Tice Woods Loop Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Tice Woods Trailhead
- End Point: Heron Pond
- Trail Log:
- Hike Type: Loop
- Distance: 1.3 miles
- Elevation gain: 85 feet
- High Point: 170 feet
- Difficulty: Easy
- Seasons: All year
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: No
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Description
The Rotary Nature Preserve at Tice Woods is a parcel of slope forest and wetland on Baker Creek at the northern fringes of McMinnville. In 1979, the property was purchased from George Tice, who passed away in 1988; the trail system was developed by the McMinnville Rotary Club and opened in 2005. Trail signs were contributed by Boy Scout Troop 260 in November, 2009. The trails wind through a mix of conifers and deciduous trees as well as thickets of hazel and hawthorn. You can expect to see several species of perching birds in addition to woodpeckers; herons will station themselves on the ponds. Deer are also frequent visitors to the property. Note that dogs are not permitted in this park.
From the parking area, take the paved trail down and, at a junction, go left under Douglas-firs, grand firs, and oaks. At the next switchback, make a left on a gravel trail under a Douglas-fir, hemlock, and hazel canopy. Cross a footbridge and pass an oak tree. After a second footbridge, head up to the bent-to-the-ground Rainbow Tree, an Oregon white oak. Interpretive signs explain the ecosystem here. Ivy, blackberry, wood fern, and holly form the understory. At a junction, a spur leads down steps to a platform overlooking Heron Pond, an oxbow formed from Baker Creek. Search around quietly for geese, ducks, and great blue herons.
Next, ascend the hill from the junction. The trail heads up the top of the ridge after passing a couple of junctions and arrives at an overlook jutting out over the hillside and looking down to Baker Creek. Descend steeply to join the South Loop and reach pond level again. Enter a riparian zone with the creek running to the left. At a junction, make a left on the Pond Loop. Cross a boardwalk and pass over old drainpipes used to drain the pond. At a junction, turn left on a spur to the creek. Make a left and and then another left to do the North Loop, with several spurs leading to the creek. Hike under mossy yews, Douglas-firs, hawthorns and willows. Complete the loop and head back to the junction, where you should make a left. Pass a remnant orchard of apples, plums, and cherries, and then take a boardwalk over a wetland. At a junction at the foot of a rise, go left to dark Shadow Pond, which is rimmed by cattails. To the right is an amphitheater. From here, the paved trail makes a traverse above Heron Pond (keeping right at a junction) before switchbacking up to the left and to parking.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- No dogs permitted
- Restrooms, interpretive signs
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Tice Woods Loop Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Tice Woods Loop Hike
- NEED HELP! TRails and Hikes NEAR Mcminnville Oregon
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- none
More Links
- Rotary Nature Preserve at Tice Woods (City of McMinnville)
- Tice Woods Rotary Nature Preserve Park (Part 1) (OutdoorBrew)
- Tice Woods Rotary Nature Preserve Park (Part 2) (OutdoorBrew)
Page Contributors
- bobcat (creator)