Oaks Amusement Park sits along the Willamette River just 3.5 miles south of downtown Portland, Oregon, and has been welcoming visitors since it opened on May 30, 1905. Built by the Oregon Water Power and Railway Company as a trolley park to drive streetcar ridership, it’s one of the oldest continually operating amusement parks in the United States, drawing an estimated 300,000 visitors in its very first season.
Today the 44-acre park is run by the nonprofit Oaks Park Association and blends old-fashioned charm with modern thrill rides. Its year-round wooden roller skating rink, which opened on June 23, 1906, just a year after the park itself, is the oldest continuously operating rink of its kind in the country, while newer additions like the Gerstlauer-built Adrenaline Peak coaster keep the park relevant for thrill seekers well over a century later.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Portland, Oregon
- Operator: Oaks Park Association (nonprofit)
- Opened: May 30, 1905
- Size: 44 acres
- Annual Visitors: Over 900,000
- Signature Attraction: Adrenaline Peak (Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter, 2018)
A Trolley Park That Never Stopped
Oaks Park belongs to a rare surviving breed: the early-1900s trolley park, built by streetcar companies to give riders a weekend destination and boost ticket sales. While most of its contemporaries across the country closed decades ago, Oaks Park has weathered economic downturns and repeated Willamette River floods, including major ones in 1948, 1964, and 1996, thanks in part to a rink building engineered to float during high water.
The park’s Herschell-Spillman Noah’s Ark Carousel, built in 1912, and its 1926 Wurlitzer pipe organ still installed in the skating rink, are living pieces of that early history, giving Oaks Park a atmosphere that newer parks can’t replicate.
From Wooden Coasters to the Euro-Fighter
Oaks Park’s coaster lineup has evolved dramatically over the decades, from early wooden rides like the Zip and Scenic Railway to today’s two operating coasters. The family-friendly Zoooooom Coaster, built by E&F Miler Industries, opened in 1999, while Adrenaline Peak, a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter 320 that debuted in March 2018, brought a 72-foot vertical lift, a loop, a cutback, and a heartline roll to the park, making it Oaks Park’s first true thrill coaster in nearly two decades.
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Oaks Amusement Park FAQs
When did Oaks Amusement Park open?
Oaks Park opened on May 30, 1905, built by the Oregon Water Power and Railway Company as a trolley park along the Willamette River.
What is Oaks Park’s biggest roller coaster?
Adrenaline Peak, a Gerstlauer Euro-Fighter 320 that opened in 2018, is the park’s tallest and fastest coaster, reaching 72 feet with a top speed of 45 mph and one loop.
Is the Oaks Park roller skating rink really the oldest in the country?
Yes. The rink opened on June 23, 1906, a year after the park itself, and has operated continuously ever since, making it the oldest roller skating rink in the United States.
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Photo: Tedder / CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.