-Beautiful scenery and massive, old trees every step of the way here.
-The fun factor here is huge!
-The Portland Parks & Rec crew does a great job on mowing and other maintenance. I didn't see trash on the ground.
-Teepads were in good condition, seemed on the small side, but plenty of level ground surrounding the concrete.
-The signs at each hole are excellent with the distances, hole overview and pin locations clearly marked.
-Mach X baskets were all in great shape.
-Navigation was a breeze with the course map, udisc map and next tee signs.
-There is no rough when you get off the fairways.
-The available elevation here was utilized well.
-This course gives you the secluded feel, which I thought was remarkable in the middle of the city.
-Good drainage after a complete day of rain. I didn't see standing water anywhere.

-I spent too much time taking pictures and couldn't decide on a signature hole.
-Since this is a City park, there were some non-Disc Golfers walking through the fairways.

I would love to call Pier Park my home course. Since that isn't going to happen anytime soon, I will be sure to come back for more each time I am anywhere close to Portland again. This is a truly special course, park and city.

As a fan of heavily wooded courses, Pier Park had been on my wish list for a long time. I was worried that it might not live up to the hype, but that didn't happen. I played an early morning round after a whole day of rain in Portland and didn't see another human until Hole 15.

There is a perfect mix of holes here to give the course the feel of being difficult, but not punishing.

I loved that Holes 1 and 18 are downhill. This is the way to start and finish a course!

-Beautiful setting for being in the city, feels like you're playing through a forest
-Lots of variety in shots, some tunnel shots through the trees with a few opportunities to air out a big drive
-Great use of elevation changes
-Well-maintained course, thank you Stumptown Disc Golf for all of your hard work

-Can get extremely crowded on the weekend
-Could use a couple more bathrooms / porta-potties (especially on back 9)

Pier Park is the course that I learned to play on. It is easily one of best courses I've ever played. Playing through the giant trees lets you completely forget that you're in the city. Hitting the line you wanted and watching your disc flex through the woods is one of the most satisfying feelings in all of disc golf.

Be sure to check out the dream-catcher high up in the trees on hole 15.

A lot of fun holes great hike

Super busy I would give it 5 stars if it weren\'t for how many people

Best bet would be to show up early

Awesome course and very pretty. Not to crowded in the middle of a summer weekday but I know it can get more crowded. I did terrible on this course but it was still fun. Its pretty challenging but nothing that a decent player cant handle. Would recommend for sure.

If i have to say something bad its gotta be the tee signs. Alot of them are vandalized and hard to read. Other than that theres nothing bad.

Great course that I would highly recommend.

Pier is a fantastic course set in big redwood trees. Hole 15 being a signature hole that is a tight tunnel shot around 350 feet. The course is fairly long with great use of elevation change, and variety of backhand/forehand holes. It's a very clean course with almost zero chance of losing discs. No underbrush and great tee signs. Has a winter and summer layout for a little more variety, also beautiful lime green Mach x baskets.

Very few cons
-Some times player traffic is bad being in main part of Portland. Have to wait for multiple groups and people just jump on whatever holes they can
-having a summer and winter layout sometimes you can get turned around, or skip hole going on wrong trail.. just make sure to look at the t signs to make sure you're in right area.

This is a must play course in Oregon and if you get up early play this without question. It's not an easy course to par and will test your game but not overly frustrating at same time

Beautiful mix of elevation, narrow fairways.
Tall trees. Makes you stop and look around.
Cart Friendly.
Plenty of tree cover for the rain and sun.
Got there around noon on a friday and it wasn't packed like everybody said it would be.

Signage not good enough for a first time player. I found myself getting lost and had to catch up with an experienced group.

Kind of in the middle no where.

Apparently it gets super packed during peak hours.

No stores nearby to stock up on drinks, snacks...etc.

I brought my GRIP bag with rain fly and it was a life saver cause it does rain in Portland whenever it feels like.

love how this course plays huge douglas fir trees with a few cedars mixed in , i love these trees they make you feel really small throwing discs around and past them is sooo fun . some of the fairways are forgiving others really tight . light elevation threw out

its in the city best to come early [am] or weekday

Went about 7AM on Friday before Labor Day weekend. Only saw one other disc golfer out there. Beautiful park. Nice pads and tee signs. Well manicured. Various layouts and obstacles.

Came across two hole 6's that confused us.

Most favorite park I have ever played!

-Pier Park is a very challenging course built in a city park in North Portland's St. Johns Neighborhood. It is the only course in the city owned by Portland Parks and Recreation.

