Yesterday I had the very fortunate experience of being invited to participate in a group tour (hike & luncheon) of the Yakona Nature Preserve in Newport, Oregon. Visionary residents JoAnn and Bill Barton have dedicated their personal resources to re-establish and preserve this beautiful 341 acre Spruce forest on a 400 acre peninsula that is surrounded by sloughs and mud flats of Yaquina Bay.

The Barton’s have created 5 miles of walking trails and infrastructure that the public can access on foot beyond a gated entrance. Vehicles and mountain bikes are not allowed. Dogs are allowed on leash. Originally the Yakona Nature Preserve was open completely to the public but disrespectful misbehavior caused the need for a locked gate to restrict the amount of access. Visiting the site requires quite a long hike on a gravel road to get to the trail heads and features on the property. Because this was a guided tour by the property owner, we were allowed to skip the initial walk and drive into an inner parking area to take the tour and hike 4+miles of the carefully placed trails.

The site has amazing views and one of the coolest cedar lined outhouses I’ve ever seen. There is also a unique memorial to a beloved community member and a wooden bridge that mics Newport’s Yaquina Bay Bridge. I’ve included pics in this post. The preserve has a paid Executive Director who has a fundraising and education background. Future plans include a classroom for K-12 education programs that marry art and science. For more information check out their website at: yakonaoregon.org.

Enjoy my pics! #iluvtowalk #yakonanaturepreserve #oregoncoast #perspectivesfrommytrail