily from April through October and can carry one wheelchair per trip, a practical way to see more of the property without covering it on foot. The garden states there is an accessible route to the restrooms, though it does not publish stall dimensions or grab bar details.

For services, the visitor center keeps two manual wheelchairs on hand for free, first come first served, with a signed waiver and photo ID held for the rental. Service animals are welcome throughout the property, and leashed pets are allowed as well, so a service animal will not draw extra scrutiny at the gate.

Call ahead if you plan to use the tram with a wheelchair, since it holds only one at a time and can fill up on busy weekends. The garden does not publish information on sensory-friendly hours, assistive listening devices, or captioning, so ask visitor services directly if those matter for your group.

Checked by Accessible America, August 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Oregon

• Lan Su Chinese Garden (Portland)
• Portland Japanese Garden (Portland)
• Pittock Mansion (Portland)
• Columbia River Maritime Museum (Astoria)
• Oregon Historical Society Museum (Portland)
• Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks & Minerals (Hillsboro)

Photo credits

• A garden pond with lily pads and a fountain sculpture sits beside a paved path and trees.: Rick Obst, CC BY 2.0 (source)
• Two statues stand by a garden pond fountain surrounded by lily pads, rocks, and a path.: Rick Obst, CC BY 2.0 (source)
• Colorful zinnia flower beds and whimsical garden art border a mowed lawn at the Oregon Garden.: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives, CC BY 4.0 (source)
• Dragon-shaped stone sculptures rise from a lily pad-covered pond bordered by tall reeds.: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives, CC BY 4.0 (source)
• Whimsical teapot and teacup garden art stand among colorful zinnia flower beds and lawn.: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives, CC BY 4.0 (source)