-The scenery is unbelievable for being in the middle of a city. Massive Douglas Firs envelop most every hole. Occasional understory maples and cedars add to the scenery. The property is gently sloping and expertly used by the course designers.

-This is a challenging course, and not one to expect to stack birdies. Hole 2 is the course's shortest at 280 feet and many holes reach 400+ through tight woods lines. Even the best players are likely to take a couple of bogeys before the round is done.

-Best holes
Hole 4 is one of the easier holes on the course, a 300 foot flex shot with the basket in a beautiful bowl in the woods.
Hole 6 plays downhill, 390 feet, and open for approximately 280' before entering the woods. A straight line drive or a wide hyzer are both good choices.
Hole 15 is the signature hole of the course, playing 450, slightly uphill, and absolutely straight as an arrow through a couple dozen trees. Most players would be more than happy to take the par three on this hole. However, I had the pleasure of watching Paul Ulibarri absolutely PARK the thing in the 2018 Portland Open. He flew the fairway the entire way and did not go back-door around a single tree.
Hole 18 is a wonderful finishing hole, a gently downhill and relatively open 450-550 foot shot. It's a great opportunity to crush your last drive of the day.

-The Mach X baskets have been well used, but they still catch as expected. The tees are spacious and well textured. Tee signs are great as well. They are full-color and show both pin placements. There are also PVC pipe bag holders on the tee sign post.


-On several holes, strips of wood as well as mesh wraps are attached to trees in high-impact zones.

-Shout out to Next Adventure for being a major sponsor of this course. Check out their shop if you have a chance, on Grand and Stark. They have a wonderful selection of discs.

-If you are a novice player, this course would not be my first recommendation. Precision is a must on most every hole and there are no short tees.

-The course, like most fantastic city courses. gets awfully crowded. It's certainly not a good place to squeeze in a quick round. I would plan for around 2.5 hours to play on a nice day. At least players here tend to do a good job of keeping group size to 4.

-There is a separate winter layout to protect against erosion on holes 3, 4, and 5.The winter layout is: 1 and 2, 18 backwards, a temp hole, 17, another temp hole, 6-16, and another temp hole. This layout is well thought-out and equally fun.

-This is so close to being a 5-star course. I would award five stars if it had any of the following four things:
-slightly less crowds during weekends (not happening)
-no pedestrian trails running through the course (not happening)
-a pro shop (probably not, it's not CA)
-a few par fours (reasonable adjustment)

-This course is an absolute must play if you're in Portland. This is just one of so many amazing City parks in which you can go from downtown to the middle of nature within twenty minutes. (unfortunately, this is the only one with disc golf.)

Pier is an awesome park to play at!

-multiple pin locations that are switched pretty consistently
-summer course vs winter course, great that they move the baskets completely around (although it only changes 4 or so holes) still fun to have different placements for different times of year
-trash:recycle bins at every few holes
-bathrooms at beginning of course and in the middle of the course (in the middle of the whole park)
-very friendly park, discers and park goers alike
-lots of ways to approach your shot on every hole, almost always 3 or 4 different ways to throw (righty or lefty)
- pretty much every hole there are dozens of trees to play thru but oddly enough they're not too envaisive to where you can't get to the basket in one throw
- decent range of length to the holes, practically all holes are around 300ft with a few short ones
- 8 or so baskets you do have elevation change whether you're throwing down the hill or up and over or just up the hole time

The list can go on and on!

Not too many things wrong with this course

-can be over crowded with its popularity, with disc golfers and other park goers. Big groups will often times play here causing for back ups.
-Holes 7-10 can be a bit noisy since they're near the playground area so if you're shooting for a good score can be troublesome to focus
- can be confusing to play the first time at certain parts of the course. When they switch to winter course the signs don't necessarily match up correctly for what number hole the tee pad is.

Beautiful park. It's always a great feeling when you're playing the baskets thru the middle of the park and you can look up at the hundreds of feet high trees that are surrounding you and just stare at the sky with the branches in your view.

I'll always love playing this park. Always fun. Haven't come across anyone who has played disc golf in the Portland metro area that hasn't played here yet. It's a local iconic park here in Portland and I'm glad we have it.

Reason I didn't give this a 5 rating is because I would love to see multiple pads for baskets (always fun with even more variety!) and beaches of the over popularity causing slow play at times.

-huge trees and a lot of them with not much undergrowth. so you get to feel like youre in lord of the rings without losing all your discs.

