Activities
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Things to Do at Westminster Woods
Westminster Woods offers over 231 acres of forest, meadows, and maintained trails — along with fields, courts, and historic sites — providing guests with a wide range of outdoor activities and experiences. Whether you’re here for a wedding, a retreat, a family reunion, or a youth camp, there’s something for everyone.
Oregon Trail
The legacy of the Oregon Trail story still resonates through time and space, encompassing various qualities that represent our collective identity as Americans. Today, to walk the ruts of the Oregon Trail and experience many of the same smells, sights, and sounds as those who traveled the same path so long ago is a very powerful experience.
Westminster Woods includes several impressive examples of Oregon Trail ruts (swales) and a gravesite. By interpreting and signing the Oregon Trail features at Westminster Woods, we provide our guests with an opportunity to hike along the same path used so long ago and to experience similar smells, sights, and sounds as those who traveled the path as emigrants.
Hiking Trails
Over two miles of maintained trails criss-cross the Westminster Woods church camp property. Major trails connect the three primary meadow areas (Despain Field, the Play Field, and a natural meadow near the chapel and Oregon Trail ruts location) with buildings and other activity centers on the camp property.
Trails are mowed and maintained in the summer to allow easy access. Most of the major trails are marked with metal trail signs along their length. A large loop trail allows access to the far reaches of the property, including the Oregon Trail gravesite and Oregon Trail wagon ruts in the southwest corner. Shorter trails connect all of the major developments at Westminster Woods, including the dining/meeting hall with the amphitheater.
Some trails (such as the one from the kitchen to the amphitheater) are made of compacted gravel; other trails are more rustic, and the trail tread surface consists of wood chips.
Despain Field
Despain Field is a mowed grass field, and it is often used for softball or baseball, for throwing discs or a football, for kicking a soccer ball or setting up a volleyball or badminton net, for setting up a croquet course, and for other outdoor sports.
Since Despain Field is irrigated with a buried sprinkler system, it is maintained in a green condition, even during late summer. Although Despain Field is level, it is also used for summer water activities such as slip-and-slides. There is a baseball cage at the upper corner towards the chapel.
Despain Field is the closest field to the Chapel and Bathhouse, so it is a convenient setting for wedding receptions and other big outdoor events. Weddings are a popular use of Westminster Woods, and larger weddings (those larger than the 100 or so participants that can be accommodated by the Chapel) are often held on Despain Field.
Play Field
The Play Field is a large level area located in the upper meadow just beyond Despain Field. Water isn’t available on this field and even though it is dry, Westminster Woods keeps the field mowed.
The Play Field includes a fantastic regulation size volleyball court. The volleyball court was designed to mimic a beach type experience – the court contains almost 100 tons of soft, clean sand – but the sand must be spot-cleaned with strain-type scoops before use to remove the ‘presents’ left behind by elk at night.
Soccer goal cages and nets are available and there is plenty of room to plan other dry outdoor activities, including playing catch with a baseball or softball, or a rousing game of flag football.
For large weddings and other big outdoor events, the Play Field is often used for overflow parking, since there is a short trail leading from the Play Field to Despain Field.
Westminster Woods has soccer goal cages, a regulation-size volleyball net, discs, and a few other play supplies and equipment. For large groups, however, you should plan on bringing your own play equipment to ensure you’ll have what you need for the activities you plan on doing.
Ready to Plan Your Visit?
Open May 15 – October 15. The camp is available for rent to nonprofit groups, family gatherings, business meetings, weddings, and other special events. Everything is managed on a space-available basis, so reach out early to secure your dates.