A Beautiful Return to a Place Full of Nature and History…read more Both my wife and I had visited this spot before when we lived in the area, so with a little time to spare before lunch nearby, we decided to revisit it with her son and daughter-in-law. Nestled on a forested butte just east of the University of Oregon in Eugene, this area is absolutely stunning. The rhododendron garden is especially beautiful, offering a peaceful and scenic escape that feels tucked away from the city. Beyond its natural beauty, the area is steeped in history. One of the most notable connections is to Steve Prefontaine--a legendary runner and seven-time NCAA champion for Oregon. He trained in and around Hendricks Park and tragically passed away in a car accident on a winding road just below the park. His legacy lives on not only in the running world but also in the early success of Nike, where he became the brand's first sponsored athlete and helped elevate it to global prominence. Whether you're a nature lover, a history buff, or just looking for a quiet place to explore, this area is well worth a visit.

Hendricks Park is one of those places that I knew was around town, but never visited until after I…read moremoved away and came back to visit. I grew up in the Cal Young area or Santa Clara, so I wasn't very often in this part of town and though Eugene isn't a huge city, you can easily not hit other areas of town. Hendricks Park is the oldest park in the city. It's mostly known as a rhododendron garden, but it has native plants as well. There are trails throughout for you to explore the place. It's really peaceful and beautiful when the weather is nice, and you'll forget you're in the city.

Bohemia Park is a great space for getting together with family and friends, for walking and for…read moremusic. Several years ago we had a Hills family reunion breakfast at one of the parks nice picnic structures. The ample parking was close to the picnic area so it was easy to set up our breakfast. Everything within the grounds of the park are wonderfully maintained, and provided a very pleasant outdoor space. The park is also located conveniently to town, the Coast Fork Food Stand, and the Mining Museum. Go have a fun day in Cottage Grove!

This park is beautiful. It is a wonderful addition to Cottage Grove. The fountain and the…read moreamphitheater are amazing. I love coming here for concerts during the summer. It is so nice to sit outside and eat food from a local food truck and listen to local bands. The play structure is so unique and fun. All of the kids in my life love coming here. The bathrooms are incredibly clean and nice. The park is really amazing. I hope the town can keep it this way. Pick up your trash and don't vandalize.

I love this park! 25 minutes outside of Eugene sits Dexter State Park. You can swim, boat, kayak,…read morepicnic, and play disc golf here! This is a day use park and there's a boat ramp in the lower parking lot. Speaking of parking lots there is a ton of parking space. You can bring your leashes pups here, heck bring the whole family! Big open fields, tall trees and picnic tables makes this place perfect for an afternoon in the sun. You can swim here but there are only a couple spots where you can access the water and they are a bit rocky. They have bathrooms here and there's a little trail that walks around one side of the reservoir. Sometimes I miss the turn from the main road but just remember when you're coming from Eugene it's right after Elijah Bristow State Park.

This park is located about 20 minutes south east of Eugene, Oregon in Dexter, OR. The park has…read morebeautiful coniferous and deciduous trees, a large dog run, hiking, biking and horse riding trails. There js a parking area for equestrian trailers and an area to saddle horses. There are several trails of varying lengths around the marsh and streams running off the Willamette river. There are wheelchair accessible picnic areas and bathrooms. Some of the trails look even and compact enough for wheelchairs but we didn't venture down any this time. I would definitely come back here again for some trail walking, biking, fishing and wildlife watching. There are heron and turtle here.

It is close to home and Mary's River Runs Through It! There are some smallmouth bass and crawdads…read morein the river! Nice park nice trails and the Rose Garden! Lots of places for picnics and a playground for the kids! Great place to spend time with your family!

