Nadaka Nature Park — Attraction in Gresham

I drove past this park and garden a couple of months ago and was so excited to finally visit it. It was incredibly uncomfortable to say the least. The current state of this park deserves a 1/5 stars, but I gave it 2 in hopes it will improve. I think that the pandemic has a lot to do with it, because (aside from parking) it was built and executed beautifully.

Parking is confusing. No street parking and the only parking available is in the church lot next store. You can park in the corner of the gravel lot facing the playground and there are signs directing you to the playground. However, the church is no longer offering in person service and is all online due to the pandemic, which has left this parking lot feeling unsafe. There was questionable swapping of items happening in a round up of unregistered vehicles, some of which were missing doors and such.

The concept and thought that went into this park is rad, we LOVE nature parks with open-ended play structures. This playground had a single, large shared swing, lots of climbing structures made from logs like stumps to jump from, a house-like structure, a carved out canoe and couple of other abstract climbers along with a xylophone to play. There is what appears to be a community garden that was well cared for and in full bloom. There is a restroom on site as well as a bunch of covered picnic tables. We let our kiddos play on the structures for a bit and then explored a bit more.

From the playground. you can can head off onto wide, gravel trails. We saw a few locals walk to the park with their dogs and head into the trails, so we felt it was safe to follow their lead. However, as we began to walk in that direction we saw one of the unhoused folks peering into our vehicle and decided to turn around and leave.

I'm glad we finally checked this place out, but sad that it left me feeling nervous and unsafe the entire time (even with my 6'5" viking built husband and 2 doggos along for the adventure). I believe this place has hope, but right now I would...

In the 1950s Portland Camp Fire Girls were holding Day Camp programs in several city owned parks. The Camping Committee felt that purchasing their own properties would allow for better programs and year-round opportunities, so in 1955 the proceeds of the candy sale were put aside and the search began. That fall, a property near 176th and Glisan became available and Camp Fire bought the 10 acres for the sum of $13,000. The Day Camp Committee suggested as a name for the new camp NaDaKa, for Nature Day Camp. The motion was seconded and passed. On June 23, 1956, a dedication ceremony took place and the first session of eager campers arrived. Camp fees were $4.90 for an eight day session, which included transportation, insurance and daily milk. For the next 38 summers Camp Fire Girls, and later boys, spent their days at Camp Nadaka singing, playing and learning outdoor skills. Along the way they also learned how to work together in a group and made...

Would love this park if I felt safe there so I could relax and enjoy it.I can't even play with my daughter because I'm being hyper viligent of my surroundings and keeping an eye on who's where, doing what, and paying attention to whether or not I'm getting a sense of possible danger and need to leave. Absolutely will not step foot onto the trails leading into the wooded area. Feel like that could be the stupidest (and unsafe) move I could make and might regret! And the security cameras don't mean you any safer. All those will accomplish is recording the crime being committed against you. Don't count on the police coming in time to rescue you (if they show up at all!) The combination of mentally ill, drug addicted, homeless people walking around arguing with themselves makes them very unpredictable and I worry about being able to protect my 6yr...