Hiked the lower and upper Mossy Maple trail. The combine distance, round trip, was 5.95 miles and…read moreabout 825 elevation gain. Parking lot is new and large. Restroom facilities. There were 20 cars on the Friday morning we went In early June. We encountered one bike on the way up and five on the way down. Hats off to the trail crew, excellent condition except for 100-200 yards near the top where it was a little washed out but easily passable. The first 2 miles is a 5' - 6' wide gravel trail, easy for two people to walk side by side. The last mile up was a traditional narrow dirt trail. Trail markers easy to follow. Mountain bikes are permitted but only for the uphill portion of the trail. Bikers use separate trails when traveling downhill. At the "top" of the Upper Mossy Maple trail is a very limited overlook of the valley to the south. The top is a meadow, nowhere to sit and lacks shade. The trail ends at a service road which continues up to a nearby communications tower. What quickly catches your eye is a small grove of maple trees with moss hanging from their limbs. Hence, "Mossy Maple Trail." It took us, a middle aged couple, 70 min to get to the top with two stops to drink.

Do you want to find country close to the city? Thurston Hills natural area takes all the boxes:…read more Dog walkers (with LEASHED DOGS) Birders Hikers Gleaners This is a natural area adjacent to Quartz Park. There is another entrance to the north that connects with the hiking trail over the hills. However you can also just stay to Weyerhaeuser Rd. which is a lovely flat paved surface with some irregularity that might not make it a good fit for folks with mobility issues but Overall a path it will definitely comedy to strollers. The path wanders through still active grazing and agricultural land as well as old growth that was preserved from logging. Endless stretches of apple trees and lovely views of the hills within 10 minutes of downtown Springfield. Really can't beat it.

Gorgeous natural park just outside of Springfield, Oregon. Very established and maintained by the…read morecounty, there is a very large parking area, a boat launch and bathrooms that are maintained by an on-site, live-in caretaker. Plenty of swimming areas in the summer months and fishing is great here along the Mohawk River. This is definitely a must visit park when in the area!

Ivan Oakes Park (Campground) West Boundary Road, Lowell, OR…read more97452 43.8751° N, 122.6720° W. https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10132176 It is important to note first off that these campsites are not water-access friendly by early August. Lookout Point Lake begins being drawn down in June, and by our visit during the second week of August, the water level had dropped approximately 60 feet. See my photos--the difference is dramatic. Between the campground and the water was a large expanse of exposed rocky reservoir bottom and old tree stumps. There is no vehicle access from the campground to the water's edge, which means anything you take to the lake has to be carried down and, more importantly, back up. We are kayaking people, and this was our biggest disappointment. We arrived with two kayaks on the truck, but after seeing the distance and terrain involved, that's exactly where they stayed. Instead, we went to Lowell State Recreation Site, about 8.4 miles away, for easier water access. Something to seriously consider if kayaking, paddleboarding, or swimming is part of your reason for camping here during late summer. As a campground, though, we really enjoyed Ivan Oakes. This is primitive camping. Our site provided a picnic table, fire ring, level tent area, and enough parking for two vehicles. Potable water is available, along with vault-style restrooms without running water. The campsites are spaced far enough apart to give you some personal space while still being able to see or hear neighboring campers. During our stay, the campground had everyone from families with toddlers to older adults, and everyone around us was respectful. For me, the best part of Ivan Oakes was the setting. The trees are impressive. Some appeared well over 80 feet tall, creating a heavily wooded and shaded campground. Several campers even had hammocks stretched between them. Sitting around the fire surrounded by those trees really gives you the feeling that you are camping in the forest. There is one trade-off to that beautiful canopy. At night, the trees are so numerous that they block much of the sky from the campsites. If you want your night-sky fix, walk toward the lake where the view opens up considerably. At $20 a night, this is a very good value for a primitive campground. We would stay here again for the peaceful wooded setting and inexpensive camping--we would simply know ahead of time that during August, our kayaking would probably be done somewhere else. Beautiful campground, beautiful surroundings, and a good value. Just know what late-summer water levels mean before arriving with the kayaks.

850 N. Shore Drive, Lowell, OR 97452 43.9230° N, 122.7966° W…read more Located about 21 miles southeast of Eugene, or 17 miles from Springfield, Lowell State Recreation Site has become one of our favorite recreation spots in the area. For those coming from out of town who don't necessarily want to camp, its location also makes staying at a motel in Eugene or Springfield and making this a day trip very practical. Our first visit was July 3rd. The parking lot was busy, as you might expect going into the holiday, but we were still able to find parking. We liked the area enough that when we returned for several days in August, Wednesday through Sunday, we purchased the $60 annual pass rather than continuing to pay the $10 day-use fee. During our August visits, there was plenty of available parking. The recreation site is well maintained. The flushing restrooms were clean during our visits, and we observed friendly park employees greeting guests and answering questions. There are mature trees providing some welcome shade, open areas, a playground, and a few places to sit. There aren't enough shaded benches that I would depend upon finding one, however. We brought our folding camp chairs and found our own comfortable spot under the trees. For getting onto Dexter Reservoir, there are two concrete boat-launch lanes with floating docks. There is also a rocky shoreline area that works for launching kayaks. You can unload reasonably close to this area, but not directly at the water's edge, so be prepared to carry your kayak and equipment the remaining distance. See the photos for a better idea of the layout. For us, kayaking is what really made this location worth returning to. The reservoir is beautiful, with forested shoreline, surrounding hills and some wonderful views from the water. From Lowell, my map measurement put Dexter State Recreation Site at approximately 0.9 mile across the reservoir. Other destinations around the reservoir make it possible to do more than simply paddle around immediately in front of the boat ramp. We are novice kayakers and were able to paddle from Lowell to Dexter State Recreation Site and back without difficulty, even with some recreational boat traffic on the reservoir. Obviously, conditions can change with wind, weather and boat activity, so our experience shouldn't be taken as a guarantee of what another day will be like. And, for anyone wondering about the August water temperature away from shore: it's cool. I can personally verify that after flipping my kayak and unexpectedly going for a swim. Thankfully, I was wearing my life jacket. After visiting once in July and then returning for several days in August, we came away liking Lowell State Recreation Site even more. Clean facilities, plenty of parking during our visits, good water access, beautiful scenery and enough reservoir to explore that we haven't become bored with it. We bought the annual pass for a reason. We'll be back.

