Accessible Trails in Lane County Oregon

Lane County in the south Willamette Valley stretches from the cascade mountains to the coast. The coastal section of Lane County is covered in the Central Coastal region of Accessible Trails. Accessible trails in the Cascade mountain section of Lane County is covered in Willamette National Forest (Willamette N.F.).

Row River Trail

Directions:

Cottage Grove is located on I-5 about 20 miles south of Eugene.

Mosby Creek trailhead - Take north Cottage Grove Exit 175 and drive east on Row River Road. Go 1.1 miles, then turn right on the short Row River Connector. Turn left and drive 1.7 miles east on Mosby Creek Road to the trailhead.

Alternatively drive to the historic Dorena Covered Bridge to begin. After walking through the small village of Dorena, enter the paved Row River Trail alongside Dorena Reservoir

Features:

This rails-to-trails is a 15-mile paved path from the center of Cottage Grove east to beyond Dorena Lake. A shorter walk starts from the Dorena Covered Bridge about 15 miles east of Cottage Grove. The route goes through the village of Dorena, then onto the Row River trail alongside Dorena Reservoir, then retraces itself back to the covered bridge. A very beautiful trail with water, woods, and mountain scenery.

Other:

The Travels with Terry blog touts this as the best rail trail in Oregon. "The Mosby Creek trailhead may be the most attractive in the state, with volunteers living on-site year-round to keep flowers blooming, grass clipped and garbage picked up. Scenic Mosby covered bridge is near the trailhead, though it is used for vehicle traffic and is not part of the trail". (With more than twenty covered bridges, Lane County has more of these scenic spans than any other county west of the Appalachians.)

Also see American Trails Website for information about this trail, including their map. Two more links on this trail with photos and map include Travels with a Muse blog and Cottage Grove.

Six of the covered bridges in Lane County are located in or around the City of Cottage Grove: Centennial Bridge, Chambers Railroad Bridge, Currin Bridge, Dorena Bridge, Mosby Creek Bridge and Stewart Bridge.  See the Lane County Covered Bridge web page. 

Ruth Bascom Riverbank Trail System
Willimette River Recreation Corridor

Directions:

From I-5 to exit 194b (I-105 west), then take second exit marked #1 Delta Hwy/Santa Clara - Junction City. Merge to the right lane and take the 1st exit to Valley River Center. Get into the left lane as you are coming over the overpass. At the bottom of the overpass there is a four-way lighted intersection: turn left onto Valley River Way. Follow to the end, on the left you will see the Valley River Inn, a good place to start on the north part of the trail system.

Features:

The cities of Eugene and Springfield have always been leaders in developing trail systems. Now the Willamette River Recreation Corridor has over 100 miles of paths and wheelchair accessible, multi-use trails bordering the Willamette River and connecting to Springfield's 29 miles of dedicated bike routes. This trail system includes the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Trail in Eugene. Begun in the 1970s, the trail system follows the Willamette River from the west edge of Springfield to northwest Eugene. Spurs lead to downtown Eugene and the University of Oregon. Five bike/pedestrian bridges span the river.

Photo below is the trail through Owen Rose Garden on the South Bank trail.

See the trail map of the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Trail System - there are many starting points and possible options to create your own trip. Some possibilities:

Riverwalk - This 6.2 mile loop follows both sides of the Willamette River on paved trails. Starting at the Valley River Inn, close to the Valley River Center, the route crosses the Greenway Footbridge to follow the rushing river north to the Owosso Footbridge, crossing it to return past the Delta Ponds to the start point.

More options - There are various entry points along both sides of the river from the Ferry Street Bridge heading east. Loops are available since there are 2 bridges on the eastern 2 miles of the path, and certain sections have distances marked off for deciding how far you want to travel. The Valley River Center mall is accessible on the north edge of the river next to the Greenway Bike bridge, while downtown is less than a mile south of the south edge of the trails adjacent to the Ferry Street Bridge. See Eugene Parks.

Delta Ponds - From the Valley River Center, drive north on Good pastures land road to the parking area. For a longer trip, leave directly from the Valley River Inn, close to the Valley River Center and head north to the Delta Ponds on the North Bank Trail.

Alton Baker Park - near Autzen Stadium (a good place to start except when the University of Oregon Duck football team is playing).

The Eastgate Woodlands - a greenway along the Willamette River at the eastern-most end of the Whilamut Natural Area of Alton Baker Park connecting the communities of Eugene and Springfield. Click here for More Info and Maps.

Dorris Ranch

Directions:

Dorris Ranch is located two miles east of Interstate 5 at the intersection of South 2nd and Dorris Streets, in Springfield, Oregon. From Pioneer Parkway West in Springfield, go south past Main Street and South A Street. Pioneer Parkway West becomes South 2nd Street. Continue south to the intersecton with Dorris Street. Go straight ahead on the gravel road to the Ranch.

