The Grotto upper terraces

The Grotto (National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother) is a Catholic shrine and botanical garden built into a basalt cliff in Northeast Portland. Its upper shrine and cliffside terraces provide elevated, somewhat secluded viewing areas that look out over the Columbia River basin and surrounding hills. On clear days visitors from these terraces can see distant peaks such as Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens; the upper garden and shrine are open to visitors with defined paths and stairs.