Hopefully going to be up that way June for the NCAA track and field championships. Anyone from that way or have any insights on other things to check out while there, places to eat, etc..

Thanks

Most of my time that way has been spent outside the city. But I enjoyed my time in Eugene.

Eugene has a nice downtown area to walk around. The Market district with 5th Street Public market is nice. Jade Dumpling and Noodle house is a good spot for Chinese.

Claim 52 and Cold Fire are two top tier breweries.

Crater Lake is about 2 hours away. The drive through Umpqua is beautiful and there are several waterfalls in the area (National Creek Falls, Watson Falls, Toketee Falls).

To the West you've also got Cape Perpetua Scenic Area and Heceta Head and Kentucky Falls. Oregon is so beautiful.

drred4 said:

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Hopefully going to be up that way June for the NCAA track and field championships. Anyone from that way or have any insights on other things to check out while there, places to eat, etc..

Thanks

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Take a fly rod and fish the Umpqua if you are into that. It is a really beautiful river in the areas that haven't been hit by fires recently. I 2nd the recommendation of going to Watson and Toketee Falls. Both are really beautiful with relatively short hikes to get to them. If you are interested in doing more outside of Eugene as part of the trip, Umpqua's Last Resort is a cool place to stay right on the river with really well setup glamping tents and cabins.

Dee Wright Observatory....volcanic lava field....a must see if you have time!

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To the West you've also got Cape Perpetua Scenic Area and Heceta Head and Kentucky Falls. Oregon is so beautiful.

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You can also hit up Sweet Creek Falls near Mapleton for a short hike on the way to the coast, The Heceta head lighthouse, Thor's Well, Devil's Churn, and Sea Lion Caves are also doable in a day trip from Eugene.

I lived in Eugene from 2020 to 2025 and will say that while the Saturday market and 5th Street Markets are pretty cool, downtown does get more than a bit sketchy after dark so keep that in mind. Some of the "unhoused" and fentanyl enthusiasts keep that area exciting.

Buddy's Diner on Coburg Road and Mandy's Family Restaurant just south of the University are great breakfast/lunch spots, Tracktown Pizza is also great and is has a location right by campus on Franklin.

It's about an hour southeast of the there in the mountains, but Salt Creek Falls is the second highest waterfall in the state (second to Multnomah Falls) and is gorgeous. On the way back hit up the Dexter Lake Club in Dexter (by the lake) as it is famous for the Otis Day scene in Animal House and actually has pretty decent food.

Also, heads up that hotels and short-term rentals will be pricey during that event. A realtor friend was getting $600+ daily for an AirBnB that was renting for half of that during football game weekends. You may end up looking as far away as Corvallis for something within an hour's drive.

We booked a AbnB in Creswell or just outside of town to the east. Yes they are pricey. Not that much a day though. we might have some mornings to go run check out some things otherwise we will be at the track mid afternoon till the events end each evening. Thanks for the info about downtown. I think they run shuttles from Autzen Stadium to Hayward Field as I guess not much parking there.

Thanks for all the information from everyone so far.

Creswell is a cool little town. I had temporary quarters in the RV park there right on the interstate the first 8 months I was in OR before the rest of the family came up.

Good to hear about the shuttle from Autzen, you could probably walk from there if you wanted to (not a short walk though), there is a nice set of trails from Autzen to Alton Baker Park to UO, maybe about 30 minutes to Hayward, but I would verify that with Google.

At least walk the bridge over the Willamette once while you are there. I spent a lot of time on that river.

Wow, can't believe I forgot about this place:

https://www.creswellbakery.com/home

Definitely grab some breakfast goodies there.

txags92 said:

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drred4 said:

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Hopefully going to be up that way June for the NCAA track and field championships. Anyone from that way or have any insights on other things to check out while there, places to eat, etc..

Thanks

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Take a fly rod and fish the Umpqua if you are into that. It is a really beautiful river in the areas that haven't been hit by fires recently. I 2nd the recommendation of going to Watson and Toketee Falls. Both are really beautiful with relatively short hikes to get to them. If you are interested in doing more outside of Eugene as part of the trip, Umpqua's Last Resort is a cool place to stay right on the river with really well setup glamping tents and cabins.

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Umpqua is down near Roseburg though. Over an hour away just to get to the highway.

McKenzie is what's near Eugene. Right at an hour from Eugene is Tamolitch Blue Pool (source of the McK river) and the McK River Trail System (including Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls). We take first timers there whenever we're driving to Bend from PDX. Pretty special place.

RangerRick9211 said:

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txags92 said:

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drred4 said:

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Hopefully going to be up that way June for the NCAA track and field championships. Anyone from that way or have any insights on other things to check out while there, places to eat, etc..

Thanks

---

Take a fly rod and fish the Umpqua if you are into that. It is a really beautiful river in the areas that haven't been hit by fires recently. I 2nd the recommendation of going to Watson and Toketee Falls. Both are really beautiful with relatively short hikes to get to them. If you are interested in doing more outside of Eugene as part of the trip, Umpqua's Last Resort is a cool place to stay right on the river with really well setup glamping tents and cabins.

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Umpqua is down near Roseburg though. Over an hour away just to get to the highway.

McKenzie is what's near Eugene. Right at an hour from Eugene is Tamolitch Blue Pool (source of the McK river) and the McK River Trail System (including Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls). We take first timers there whenever we're driving to Bend from PDX. Pretty special place.

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Yeah, that is my bad. We had driven down from Portland and stopped at the REI in Eugene on the way and I had switched Eugene and Roseburg in my mind. Great call on Tamolitch Blue Pool too. We stopped there on our way from Bend over to the coast and it was a cool hike and beautiful scenery. I have a picture from the trail to the pool hanging on the wall in my office. I turn around and look at it when I want to remember what it feels like to be outdoors when it isn't 105F.

Thanks for all the info!

All good! Pretty photo!

Good friend lives in Eugene, he says the state is sending all the homeless to Eugene. Just something to be aware of...

https://www.reddit.com/r/Eugene/comments/1v9p3qw/eugene_oregon_is_number_1_in_the_country_for_most/

Eugene sends them to Springfield.

I was up there is summer. Spent time in Eugene/Springfield and Bend.

RangerRick9211 said:

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...Right at an hour from Eugene is Tamolitch Blue Pool (source of the McK river) and the McK River Trail System (including Sahalie Falls and Koosah Falls)...

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love the blue pool hike,
have hit that w/ sahalie/koosah twice (from Bend) in the last couple of years