Trail Running in Miller Woods Conservation Area

Last year I wrote about Trail Running in Oregon's Wine Country. Since then, I've had more experience running, and writing. I wanted to revisit my favorite places (check out Chehalem Ridge here), and add a few new discoveries to the list. Miller Woods Conservation Area, in Yamhill County, is an old favorite of mine.

(Check out my interactive map of my favorite SW Portland trail runs here)

You'll mostly run through mossy forests, but there is also a wide open oak savannah with a pond.

Miller Woods at-a-glance

You can read on for more of my thoughts, but here are the fast facts on the Miller Woods Conservation Area.

• About 60 minutes from Portland - see Google Maps pin

  
  

• Trail map

  
  

• Trail Policies

  • No dogs, horses, or bicycles allowed anywhere in the park

  • Miller Woods asks for a $7 day pass donation for parking - you can pay onsite with cash, or pay online here.

  • There are flush toilets with sinks, but no drinking fountain to my knowledge.

    
    

• Official website

• I typically run the outer loop trail (in yellow on the map) which is about 4.5 miles with 600 feet elevation gain.

• All trails are either gravel or dirt - no pavement.

• Occasional cougar and bear sightings - no need to be afraid or have bear spray, just keep in mind when running solo around dusk.

The official Miller Woods Conservation Area trail map

Exploring Miller Woods

It's a smaller park, with only about 5 miles of trail. I like to run the outer loop. You'll start in an oak savannah by the parking lot, descend into the forest, climb to a viewpoint of the Willamette Valley, and end by a pond near the parking lot. There are some intense hills - nothing too steep, just a continuous slog uphill. It feels so good to reach the "summit" sign at the top and know it's all downhill from there!

The trails are all dirt and gravel, and gently graded. I've run here in both trail runners and street shoes. There are occasional warnings posted at the trailhead about cougar/bear sightings (as with most of my favorite trails). I've frequently seen deer and garter snakes.

This was taken at the edge of the oak savannah, about to enter the forested area.

Miller Woods is managed by the Yamhill Soil & Water Conservation District. The land was given to the District in 2004 by the Miller family, who owned the property since 1967. The ultimate goal of the park is to provide outdoor education, so you'll find several interpretive signs and a very unique feature I've never seen elsewhere: wildlife cover boards. These look almost like basement storm doors. They attract various critters, so lift one up and see what you find! (Spoiler alert - it's always snakes. I love snakes, but maybe don't participate in this activity if you don't like creepy crawlers). This link has a description of some species you might see.

The beginning of the trail, with some beautiful oak trees and interpretive signs.

Let's make a day of it!

Miller Woods is an hour away from Portland, or just 15 minutes from McMinnville. Like Chehalem Ridge, it's the perfect distance away to feel like you're away from city life, but still accessible on a summer weekday evening.

Here are some of my favorite local stops by Miller Woods:

• Mac Market in McMinnville (16 minutes away): I've only been once, and shared a pizza with my husband. Mac Market is a beautifully decorated food hall with a pizzeria, local grocery store, and coffee shop. It's the perfect way to end a trail running date (and it's not super busy, so you'll impress your date with your local knowledge).

• McMinnville Antiques Mall (14 minutes away): I love to wander an antique store, and this one is conveniently located right downtown - on the street awarded the "best Main Street in the West" in 2017.

• Union Block Coffee (15 minutes away): The promise of homemade bread for their avocado toast drew me here. It is also in the heart of downtown McMinnville and the bread really is amazing. The atmosphere is very cozy too.

• New to You Consignment (13 minutes away): I actually despise shopping for clothing, but I've had wonderful luck here. I try to shop secondhand (watching a documentary on fast fashion will do that to you) and New To You is one of the best secondhand clothing stores I've been to.

• UFO Fest (15 minutes away): I can't talk about McMinnville without mentioning their annual UFO Fest! I went in 2025 and had a great time people watching. The costumes are incredible! You can find the current information here, but it is usually the second weekend in May.

My ideal McMinnville day would be a trail run at Miller Woods, a coffee and avocado toast at Union Block, then walking through the UFO Fest in downtown.

Thanks for reading!

I'll end with my new tradition of sharing my favorite one star Google Review. Byron Watson, a local guide with over 800 reviews, says, "It is what it is. You will figure out why its a 1 star qhen you get there."

Well you heard it straight from Byron! Get over to Miller Woods and see for yourself!