Ride park-to-park on a casual tour of McMinnville
McMinnville City Parks Tour
Tommy's Bicycle Shop,
Ride Ambassador
Length 17 Miles
Difficulty
Mild i
One way to really get to know a community is through its parks. Truly, parks tell you a lot about a town – the number, the amenities, the natural beauty. And McMinnville enjoys a bounty of parks – 18 in all, which is mighty impressive for a community of fewer than 35,000 people.
This route offers a flat, scenic ramble through town, connecting a series of 10 parks along the way. It’s a perfect ride for a family, or for a casual afternoon exploring town. It stays off main roads and offers many opportunities to get off your bike for a picnic, a new activity, some playground fun, an exploration of nature and history, or even a nap in the grass.
The focus is on the parks, so here’s a quick rundown of those on the route, in the order you’ll encounter them.
City Park – Start at this historic city park, McMinnville’s first, established well over a hundred years ago (1906). Cozine Creek wanders through the lower grounds, and there’s a 10,000-square-foot wooden play structure. It’s also a great place to start your exploration of McMinnville, with historical placards describing the town’s founding and development.
Westside Greenway – Enjoy a dedicated bike/pedestrian off-street corridor, a wide paved path with benches spaced along a 1.3-mile stretch that’s bisected by a wetland area.
North Evans Mini-Park – This jewel of a neighborhood park is less than a half-acre, but it offers a great spot to spread out a picnic, with an open, grassy area and some shade trees.
Chegwyn Farms Neighborhood Park – This neighborhood park takes its name seriously, with a farm-themed atmosphere. Kids (and maybe even adults) can climb through a barn, sit on a John Deere tractor, or even ride a chicken! There’s also a picnic shelter, a basketball court and more.
Wortman Park – Try your hand at disc golf (all you really need to try it is one Frisbee each) in this sprawling green park. It’s a perfect spot for exploring from one base, with 2 miles of paved paths and multiple picnic patios.
Joe Dancer Park – The biggest park in the city, Joe Dancer Park covers a whopping 100 acres along the Yamhill River, with a dozen ball fields and soccer fields each, for starters. It’s also home to a skate park – watching the local shredders is its own free entertainment.
Thompson Park – Another small neighborhood park, this is a place you can pitch some horseshoes while the kids cavort on the play structure; it also has a nice picnic area.
Harold Taylor Park – This pocket park is an ideal spot for a shady picnic lunch.
Discovery Meadows Community Park – 22 acres of award-winning park design, including a “spray park” water feature and a climbing wall for kids and adults, as well as a wetlands and the chance to spot some wildlife.
West Hills Community Park – Enjoy vistas of surrounding farmland and hillsides in this small park with nearly a mile of paved pathway that is often used by walkers and joggers.
West McMinnville Linear Park – This final park on the route features another off-street stretch, extending more than a mile in all.
So, let’s see: On one easy ride you could learn about the city’s history, take a ride on a chicken, play disc golf, watch skaters and maybe even take a turn, play horseshoes, run through a spray park, try your hands and feet on a climbing wall… and have a picnic just about anywhere along the way. That’s a family adventure!
Bathrooms and water are available at several of the parks. If you want to load up on food and drinks for a picnic (or before or after the ride), walk a block from City Park into downtown along 3rd Street, where breakfast, lunch, dinner, wine, beer and distillery options abound.
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In Oregon, a bicycle is legally considered a vehicle, and the same Oregon road laws apply. Please “be seen” and practice safe riding. Vehicle traffic, farm equipment and narrow shoulders exist on many Oregon roads, and you may find that construction projects, traffic or other events may cause road conditions or signage to differ from the map results, ride descriptions and directions. For travel options plus weather and road conditions, visit tripcheck.com, call 511 (in Oregon only), 800.977.6368 or 503.588.2941. Routes listed on this website are for informational purposes and intended as a reference guide only.
About The
Ambassador
Tommy's Bicycle Shop
Tommy’s Bicycle Shop has been serving the Yamhill County cycling community since 1949. Many things have changed since the store first opened, but they still do business in their own time honored way. They talk to you. They listen. They use their eyes, their hands and their intuition to make your bicycle sing. It is not uncommon that they sweat, swear or even bleed in the service of mechanical perfection. Sure, it’s hard work. They like it that way. It keeps them crafty. Bring Tommy's Bicycle Shop your broken down bike or your wildest riding dreams. They’ve got what you need for that.
