Wanderlust Wednesday: Bob & Crystal Rilee Park in Newberg, Oregon

This last weekend at the beach for the retreat was a DREAM, but it’s so good to be home!  I love the beach, but tucked into the Yamhill Valley wine country is where I really feel at home in the landscape.  Let’s celebrate this magical little corner of the universe we get to live in with another Wanderlust Wednesday!  This trail is one I stumbled over during one of those lazy spring afternoons driving around aimlessly, trying to get my kids to fall asleep in the car for a nap.  I really recommend hitting this trail in late spring, around mid-April to mid-May, when all of the clover fields are in bloom.  If it’s anything like last year, you’ll get a sea of crimson blooms around you as you hike!

We didn’t hike too far on this trail, because, let’s face it, I’m at this one for the pictures!  But the view is incredible and the scenery is just perfection.  You’re up on the top of Parrett Mountain, just along the Chehalem Mountains in between Newberg and Sherwood.  It feels like the middle of nowhere and has a wonderful, slow, country feel.

I hesitated to post this trail because I really haven’t explored it too thoroughly, but I think it’s a lesser known trail and really has so much potential!  The trail is meant mainly as an equestrian trail, so it’s wide, lumpy dirt along the edge of the fields, and narrower and more forested if you choose the outer trails.  And since it’s an equestrian trail, be aware of your surroundings, watch your step, and share the trails.

This link here will give you the best directions to the park as well as a great trail map.  Definitely check out and print the directions before you head out, because cell service is spotty in that area and the GPS address will actually take you to the farmhouse rather than the trailhead.  Speaking of the trailhead, it’s a quiet little wooded corner (called Bob’s Corner) that is perfect for a picnic if you’re up driving in that area.

(Look at how tiny those babies were!  This was the first time we went up there.  We hung around Bob’s Corner and explored a bit while we ate lunch.) The parts I explored of this trail are pretty kid-friendly.  It’s not a stroller-friendly trail, but a sure-footed toddler could walk the wide flat parts just fine.  Because the clover was in bloom, there were quite a few bees busy with the plants, but we stayed away from the plants themselves and were just fine.

Did you check out this Parrett Mountain trail yet?  Tell me about it in the comments!