Elk Rock Garden

Dunthorpe, Oregon, United States

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Elk Rock Garden in Dunthorpe, Oregon, is a historic private estate garden created by Scottish immigrant Peter Kerr starting in the early 1900s.

Spanning about 10 acres, it is perched atop cliffs overlooking the Willamette River with sweeping views of Mount Hood and Elk Rock Island. Kerr collaborated with renowned landscape architect John Charles Olmsted and other experts to shape the garden, but also followed his own gardening instincts, blending Scottish species with native Pacific Northwest plants. The garden features winding paths, streams, stone walls, and an elegant manor house designed to maximize natural views.

After Kerr's death in 1957, the estate was gifted to the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon and opened to the public in 1959. Today, the garden is preserved by the Elk Rock Garden Foundation, serves as a place for education, conservation, and community engagement, and continues to inspire visitors with its blend of natural beauty and thoughtful design.