Highway 20? Not a whole lotta rest stops. Corvallis? Not so much either. But right off the freeway…read moreis Avery Park--an enormous grassy area with roses and fields and speed bumps...and a Honey Bucket. No. 1 jumps out of the car and runs for it. Nos. 2-7 meander out and into the humid park air. No. 1 returns, and No. 2 heads for the Bucket. Then No. 3. Nos. 4-7 stare at each other with icky faces, and when all have returned with Purelled hands, we stand in a circle next to one of the cars. Quiet. Awkward. We jump from face to face and then stare at our shoes. The other car, with its door open, and we listen to Stevie Nicks. A tan and perky lady walks by...she's inevitably going to share the germ-invested fate of 1-3. "How's the Honey Bucket?" she asks, and laughs. "Well," says No. 4, "it's always better with Fleetwood Mac."

There was no way we were coming to Tracktown and not going for a run. Of course, in my dreams it…read morewould have been in Hayward Field but I'm not a track star (that's my son). I'm a distance runner so outdoor on a gorgeous trail suits me perfectly! I knew I wanted to hit Pre's Trail and now I wish we'd gone more than once. This was such a lovely loop, I could have easily done it 3-4x. The longest distance is 4 miles. If you're a marathoner one loop isn't going to cut it for a majority of your needs but it's really nice out here. The trees were all changing colors, we spotted some gorgeous birds and I LOVE birds. It made my entire morning and I'm glad I got to experience it with my bestie. I've been cycling 300+ miles a week lately and it really felt good to get out of the saddle and move my legs in a different way. It's almost marathon training time for me, so getting out on Pre's Trail helped jump start my transition into incorporating my running back into my daily routine. If I lived nearby I'd be here daily for walks and runs. Beautiful park.

First time visiting Alton Baker Park. I went this morning and it was empty with few people here…read more Lots of parking and picnic areas. The ponds are so cute! I love the structure of the bridge and the galaxy themed park. Very clean and walkable. Dog friendly with a large field. Dog park at the end by the native plant nursery by the duck stadium.

Great park for the kids! I love that it's enclosed. We were out of town and the kids desperately…read moreneeded to burn some energy and this was a great place to do so. Lots of shade for resting. My kids had an absolute blast at this park.

Really fun park for little ones. We are out of towners visiting family, and always looking for…read moresomething fun to do with the kids. Built by donors and run by volunteers. It has a castle and rocket motifs, with lots of different levels and activities. The only catch is that it is located on the grounds of an elementary school (fenced, but still,) so is only available outside of school hours.

Peaceful little park situated next to a wooded river bank. Stage for a live performer on a…read moreWednesday afternoon added plesant music to the scene. Families enjoying their time. I'd definitely come again. It's within walking distance of shops and restaurants in Albany, and near the carousel museum. This would make for a pleasant afternoon.

This is by far one of best parks in the city of albany, linn county, and perhaps the state of…read moreoregon. having such beautiful river front property to be dedicated to so many summer events like art and music festivals is very nice. best of all, the events are free! the dave clark trail is a plus that gives access to a good stretch of the river front. dave clark was the previous parks director who acquired and developed the land the park is on and has always been so beautifully maintained. enjoy this park as much as you can!

Beware! Linn Co. Parks is now charging $9 per day to park. There's a $75 annual option, but that's…read morenot available at the park itself.

Visited for one night Oct 2025. Nice park. Loop B closed for the season. Few people here which is a…read moregood thing as spots are closer together than I like. But my biggest issue was the deep rumbling noise at night starting around 3am. Haven't a clue what in the area would make that noise but haven't been able to fall back to sleep. Early Monday crew working?

I found myself in Albany for work, however I was a little early for the job, so I set out to find a…read morequiet place to stretch my legs. I was blown away that this little slice of nature used to be an industrial site and still has activity along the rail tracks, but you'd never know it. It's very peaceful with many types of birds, both air and water borne. I saw several other people in the parking area, but the nature area is so large that you don't see anyone else while walking around. Nice job Albany, I'll put this on my list of places to revisit when I need some respite from the city.

So I've walked here quite a bit with my wife when it was first put in but heard recently that this…read moreplace isn't anymore. at one time this place was pretty nice place till they stopped taking care of the place as in the city of Albany. The other thing that I've seen as they were even taking care of place you had to go with somebody cause of all transients who moved around the outside this place and made it there homes. So I'd call for info if you decide to make a trip and to take a look for your selves. Be safe and enjoy.