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Oregon Zoo: Together for WildlifevsForest Park
Both are recommended by expert writers. On balance, Forest Park ranks slightly higher than Oregon Zoo. Forest Park comes in at 93 with approval from 8 reviewers like Travel + Leisure, Frommer's and Lonely Planet.
Oregon Zoo: Together for Wildlife
Fodor's
Travel + Leisure
Not For Tourists
Where
Michelin Guide
Condé Nast Traveler Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
Frommer's
Lonely Planet
4001 Southwest Canyon Road, Portland, OR 97221-9704
From $0/night
Fodor's "This beautiful animal park in the West Hills is famous for its Asian elephants. Major exhibits include an African section with rhinos, hippos, zebras, and giraffes." Full review
Travel + Leisure "Located three miles southwest of downtown Portland, the 64-acre Oregon Zoo is the oldest zoo west of the Mississippi." Full review
Not For Tourists "You'll laugh. You'll cry. Beware a particularly randy sea otter."
Where "The Oregon Zoo has evolved from a hodgepodge of animals kept at the back of a pharmacy into a worldclass research facility, offering a constantly changing mix of exhibits and other amusements." Full review
Michelin Guide 2 Stars
"The state's most visited attraction, the Oregon Zoo is home to over 1,000 animals representing 200 species of birds, mammals reptiles and amphibians, including 54 that are threatened or endangered." Full review
Condé Nast Traveler "Home to nearly 3,000 animals—including 19 endangered species—this wild and woolly 64-acre animal park is so thoroughly landscaped with native plants...weave through the 23 engaging exhibits " Full review
Travel + Leisure "Located in Washington Park just west of Downtown Portland, the Oregon Zoo is set on 64 acres and houses elephants, lions, and chimpanzees"
Portland Travel Guide
August 18, 2021
Travel + Leisure "Just two miles southwest of downtown Portland, you'll find animals walking through reproductions of the African savanna and Arctic tundra"
14 of the Best Zoos in the U.S.
April 8, 2022
Frommer's "The Oregon Zoo is perhaps best known for its elephants and has the most successful breeding herd of elephants in captivity." Full review
Lonely Planet Top Choice
"In summer, ride the Zoo Train from the rose gardens to this excellent and beautiful zoo." Full review
Forest Park Fodor's
Concierge Lonely Planet Not For Tourists Condé Nast Traveler Michelin Guide Travel + Leisure
Afar Magazine Frommer's
NW 29 & Upshur to Newberry Road, Portland, OR 97210
From $0/night
Fodor's "One of the nation's largest urban wildernesses (5,000 acres), this city-owned, car-free park, has more than 50 species of birds and mammals and more than 70 miles of trails." Full review
Concierge "At 5,000 acres, it's the country's largest urban wilderness."
Lonely Planet Top Choice
"Not many cities have 5100 acres of temperature rainforest within their limits, but then not many cities are like Portland." Full review
Not For Tourists "Aptly named park. Great for picnics, sasquatch hunting."
Condé Nast Traveler "New Yorkers have Central Park, and Portlanders have Forest Park, a sprawling 5,100-acre wilderness that’s a short walk from the shops and restaurants of Northwest 23rd Street." Full review
Michelin Guide 0 Stars
"On a 1903 visit to Portland, landscape designer John Olmsted drew up a city park plan calling for "a succession of ravines and spurs covered with remarkably beautiful woods." Full review
Travel + Leisure "Much beloved by locals, this park is one of the largest natural areas in any city in the U.S." Full review
Afar Magazine "It was designed as a self-righting sailboat and carried a local family on adventures for a couple decades before it got away." Full review
Frommer's "One of the largest urban parks in North America, this forest is part of a 9,000-acre park system that forms a wildlife corridor to the Coast Range." Full review
