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Eugene is a green, creative city in Oregon's southern Willamette Valley, set where the Willamette and McKenzie rivers meet beneath forested hills about an hour from the Pacific coast. The Kalapuya people lived in the valley for thousands of years before Eugene Skinner built a cabin here in 1846, and the town that grew up around it was named for him. The University of Oregon opened in 1876, and since then Eugene has been a college town with a famously independent, outdoorsy and progressive spirit.
Today Eugene has about 180,000 residents and calls itself TrackTown USA. Legendary coach Bill Bowerman and runner Steve Prefontaine made the city the center of American distance running, and Bowerman co-founded Nike here, where the first waffle-soled shoes were made. The rebuilt Hayward Field at the University of Oregon is one of the world's finest track and field stadiums and hosted the World Athletics Championships in 2022. The Oregon Ducks' football games at Autzen Stadium are among the loudest in college sports.
Nature lovers will find miles of riverside paths and trails. Alton Baker Park and the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path System line both banks of the Willamette, Skinner Butte offers views over downtown, and Spencer Butte is a popular hike to the city's highest point. The Saturday Market, one of the oldest weekly open-air crafts markets in the country, fills downtown with artisans and food, and the Fifth Street Public Market, the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural and Cultural History and the Mount Pisgah Arboretum round out a visit. Wineries of the Willamette Valley and the McKenzie River are close by.
The University of Oregon's track and field stadium, rebuilt in 2020 with a striking curved roof and a tower honoring Bill Bowerman. Eugene calls itself TrackTown USA, and the stadium hosted the 2022 World Athletics Championships. Check for meets, and see the statues outside.
Home of Oregon Ducks football since 1967, known as one of the loudest stadiums in college football despite seating about 54,000 fans. Game days fill Eugene with green and yellow. Walk across the river from campus via the footbridge, as parking near the stadium is limited.
A leafy campus east of downtown with historic brick buildings, the Knight Library, the Pioneer statues and many old trees, home to the Ducks. It is a pleasant place to walk, and the campus museums are free or low cost. Visitor parking is metered, so use the garages on Franklin Boulevard.
The oldest weekly open-air crafts market in the US, running since 1970 in the downtown Park Blocks, with handmade pottery, jewelry, tie-dye clothing, food booths and live music. It is held on Saturdays from April to mid-November, with the Holiday Market indoors in winter.
A converted mill building around a courtyard with a fountain, holding locally owned shops, restaurants, a bakery and a market hall, next to the Inn at the 5th hotel. It is a pleasant place for lunch and a browse. The surrounding Fifth Street area has more cafes and wine bars.
A small hill just north of downtown named for city founder Eugene Skinner, with a road and short trails to the top for views over the city, the Willamette River and the Cascades. The basalt columns on its west side are a popular rock climbing spot. Sunset is the best time to go.
The highest point near Eugene at 2,058 feet, reached by a forested trail of about 1.7 miles round trip from the Spencer Butte Park trailhead. The bare rocky summit has 360-degree views of the Cascades, Willamette Valley and Coast Range. Wear sturdy shoes; the final scramble is rocky.
Eugene's largest developed city park, along the Willamette River across from downtown, with Pre's Trail, a famous bark-chip running path named after runner Steve Prefontaine, plus a canoe canal, gardens and footbridges. It links to the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path System.
A free riverside garden in the Whiteaker neighborhood with more than 4,500 rose plants and a historic cherry tree said to be one of the oldest in Oregon. It sits on the Willamette River path, so you can walk or bike in. Peak blooms come in June, when the garden is at its most fragrant.
A 209-acre arboretum at the foot of Mount Pisgah southeast of Eugene, with seven miles of trails through oak savanna, conifer forest and wildflower meadows along the Coast Fork of the Willamette River. The Mushroom Festival in October and Wildflower Festival in May are popular.
The University of Oregon's art museum, with one of the largest collections of Asian art in the Northwest plus American, European and contemporary works and changing exhibitions. Admission is free or low cost. It sits on campus near the Knight Library and has a quiet courtyard.
A University of Oregon museum showing 15,000 years of Oregon history, including the Fort Rock sandals, some of the oldest known shoes in the world, plus fossils, Native American cultures and Oregon's ancient landscapes. It is compact and easy to visit in about an hour.
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