Eugene Travel Forum

How's the hiking in Eugene? Are there nearby mountains with trails? Are there lakes? Is it all like the Sierras?

I went to a Dead concert there and can't remember any mountains. There are some great dunes in Florence on the coast.

As far as I know there is plenty of hiking etc around Eugene since you are at the bottom end of the valley and are nestled between the Cascades and the Coastal ranges. There is the McKenzie River that runs into Eugene and there is lots of hiking places along there and the back regions there. Very beautiful area.

My stomping grounds!

You need one wonderful book called "100 hikes in the Central Oregon Cascades" by William Sullivan. You should be able to find it at any Eugene bookstore. I'm going to name off my favorite hikes in the area

Mt. June
Mt. Pisgah (in Howard Buford County Park)
Spencer's Butte
Mary's Peak - closer to Corvallis but a great view
Shotgun Creek

The lower portion of the McKenzie River trail should be open.

Email me with any questions. I lived in Eugene for the first 21 years of my life and was nicknamed "Granola Boy" in high school. There you go for credentials.

For lakes you will have to wait until the Summer. Then you can get up into the hight country around Waldo Lake and the Three Sisters. The mosquitos can be monsters in June and July. It's nothing like the Sierras. The Cascades are actively volcanic - that's the big difference.

No offence taken Dan.

100 Hike is a great book. There are so many hikes within 30 min drive.
My favorites...Fall Creek (although bad fire last year) and Brice Creek hikes.