Eugene Riverbank Loop Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Alton Baker Park Trailhead
- End Point: Owosso Bridge
- Hike Type: Loop
- Distance: 9.6 miles
- Elevation gain: 50 feet
- High Point: 415 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Seasons: All year
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: Yes
Contents |
Description
Ruth Bascom, Eugene’s first woman mayor, served in that office from 1993 to 1996. Part of her legacy is the Riverbank Trail System, a combination of four paved trails (North Bank Path, South Bank Path, West Bank Path, and East Bank Path) that link together along both sides of the Willamette River in Eugene. The loop described here takes in most of that system, following the river as it bends north, passing under road bridges but connecting to the opposite bank using several bicycle/pedestrian bridges. There are a series of parks on the south bank, highlighted by Skinner Butte Park. On the east bank, you’ll pass through the old gravel pits turned wetlands at Delta Ponds and also hike the north riverbank at Eugene’s largest developed park, Alton Baker Park.
This description begins at the Alton Baker Park Trailhead. From the parking area, walk out towards the Willamette River past covered picnic shelters. Turn left on the North Bank Path, and hike under tall cottonwoods. There’s a dirt path closer to the river that leads to a boat launch. From a four-way intersection north of the boat ramp, keep heading east. There’s an island in the river to your right, and another path leads left to the University of Oregon’s Autzen Stadium. Wind through a riparian forest of Douglas-fir, maple, and cottonwood. You’ll see a “talking stone”, Camafeema (meaning ferns on the ground in the Kalapuya language), to your left. Pass under the Frohnmayer Bridge, and then circle left to cross the bridge, from which you’ll get views up and down the river.
Keep straight when you reach the University of Oregon’s Riverfront Field, and then turn right on the South Bank Path. Cross a grassy expanse, and get a view ahead to Skinner Butte and the Ya-Po-Ah Terrace, the tallest building in central Eugene. Cross the gully formed by the Mill Race, and keep straight above the river where a new park is being created from an old industrial development. Pass by the River Edge Public Plaza at the Eugene Water & Electric Board, and then walk under the Peter DeFazio Pedestrian and Bike Bridge and the Ferry Street Bridge, which carries Coburg Road. An interpretive sign explains the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path System as you pass below the Campbell Community Center. There’s a dirt path on the bench below which parallels the paved trail. The forested slopes of Skinner Butte rise to your left as you hike past Cheshire Prairie under large, sprawling oaks. Walk below the Lamb Cottage, a city facility which can be rented, and reach the memorial to local soldiers who lost their lives in the Afghanistan and Iraq conflicts. Next, you’ll pass close to the Skinner Butte Park Trailhead. A path takes you left to a play area, restrooms, and the Skinner Cabin, a replica of Eugene Skinner’s original homestead.
The South Bank Path continues through parkland to pass under the I-105 Bridge and then skirt the Owen Rose Garden. First, sequoias and redwoods shade the trail, and then there are maples and oaks. The River House Community Center appears to your left, followed by a play area with restrooms and the Whiteaker Community Gardens.
As the river bends north, so will you on the West Bank Path. Maples blaze bright colors in the fall on this next section, where you’ll pass by the Greenway Bike Bridge, which gives direct access to the Valley River Center mall and cinemas on the north bank. Look for cormorants, gulls, and geese where a couple of small islands appear in the river. Pass through the grassy expanse of Rasor Park, and reach Stephens Drive. Walk north for less than one block, and pick up the path again. Pass a small filbert orchard, and then hike through more open space with cottonwoods crowding the river bank. Heron Slough stagnates to your left (Yes, look for herons and egrets here). Cross the slough mouth on a footbridge, where an interpretive sign explains habitat restoration to accommodate salmon spawning. The path reaches Copping Street at Maynard Park. Walk north on quiet Copping Street for about six blocks before taking up the path again where it turns off the road at a colorful fence displaying a squid and an octopus.
Make a right to cross the Owosso Bridge, getting views south to Mount Pisgah and the Whilamut Passage Bridge over I-5. Turn left on the East Bank Path to pass under the bridge, and pass by the sports fields of Marist Catholic High School. Cottonwoods and big-leaf maples rustle along the riverbank where you pass a riffle in the river. Soon, you’ll be walking past the lawns and picnic tables of a private condominium complex. Continue south to where the trail bends east to loop between two of the Delta Ponds.
This is a recovering natural area, formerly part of a channel that braided the Willamette to create Goodpasture Island. In the 1950s and 60s, the channel was mined for river rock, but it is now being restored to accommodate spawning Chinook, western pond turtles, and migratory songbirds. A beaver lodge rises from the pond to the north, and interpretive signs explain the wildlife and history. A raised walkway leads through thickets of Oregon ash, alder, willow, and red osier dogwood. Reach the Willamette River again, and pass the Greenway Bridge. The parking lots of the Valley River Center sprawl to your left with a narrow cottonwood bottomland between you and the river. Hike below the Sweetwater Restaurant to pass below the I-105 Bridge. Now the trail is jammed between I-105 and the river. Skinner Butte is visible across the water. Continue under the Ferry Street Bridge, and then pass under the DeFazio Pedestrian Bridge, a suspension span that heralds your entrance to Alton Baker Park. Cross a footbridge at a weir below a duck pond. To your left is a model of the Sun, the beginning of a planet walk. Keep going along the riverbank until you need to turn left to get back to your car.
See the Alton Baker Park Loop Hike for details about a walking loop in Eugene’s largest formal park.
Fees, Regulations, etc.
- Restrooms, picnic tables, play areas at various parks along the way
- Share trail with cyclists
- Dogs on leash
- Parks open 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
- Interpretive signs
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path System (Eugene Parks)
- Eugene Park and Trails Maps (Eugene Parks)
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Eugene Riverbank Loop Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Eugene Riverbank Loop Hike
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- Oregon Townscape Walks by Tyler Burgess
- Eugene Oregon Walks by Tyler Burgess
- Best Easy Day Hikes: Eugene, Oregon by Art Bernstein & Lynn Bernstein
- The Willamette River Field Guide by Travis Williams
- Off-Street Paved Bike Paths in Oregon by Rick Bronson
More Links
- Ruth Bascom Riverbank Trail System (Outdoor Project)
- Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path System (Willamette River Trail) (Eugene-Cascades-Coast)
- Ruth Bascom Riverbank Trail System (TrailLink)
- Alton Baker Park (Eugene Parks)
- Skinner Butte Park (Eugene Parks)
- Skinner Butte (Wikipedia)
- Skinner’s Butte History (Skinner’s Butte)
- Skinner’s Butte Log Cabin (Skinner’s Butte)
- Skinner Butte Park (Outdoor Project)
- Owen Rose Garden (Eugene Parks)
- Maurie Jacobs Park (Eugene Parks)
- Rasor Park (Eugene Parks)
- Delta Ponds (Eugene Parks)
- Delta Ponds (Outdoor Project)
Page Contributors
- bobcat (creator)