follow

Read the Blog

CONNECT

NAVIGATE

Hikes Near Newberg Oregon: Hiking the Ewing Young Trail

February 13, 2019

I’m launching a new blog series that’s been on my to-do list for a while and has to do with one of my favorite things: hiking!  I love discovering new trails to explore with my family, and when we moved from Hillsboro to Newberg, one of the things I was most excited about (well, besides living in wine country!) was getting to explore all new trails!  I did tons of google searching for trails on my own before finally getting together with Hike It Baby and discovering even more fabulous family friendly hikes near Newberg, Oregon! So, since I know so many of my clients love outdoor adventures too, I thought I’d share some of my favorite finds in this series!  Since I’ve been hiking with my kids for the past 5 years and I’m not exactly in mountain-climbing shape, these are all relatively easy or short hikes that are pretty accessible.

So!  My first is one of my go-to hikes near Newberg, Oregon when I need a little nature but don’t feel like driving very far.  The Ewing Young Trail loops through a forest, wanders along a river, and then crosses a meadow before dropping you back where you started.  There’s plenty of parking and a playground and skate park at the trailhead if you need a reward for your kids after the hike.  Pro tip: park by and start at the trail head nearest the BMX track.  This way it’s mostly downhill and you come out of the trail at the end right by the playground.

The first part of the trail is a flat, winding trail behind the BMX track.  There are small dropoffs into the stream but the path is wide.

ewing young hike in newberg, oregon - best family friendly hikes in yamhill county

After that, hold on to your kiddos, because there’s some slightly steep switchbacks down the hill and a narrow land bridge.  This is the most treacherous part of the trail because of the dropoffs, but the path is still wide and not at all hard.  When you get back up the other side after the stream, you can do the little extra Woods Loop, or continue straight on past the orchard.

After that, it’s back downhill to cross over the stream one more time, this time on a nice wooden bridge.  My kids love this spot!

ewing young hike in newberg, oregon - best family friendly hikes in yamhill county

Then, meander along the river.  The main trail stays a safe distance from the river, but there are a few little spots where you can cut down to a small footpath that goes right next to the river (we love the spot marked Creek Trail on the map).  Right after this, don’t miss the spot right around where the trail turns back towards the parking lot where a tree’s roots have grown down a hill towards the river.  Super fun spot!

Just as the trail starts a little incline, you’ll see a turnoff to the right to take the trail just above the meadow.  It gives you a nice view across the whole park and in the spring, this is where the best wildflowers here!

ewing young hike in newberg, oregon - best family friendly hikes in yamhill county

The grass is sometimes pretty tall right where the trail narrows at its end.  Wear boots if it’s been rainy!

ewing young hike in newberg, oregon - best family friendly hikes in yamhill county

Babies!  They’re already so much bigger…time to do this trail again!

In all, this is a great trail to get out into nature without really leaving Newberg.  I think it’s definitely worth traveling to if you’re outside of Newberg, since you get such beautiful views of the forest and river access PLUS a meadow with wildflowers!  There are some inclines up and down hills but I think they are mostly gradual.  It isn’t stroller-friendly, so plan to wear the babies or bring older kids who can hold hands at the parts with dropoffs.  And I’d definitely plan on a picnic at the covered picnic area by the playground when you’re done!

If you’ve done this trail too, tell me about it!  And if you have a trail suggestion in the Yamhill County area, let me know in the comments!

 

VIEW MORE HIKES NEAR NEWBERG HERE!

comments +

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Follow along for all the pretty on the daily: what I'm working on, my current favorite hikes around Portland, and what I'm reading!

LET'S BE INSTA-FRIENDS

@samanthashannonphotography