-so many different shots

-great teepads, relatively level with surrounding dirt which kinda makes em bigger

-mach X baskets, doesnt get any better

- FREE!

only 2

- people, theyre everywhere, i mean its free, its right in stjohns, whatta ya gonna do, get there early

-no next tee markers could be tough for newbs

- i used to think the trees were a con. some holes just felt like a crapshoot to me the first dozen times i played here. but play a couple rounds with a group of pros, and you quickly realize EVERY hole has an "alley", and after watching the other four people in your group use said alley effortlessly you realize youve just been pouting/lost.

another plus for this beautiful course is the ability to jump around within it. being that its so crowded because its the go to "portland course" for what seems like EVERYONE, its nice that after hole 8 you have the option to go to hole 9, hole 12, or hole 15. when youre on hole 5 you can hop over to 16, etc etc. i realize most folks wanna play 1-18 in order and completely but when you just wannathrowthrowthrow and not worry about playing through or sitting and watching a group of five thats doesnt know what playing through is, its nice to have that optiion.

* Good signage at each tee, concrete tees, neon green baskets (a huge improvement) are easy to spot. Benches on most holes.

* Beautiful location - big trees, grassy fields, understory vegetation. Lots of shade for hot summer days. Most of the holes are in the trees, but #1, 2, 14-18 add more open space and keep it from getting too repetitive.

* Challenging for even the best players - there are a lot of trees on this course, and many of the holes are about choosing tiny windows, taking complicated gambles, and ending up with huge puts. You will want a wide variety of discs for this course.

* Nice variety of elevation changes and shot types. #5 is an up-and-over-the hill, then #6 has a nice long drop down - if you don't hit a tree.

* Out of bounds areas are not punishing. Few rocks or tall grass, no blackberries or poison oak. Low likelihood of lost discs.

* Free to play, parking on nearby streets is close enough. Friendly locals, even non-players.

* Restroom facilities are somewhat run down but usable.

* Park may be busy due to close proximity to the city and lack of a fee. Sometimes parts of the park may be closed for filming TV shows like Grimm, Portlandia, or Leverage.

* Dust/mud - because of the dense tree canopy the ground is mostly dirt and pine needles. Can get muddy in the winter, and dusty in the summer. Bring some wet wipes or hit the restroom to wash up when you're done.

* Map or guide is recommended for new players of this course. Path from basket to next tee can be difficult to discern or may be longer than you might expect.

* Good course for: Intermediate and advanced players looking for a lot of technical challenge, as opposed to the length and brutal out-of-bounds of the challenging Blue Lake. Beginner players who don't mind ending up way over par.

* Bad course for: People who don't like the thought of throwing a disc full speed into a tree (especially soft plastic types), or players looking for a lot of wide-open bomb shots. Total beginners will probably get frustrated here, especially without a map.

* King for a day: I would renovate the restrooms and put in those "next tee" markers at the bottom of the baskets like they have at Milo McIver.

Clean
Big teepads and mach x baskets
Elevation
Good mix of distances
Tons of beautiful trees
Friendly locals

Navigation was adequate but not perfect for first timers
Teepads got a little slick with the intermittent rain we experienced

Coming from Michigan, we were in awe at the size of the trees at Pier Park! My depth perception was certainly influenced by the massive vegetation and it took nearly half the course to acclimate. Although there were primarily abundantly wooded holes, I felt like there were multiple options off the tee on almost every hole. Usually on such wooded courses I find that i'm being forced to use mostly putters mid and fairway drivers, however, at pier park I was able to utilize distance drivers more often. There seemed to be more space throughout the lines of each hole than what appeared at first glance. Overall, my rating boosts what is probably a 4.0 course up to a 4.5 because of intangible factors such as mystical course vibe and it's unique canopy feel under massive trees. It's also very close to downtown Portland.

The course is beautiful. Tall evergreens provide great scenery and serve as worth obstacles. For me, the perfect wood concentration.

Can get a little crowded at times.

Loved this place. Our favorite course to date.

- Varied holes: The open routes have trees you need to throw around, and the tight routes have reasonable openings.
- Elevation: Some subtle changes in elevation is very much welcomed.
- Trees: Most of this course takes full advantage of very mature trees, with very little underbrush.
- Teepads: Concrete, large, in good shape.
- Signage at teepads: Very clearly illustrates where the basket is.
- Baskets: BRAND NEW. Amazing baskets, with woven inner chains that catch discs consistently.
- Ambiance: Nothing beats playing under 100-foot trees. Just incredible.
- Difficulty: Good shots are rewarded, and bad shots are punished. A decent mix of easy, average, and hard holes.