Nestled near the center of Black Canyon Campground, the day-use area [ 43.8055° N, 122.5650° W (or…read moreexact decimal coordinates 43.8055099, -122.5649710 OR-58, Oakridge, OR 97463] was one of those places that impressed us more than we expected. It is not a large recreation area, but what it does provide fits very naturally into the campground and surrounding forest. There is a modest-sized paved parking area surrounded by mature trees and dense vegetation, with picnic tables nearby and easy access to the river. For those bringing a kayak or canoe, there is a paved launch that slopes directly down to the water. We visited in late August, when the river was fairly low, so the photographs reflect late-summer conditions rather than what someone might find during the higher-water months. Even with the lower water, the launch itself appeared well maintained and provides a much easier approach than carrying a kayak down an unimproved riverbank. One thing paddlers should definitely pay attention to before launching is the information board. During our visit, an Oregon State Marine Board sign warned of a reported waterway obstruction in the area. There was also a handwritten hazard notice stating that about 1/2 mile downstream, much of the current flows toward a downed log, with instructions indicating an eddy to the left and a portage on the left. That is not the type of sign I would simply glance at and paddle past. River conditions and obstructions change, so check the posted information before putting a kayak or canoe into the water. The day-use area itself was clean and well maintained. The combination of the river, heavy forest canopy, shade, picnic tables and relatively small parking area gives it a quiet, tucked-away feeling rather than that of a large developed recreation site. The tall trees also help separate the area visually from the campground even though it is conveniently located within it. If you are already camping at Black Canyon Campground, I would consider this day-use area a real bonus. It gives you a convenient place to sit near the river, have lunch, or get a kayak or canoe into the water without having to leave the campground. For us, the setting was the standout: simple, shaded, well maintained and surrounded by the kind of dense Oregon forest that makes you want to stay awhile. Just make sure you read the river-hazard notices before deciding to paddle downstream.

I decided to drive outside of Eugene and explore this area with a friend a few months back and…read morerecently I went again last weekend. It's a nice drive out to Dorena Lake and this park is really easy to find. It sits right where Rat Creek enters the lake and has a large parking lot. When I went the boat launch was closed but it looks like you can do that here. I saw a few people fishing and the view itself is very pretty. The sparkling water with the trees surrounding it is really nice. Recently when I went there was a lot of broken glass scattered on the beach in all the areas I walked. I had my dogs with me and was a little nervous to hang out there for much longer. I definitely wouldn't want to be barefoot here and if you have kids, be careful. On a hot day it might be nice to come hang out here but if there's this much glass I would probably find somewhere else. There is normally a nice trail you can take around the lake but after the recent snow storm it's closed due to so much debris and fallen trees on the path. When it's all cleared out it will be great for walking and biking. It would be really nice to bring kayaks out here, there weren't any boats on the water when I went recently. There are bathrooms near the parking lot.

Right in the middle of downtown (near skinner's butte) lies a little climbing area known as the…read morecolumns. I came here with my rock climbing class a few years ago and was amazed that it stood there all the time and I never knew about it. The area has top rope anchors with mostly crack climbs. An excellent place to spend a sunny afternoon in Eugene!

The columns are part of the Skinner's Butte Recreation complex. It is a great place for people to…read moreget exposed to mountain climbing or repelling. Non-climbing visitors are treated to a nice view of west Eugene and exposure to Mother Nature's handy work at creating great rock formations. There isn't much for parking, but there is plenty of other ways to get there if you want to park at Skinner's Butte Park or at the summit. Then take a short walk to the columns.

We stopped off yesterday, actually to go to the rest stop adjacent to the park. The rest stop was a…read moretad dirty though, so we drove across to the park to stretch instead. The park is attached to the rest stop via a path...a pretty stretch of grass with a small stage (?). It has restrooms, although we didn't use them so I can't speak to their cleanliness. The rest of the park area looked slightly un-tended to, but not dirty. There's a play area and tennis court, as well as a few picnic tables and a decent amount of parking. The river runs along the back side, and there's a nice bridge across to continue on to a marked trail on the other side. Lovely river and bridge, beautiful trees all around...a nice setting really. The park looked like it needed a little tending to, but a decent place to stop off and stretch the legs.

OMG avoid the toilet near the parking lot. Avoid sitting downwind. A couple picnic tables are…read morenearby, but when the wind blows your way...yuck! Otherwise, it's a nice little park with plenty of grass, easy walking/hiking on a beginner all ages friendly path along the river and easy access to the clean, clear, green Willamette River for fishing. There's a bridge across the river, and some big rocks adjacent, for some relaxing river watching. Banners advertise summer concerts at the amphitheater. Also, this park is a good spot to wait for someone riding down Larison trail. Park is closed when dark.