Depends on how close you want to get to the mountain. Some really good views of Mt. Hood can be seen from Washington Park, which is just above downtown Portland. Or why not kill two birds with one stone and take pics of Mt. Hood from atop the platform of the tram?

I don't believe you can even see Mt. Hood from Crown Point, at least I don't recall seeing it. If anything, you may be able to see the peak but I am not sure about that.

As for the tram, there is only one stop and that is at the OHSU hospital. When you get off at the top you can walk into the hospital and go to the right. There is a beautiful almost parklike setting up there with nice landscaping and a few very interesting sculptures. It is a great place to view Portland, the Willamette River and Mt. Hood.

As previously suggested, the Washington Park Rose Garden is also a good place to see Mt. Hood.

Another one is from the Vista Bridge.

…tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/15/7a/f7/t…

I took this from the grounds of the Pittock Mansion. It was a hot hazy day so it is not crystal clear..

Trying to avoid the ongoing arguments over the Tram being appropriate for tourists, I will just say that you will most likely be in the car with a few other people, patients etc and it might not be easy to take a photo moving,swinging along.

The tram just goes up to the hospital and down again..letting off visitors, staff and patients.

If you take a walk up along the trail in Forest Park, you can get some fantastic panoramic views of the city and beyond.

You can do the same from the Japanese Gardens.

We have seen pretty views of Mt. Hood from the Rose Gardens in Washington Park. Enjoy your time in Portland! We will be in the area again in a few days! :)

It's hardly an argument.

"The Portland Aerial Tram will resume Sunday service beginning on May 18th to accommodate anticipated summer tourist demand. It will operate from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays through Sept. 14."

portlandtram.org/news_item/…20Operations.htm

As to whether it is a good place to take photos, I suggest you look at this web page and perhaps get in touch with the photographer who posts it.

portlandbridges.com/…0-portland-oregon.html

And to clarify ridership, here was the breakdown last July:

Total rides: about 123,000

OHSU workers or students at OHSU: 101,000

Patients (mainly outpatients, as OHSU actively discourages tram use by inpatients, according to the article): 2,269

Fare payers (ie, people riding for pleasure):18,055

tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g52024-i238-k18808…

I recently read that total patient ridership of the tram throughout 2007 (which obviously includes winter months when there are fewer tourists) was something like two or three percent of all ridership.

"It's hardly an argument."

Depends on who you're talking to. I'd guess students, staff, and patients of OHSU have a different opinion than Tri-Met and the City, which are trying to figure out how to pay for the thing.

Thanks for the great info on the tram! We are hoping to ride it soon! :)

I echo mistletoes sentiment on the tram. Just because something is legal does not make it right, IMO.

BTW, congrats to mistletoe on his new Destination Expert title! It is well deserved!!!

Congratulations mistletoe!!

And you are an Expert, let me say that ! Thanks to you and Mtngrl, my husband and I managed not to get lost All the time and you were a great advisor :)

There are lots of good viewpoints of Mt. Hood in Portland itself. You can definitely see it (and Mt. St. Helens) from the OHSU Tram dock (at the top). That is a great viewpoint - you can see the whole river area, etc. You can take a tripod up there and set it up if need be and shoot with no barrier or glass, but shooting from the tram itself as you ride is difficult because of the reflections in the glass on the tram.

You can also see Mt. Hood from Pittock Mansion, Council Crest Park (highest point in Portland), and Washington Park at the International Rose Test Garden (from there you get the classic shot of trees, Portland buildings, and Mt. Hood). You can also get a great view on the east side of town from Mt. Tabor and Rocky Butte parks. However, if your goal is to photograph just the mountain, you're going to need a pretty decent zoom lens to shoot it from anywhere in Portland, at least 200mm equivalent, although you can crop of course.