Here ia a collection of pictures, in semirandom order and biased by where I have been roughly in the period 2020--2024. A few are on the University of Oregon campus, but essentially none are urban.
The spectacular Oregon coast is 60 miles west. It has large stretches of rocky coastline, and also large stretches of rocks mixed with sand. The town on the coast directly west of us is Florence, and the coast from a bit north of Florence to about 50 miles south of Florence is mostly sand dunes. The Oregon Cascades mountain range stretches from the southern to the northern boundary of the state, and contains many volcanic peaks. Here is a large picture (221K JPEG) of Mt. Jefferson, one of the Cascade volcanoes. part of the range to Eugene. It is 80 miles east, and contains three volcanoes over 10,000 feet high (the Three Sisters), along with many small lakes. Crater Lake National Park is about 150 miles southeast. There are pictures of the Three Sisters in this collection. The Three Sisters Wilderness in the Oregon Cascades is the closest Many other parts of the Cascades are also interesting. (Mt. Jefferson is north of the Three Sisters Wilderness.) In the summer many hiking trails are accessible, and in winter both cross country and downhill skiing are possible. The Columbia Gorge, with a number of waterfalls, is about 150 miles northeast, but many waterfalls are closer; see pictures in this collection. A bit further north is the remains of Mt. St. Helens, which blew its top off in 1980.
Winter road closures: The McKenzie Pass (a scenic pass about 100 miles east of Eugene), the Cascade Lakes Highway (a scenic drive just on the other side of the Cascades from Eugene), the north entrance to Crater Lake (which is much the most accessible entrance from Eugene), and the East Rim Drive in Crater Lake National Park, are all closed in winter. (The main visitor center at Crater Lake, on the rim of the crater, is usually accessible in winter, by a more indirect route.) These roads usually close sometime in November. The first three usually reopen sometime in June, and the East Rim Drive usually reopens somewhat later than the north entrance to Crater Lake. Exact opening and closing dates vary depending on weather and the amount of snow on the ground, and can be significantly earlier or later than those given here, so enquire before going.
The University of Oregon is located in Eugene, Oregon; here is a link to the City of Eugene home page. (As of 9 December 2024, go to the bottom of the page for information related to recreation.)
Last significant change 9 Dec. 2024.