Portland Gnome Trees

The idea for this project began during the regular walks my daughter and I would take to our local coffee shop. Before each trip my daughter (3 year old) would insist that we stop at the "Gnome Tree", an attraction located in the parking strip along the way. This tree had been decorated with a tiny door situated within an opening in its roots and was adorned with little trinkets and offerings supplied by visitors. My daughter was always excited to visit the tree and would bring a gift of her own each time to leave for the resident gnome.

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Together we expanded this idea by creating "Gnome Treasure Trees" hidden throughout Fernhill Park near our house. We created small wooden doors and installed them in the niches of several park trees with a hidden package inside. Each package consisted of a zip-lock bag containing a note and several "treasures" initially donated by my daughter (painted rocks, shells, special small items, etc...). The note informed the finder that they had discovered a "Gnome Tree", and invited them to take a treasure as a gift if they left one in return for the next explorer.

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This site was created to invite all of our little explorer friends to join in the fun.

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Here you will find access to a Detailed Map to use as reference during your hunt for the Portland Gnome Trees.

Please refer to our Information Page for more details on participation, additional resources, and adding new Gnome Trees to your Portland neighborhood.

Thank you for your interest and ENJOY !

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Mark & Adya -