Cathedral Park Neighborhood is in North Portland, right on the north shore of the Willamette River, in N Portland and straddles the area under the St Johns Bridge. It’s north side goes up to Lombard, it’s west side is the edge of residential houses, and it’s east side borders University Park. It is walking distance to downtown St Johns, which is a really cute little shopping area, many houses in Cathedral Park Neighborhood have views of the river and the west hills, and it is full of historic houses, some restored, some needing more work! This is a good neighborhood to look in if you want to find a house to buy that is not quite as expensive as the rest of the inner city of Portland. There are some cute little Neighborhoods down here with sidewalks and big trees- Because the other end of Cathedral Park Neighborhood isn’t too far from the University of Portland and the Overlook area- there are students walking biking and running along the Overlook area- very energizing!
The location of this neighborhood has so much going for it! Not only can you walk to the shops, restaurants and farmers market etc of St Johns, but you can go across the St John’s Bridge, and take it to several places. You can either go towards Portland on Highway 30, where you will be in downtown NW Portland in less than 10 minutes. Or you can head the other direction towards Sauvie’s Island and visit the farms, swim at the beaches, or put your boat in the water. Or you can go either direction, find a place to pull over, and take a trail in Forest Park! I think there is a trailhead right there at the end of the bridge! There is also a secret way to get the the Tech Corridor in Hillsboro. If you take 30 towards the beach, then go up German Town Rd, it will take you up to Skyline and then to Cornell! It is a fast, traffic free way to get to Hillsboro! Lots better than the freeways!
If you go down under the St Johns’ Bridge, you find a very unique place, and it is the reason the neighborhood is called Cathedral Park! 
The columns and arches that hold up the bridge are gorgeous, and they almost look like you are in a cathedral. Because of the, many weddings and photos are taken down here. There is a grassy lawn, trees, and river access. This is also the landing place from where the Oil Drilling dissenters climbed up onto the top of the bridge, and hung on little platforms from the bridge trying to keep the big oil ship from going past.
Just to the east of Cathedral Park Neighborhood as you go towards the end of the peninsula you get to all the industrial- although if you follow Lombard it becomes Rivergate Blvd and runs right into the Smith and Bybee Lake Natural Wildlife areas! As you head south through the neighborhood you go down towards the river- passing a lot of new condos and townhouses that were built when the market was good- many with views of the river, Forest Park and the West Hills. At the end you come to Cathedral Park which is under the St John’s Bridge and has river access.
Park in Cathedral Park Neighborhood
When I first came to Cathedral Park Neighborhood several years ago I searched and searched for waterfront parks. The only one I could find
was Cathedral Park– It has a Boat dock and a dog off-leash area, plus paved paths to walk on, picnic tables and a stage for summer concerts. This park is believed to be a Lewis and Clark expedition landing site. The sad thing to me is that there really isn’t any place where you can really get to the water. It’s too bad! They could do a lot more with the setting! There is a Portland Pirate Festival that is held here every year, with cannon fights, musicians, food, a scavenger hunt and even a Pirate Ship.
Smith and Bybee Lake Natural Wildlife area is a really beautiful wetlands area is one of Portland’s best kept secrets. It is around the bend of North Portland, on the north side of the
peninsula. You can put a boat in at Cathedral Park, and take it NW on the Willamette, then enter the Columbia Slough, which will take you right into the wetlands. There are 2 lakes in here, bordered by the Columbia river to the north and the Columbia Slough to the south. It is surrounded by industrial, but once you enter the sanctuary, you forget you are in an industrial area, and you feel like you are out in the wilderness, surrounded by wildlife, water and nature! There are beavers, otters, dear, osprey, bald eagles, painted turtles and other birds, all living within the protection of the preserve. The interlaken trail is a water trail that goes through the slough and the lakes so you can explore it all from the water.
History of Cathedral Park Neighborhood
When I first came to this area several years ago I searched and searched for waterfront parks. The only one I could find was Cathedral Park– It has a Boat dock and a dog off-leash area, plus paved paths to walk on, picnic tables and a stage for summer concerts. This park is believed to be a Lewis and Clark expedition landing site. The sad thing to me is that there really isn’t any place where you can really get to the water. It’s too bad! They could do a lot more with the setting! There is a Portland Pirate Festival that is held here every year, with cannon fights, musicians, food, a scavenger hunt and even a Pirate Ship.
Smith and Bybee Lake Natural Wildlife area is a really beautiful wetlands area is one of Portland’s best kept secrets. It is around the bend of North Portland, on the north side of the peninsula. You can put a boat in at Cathedral Park, and take it NW on the Willamette, then enter the Columbia Slough, which will take you right into the wetlands. There are 2 lakes in here, bordered by the Columbia river to the north and the Columbia Slough to the south. It is surrounded by industrial, but once you enter the sanctuary, you forget you are in an industrial area, and you feel like you are out in the wilderness, surrounded by wildlife, water and nature! There are beavers, otters, dear, osprey, bald eagles, painted turtles and other birds, all living within the protection of the preserve. The interlaken trail is a water trail that goes through the slough and the lakes so you can explore it all from the water.
Other Important Links
The MAX and buses make public transportation really good!
Schools In Portland- people are permitted to send their children to whatever school they want within the Portland School District, as long as there is room. If the school is important to you, it is probably a good idea to check and see which school your neighborhood is assigned to- because it seems logical that the best schools will have a waiting list- and if you live there, you will be at the top! Find your school attendance area or a school site and view the boundary area using School Locator Page for: Portland Public Schools..
Read how to use the interactive map by clicking on the (Information) icon (circle with an i in the center).
School Report Cards for schools and districts in Oregon. Select (Portland SD 1J) In the District Selection Heading to view individual schools within the Portland Public School District.
You can find all kinds of All kinds of information about crime, maps, etc, Portlandmaps.com even exactly what happened where, if you just put in an address in Portland. There are lots of other things you can learn there- like census information, maps, school info, parks, environmental issues, permits on houses, nuisance complaints and taxes.
