Auto-Free (or Almost Auto-Free!) Summer Adventures
Explore Nearby Nature
Concerned that the high price of gas is going to limit your family’s fun this summer? Wondering if there are any adventures close to home (or accessible by bus) that would help satisfy your wanderlust? If you answered YES, then read on. Regardless of whether you stay at home full time, spend all week in the office, go to school, wait tables, or work the night shift, you can find a way to get your family outside. And you don’t need a car, lots of money, or even tons of time to have a great adventure. A wonderful array of hiking, biking, floating, and tasting adventures are within easy reach of families in Eugene-Springfield. Check out the ideas below!
Bus or Bike to the Ridgeline Trail
For families that like to hike, exploring the Ridgeline Trail, even if you have done so many times before, can be an auto-free adventure if you give it a little twist. Take LTD’s Hilyard Bus #28 (leaves every 30 minutes from downtown Eugene, 6 am-10 pm) to Martin Street at the end of West Amazon Parkway (ltd.org). The Ridgeline trailhead here can be accessed by taking a right off Martin Street onto Canyon Drive. (Make sure to be respectful of the neighbors along this tiny street.) Bikers can ride south on West Amazon Drive, go left onto Martin Street, and lock their bikes near Frank Kinney Park playground. After a quick playtime break at this sweet little park, walk southeast on Martin Street to Canyon Drive and the trailhead. The coolest thing about this part of the Ridgeline Trail is that it is literally cool in the summer! Your adventure can be a simple mile long wander up the shady canyon to another Ridgeline trailhead off Fox Hollow Road, or an even longer tour if you connect to the other trail at the top and explore further east through the woods. For a complete map of the Ridgeline Trail see eugene-or.gov/324/Park-and-Trail-Maps.Bike the Willamette River Greenway
Our community’s wonderful web of bike paths can also provide hours of auto-free entertainment on a hot summer day in both Eugene and Springfield. Excellent bicycle maps of both cities show the area’s paved paths as well as recommended safe street routes to get to Greenway paths. You can find printed copies of these maps at local libraries and bike shops, or online at eugene-or.gov/1849/Bike-Maps. Be extra careful to make sure your kids stay to the right on bike paths as e-bikers/e-scooters often move very quickly these days. Also be sure to bring your water shoes for wading at shallow spots and take breaks at the play parks along the way!Float in Alton Baker Park
On an extra hot day, and for more water-themed fun, you can cool off by tube-floating/canoeing/paddleboarding in the Alton Baker Park Canoe Canal, right in the center of Eugene. This adventure will require a drive, but not a far one, and you’re sure to see great blue herons, osprey, ducks, dragonflies, and more! This summer, you will need to put in from the parking lot outside the Eugene Science Center because the former boat launch parking lot near the park’s off leash dog area is under re-construction. Before or after your float, make time for a fun visit to the Eugene Science Center!Get Down to the Farm
There’s nothing more fun than picking summer-ripe strawberries or blueberries, or any number of other tasty fruits and veggies grown by nearby farmers. Support local growers, enjoy an outdoor adventure, and get some of your shopping done by visiting a local farm. You will need to drive to these farms, but they’re not far! You can read about farms that specifically welcome families at eugenecascadescoast.org/blog/post/family-friendly-farms. Of course, you can also “visit” many of these farms by simply going to a local Farmer’s Market. There are so many nearby! Check them out at eugenecascadescoast.org/blog/post/market-season-upon-us.Hike the McKenzie River
Extra ambitious families that want to have an out-of-town adventure, but don’t want to drive can get to the wonderful McKenzie River hiking trail by bus on LTD’s McKenzie Bridge Bus #91 from downtown Eugene! The bus leaves for the McKenzie River Ranger Station at 8:20 am weekdays (8:30 am weekends) and leaves the Ranger Station to head home at 3:58 pm or 7:16 pm weekdays (6:01 pm weekends). Ask for directions to the trail at the Ranger Station or find it across the highway from the parking lot’s west entrance, down an unsigned but obvious trail to the riverbank. See ltd.org to confirm bus trip times and learn more about the Trail at mckenzierivertrail.com.By Beth Stein