- Trash: Needs more garbage and recycling cans
- Length: A little short for my taste. Some of the holes are very easily ace-able by above-average players.
- Course signage: While signs at the teepads are good, there aren't enough wayfinding signs to help new players along.
- Water: From what I can tell, there's only one nearby water fountain, near the start of the first hole. Considering the park has a wading fountain in the middle, a drinkable water fountain there would be a nice touch.
- Benches: In a perfect world, there would be a sitting surface at every hole. But that's a minor gripe.

For my money, this is the best disc golf option for Portland residents who don't want to travel too far, or may need to travel by bicycle. Takes about an hour to bike from downtown PDX, and it's a nice ride.

Great new baskets with lime green/yellow metal for easy viability.

Creative holes, use of elevation, great use of trees for challenge, greens are well situated and thought out.

Signature Hallway hole through a long pass of trees with a narrow opening

No issues with parking even on a Saturday with softball games and other park activities

Well manicured and landscaped.

Concrete Tee Boxes

Sometimes next hole isn't immediately obvious - could use signage pointing to next tee.

1st two holes play around a softball field which was in use during our round

All in all, a great, challenging, fun course with elevation change, dense tree lined holes, state of the art baskets and the name to seal the deal. Play at will.

-This course is really wonderful! it has a variety of shots required and the holes are designed very well.

-All though they are sometimes bent or vandalized Pier Park has good signage.

- The park is heavily wooded, providing shade, challenge and makes for a beautiful scenery.

- The elevation changes throughout the course provide both variety and challenge.

- Almost all of the holes have multiple pin locations.

- In an effort to avoid the muddiest areas of the park, an alternate course layout during winter is used, adding more variety, which is a nice change.

- Their are far too few trash cans at this course, almost every hole that does not have a trash can has large amounts of trash piled in one area. It's mostly empty beer cans/bottles but it's also shoes and bags of dog doody.

- The park is usually heavily trafficked by runners, bikers, dog walkers, and other disc golfers. It's not so bad that it causes major problems but it can certainly be a distraction.

- As with most courses in the pacific northwest, this course can get pretty muddy when it's been raining. Make sure and wear shoes with good grip, and bring a few rags for wiping mud off your plastic.

- This course has almost no hazards (OB, Mandos, Water, etc.) - Not a big deal but there is not much risk/reward off the tee.

The best time to play at Pier would be early in the morning at about 7am, there will be other people playing but not nearly as many. Also the way the sun comes through trees at that time is truly beautiful.

- LH/BH Balanced
- True changes in elevation
- ALL HOLES are moderate to heavily wooded
- Hole distances range from 273' to 548' year round
- Playable lines are only limited by your imagination
- Seasons new plastic quickly
- Absolutely breathtaking

- The only 18 hole course within Portland, Or
- Typically crowded (day/night)
- Not the best casual play park

Played 2 times a day early morning rounds on a recent 3 day trip to portland.

-Lots of parking and easy to navigate to, located on northern end of town, went straight to the course from the airport and took me about 20 min to get there.

-Easy course navigation, very well made signs with all the info you could want. Played with no-one to show me the way and had no issues.

-Scenery, this park is pretty spectacular, a few of the locals I played a round with just shrugged but playing in and amongst the giant trees is pretty special.

-Shot/Hole Variety, there was pretty much a little of everything and I dont think the course favors either hand or fh/bh. Seemingly 3-5 lines on every hole depending on how much you want to flirt with trees. A few holes were definetly "Oh F*#k" moments for me and my noodly arm, #16 took me until the 5th round before I finally got a par.

-#8/#18- playing down off hills is always one of my favorite shots, and these holes dont disappoint allowing for long gliding shots that are always fun to throw.

-Very well kept "rough", the trees throughout the course create plenty of obstacles if you get off line, but there was not too many places where you had to worry about losing a disk. There are a few blind holes on the course, its nice to be able to play a solo round and not worry about searching for discs forever.

-Mud, Im sure this is related to the time of year and the amount of rain but there were a few holes (2, 3, 4) that played in slightly more open fields that were basically big mud bowls, come prepared with extra towels and shoes!

-I never did find any water at the course but there are a few liquor stores only blocks away (more nit-picky than a real con).

Overall a great experience. A little muddy and damp but nothing to inhibit you from having a truly fun round.

Tough, but not so much that newer players couldn't have a good time. The course is pretty clean, has good teepads, varied uphill/downhill and diverse shot requirements.

Crowded.
Bathroom?

Only played it once, but it's already one of my favorites!