9 acres of grass meadow, forested and scrub-shrub wetlands, forested uplands and meandering nature trails comprise Elk Meadows Park. Elk Meadows is a nature park for local residents and wildlife; a protected open space area within Manzanita’s urban growth boundary and an opportunity to work within our community to achieve planned park improvements.
The Elk Meadows Story
Aptly named after the park’s most frequent users, Elk Meadows Park became a protected open space in 2013. The Trust saw an opportunity to protect a 5 acre parcel of open space adjacent to Cedar Creek West in Bayside Gardens, and encouraged the city of Manzanita to apply for a grant from Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, with our support. The Trust donated 5 acres of wooded area adjacent to the park to increase the park’s footprint and to demonstrate our commitment to the project.
In 2013 the city of Manzanita was awarded funding for the acquisition as a nature park, and Elk Meadows Park was born. The Trust has partnered with the City of Manzanita to steward the property and maintain the trails into the future. Improvements include trail development, a boardwalk, landscaping, invasive plant removal, native plant establishment, and long term management planning. Go take a walk at Elk Meadows! Or come help us with stewardship of this wonderful gem.
In 2019, with the direction of Brandon Tigner, of Washington Trails Association and help from Trail Keepers of Oregon, Lower Nehalem Community Trust and volunteers made much progress on a loop trail at Elk Meadows including the heavy work of installing a wood boardwalk and box staircase. You can see photos of the work in progress, and the results, in the video below.