Features:

The 250-acre Dorris Ranch is a living history farm and working nut ranch. The land that isn't in orchards includes a riverfront forest and a frog-filled wetland. A flat, wheelchair-accessible trail makes a scenic two-mile loop that begins at the entrance barn, goes past several orchards, historic structures, an open meadow - where plays and musical events are performed - and through an old growth forest bordering the river. At a river overlook beaver activity is often evident. See self tour page.

Stewart Pond Park

Directions:

Stewart Pond Park in west Eugene is located on Stewart Road (1 block north of West 11th Ave.) between Bertelsen Road and Bailey Hill Road.

Features:

Wheelchair accessible trails and boardwalks in the Stewart Woods area of the west Eugene
wetlands. The Bureau of Land Management utilized Northwest Youth Corps workers to construct
wheelchair-accessible trails northeast of the Stewart Pond area, just east of Bertlesen Road.

A great wildlife viewing opportunity exists at Stewart Pond from a viewing platform along Stewart Road or a viewing shelter on the edge of the pond.  An abundance of waterfowl, shorebirds and wading birds are commonly present. See West Eugene Wetlands Website.

Fern Ridge Path

Directions:

Fern Ridge Path starts near the county fairgrounds at 15th Avenue and Jefferson Street in Eugene. Checkermallow Access, on Royal a half-mile east of Greenhill, is another good launch point.

Features:

Take Fern Ridge Path over Amazon Creek and the West Eugene Wetlands prairie.The paved, 7.5-mile (one-way) Fern Ridge Path starts near the county fairgrounds. It follows Amazon Creek to Royal Avenue, then jogs south a half-mile along Greenhill Road to end at the new Meadowlark Prairie Overlook, a good destination or starting point with its shaded picnic tables and restrooms.

Checkermallow Access, on Royal a half-mile east of Greenhill, is a shorter network of paved paths and soft, bark-chip hiking trails follow the creek's upper end in south Eugene. Call the Bureau of Land Management in Eugene for wetlands trail maps (free; 541/683-6600).

Fern Ridge Lake

Directions:

Located about 5 mi W of Eugene on both sides of Hwy 126. 541-935-2591.

Features:

Condition of accessible trails near lake (reservoir) and wetlands not known at this time. According to Access Oregon, there are many useable sites for hunting/viewing game birds and waterfowl. Gated roads have wheelchair space. Boating access and hiking trails. Get maps and bird lists at wildlife area headquarters. Also see this Website for more information.

Amazon Trail

Directions:

South Eugene, located next to Roosevelt Middle School and bordered by Amazon Parkway and Hilyard Street. Parking is available at the corner of 24th and Amazon Parkway.

Features:

There's a 600-meter, 1,000-meter loop and 1-mile loop, all configured in a figure eight with a grove of trees in the middle and the Amazon River on one edge. All the local track legends workout here, sharing it with a wide mix of walkers and joggers of all ages. The loop is entirely flat, but the wood chip surface is soft which may present a problem for some wheelchair users.

Mount Pisgah

Directions:

33735 Seavy Lp Rd in Eugene. Take Exit 189 in south Eugene to the 30th Avenue overpass (southbound traffic will need to parallel the freeway one mile to the overpass). On the east side of the freeway at 30th Avenue, go north 0.2 miles, turn east on Franklin for 0.4 miles, then go east again on Seavy Loop Road two miles to the Mount Pisgah Arboretum. (Just follow signs to Howard Buford Recreation Area.) The trail starts at the parking lot's upper loop.

Features:

A 210 acre arboretum located on the west side of Mount Pisgah containing a variety of plant communities with well-maintained nature trails. One mile of the trails is graveled, level trails touted as "reasonably accessible" to wheelchair users. However, other descriptions I found say that the hike is 1-1/2 miles and gains 1,000 feet so it might require some assistance. Mount Pisgah is part of the Howard Buford Recreation Area.

Howard Buford Recreation Area

Directions:

The HBRA is is located seven miles SE of the Eugene/Springfield area, east of I-5 and north of Hwy 58.

The main entrance and the North and Main Trailheads are accessible off Seavy Loop Dr. off Franklin Dr. off the 30th Ave exit of I-5. This route is well signed. The East Trailhead is off of Ridgeway Rd., north off Hwy 58 in west Pleasant Hill.

You have to pay to park in a large parking lot (annual passes available).

Features:

Buford Park, the largest of Lane County's parks, has good access to swimming holes on the Middle Fork Willamette River. To get there, Hike along wheelchair accessible trails upstream. Note: These trails are not verified for accessibility yet nor are there more details.