As the school year draws to a close and finals are finally over, stress-relief is a high priority and that summertime mentality begins to set in. Some students will travel, some will return home to work and others will remain in Eugene for summer classes. Don’t worry, there’s a positive to sticking around campus for the summer. Eugene is in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, which means there are many outdoor summer adventures that await us.
Whether you prefer to camp, hike, kayak or mountain bike, Eugene has something to offer for everyone. Utilizing these natural resources can be difficult for someone without the equipment, but for a student, obtaining supplies is not hard thanks to the UO Outdoor Program on campus. The program will run throughout the summer and the “Barn” on the corner of East 18th and University has all the outdoor equipment imaginable for rent to the community.
Planning trips through the Outdoor Program allows a student to plan a trip, rent the gear and even rent vans. The Outdoor Program has many resources in and near Eugene and can offer a numerous amount of ideas on where to go for your next adventure. To become an “initiator” of a trip is easy; all one has to do is go into the office in the EMU and pin a trip to the trip-board, and take a two-hour initiator clinic. The destination of the mini-vacation is all up to you and the length of your stay is too. If you are participating in a trip, the cost of renting gear is a 50 percent off regular prices.
University of Oregon senior, Ariel Coleman, the service project coordinator at the UO Outdoor Program says that summer is the busiest time for student trips.
“There are probably three or four trips a week. There are so many hikes within 45 minutes of Eugene — where you can pretty much choose your own adventure, from one mile to many — backpacking, camping or whatever,” Coleman said.
Some of the popular outdoor adventures are right here in Eugene, such as Mt. Pisgah and Spencer’s Butte. About an hour outside Eugene one could explore Fall Creek or Silver Falls for beautiful and scenic hikes. If you’re more interested in water adventures then maybe you would enjoy Fern Creek Reservoir, a great spot for kayakers, or Fall Creek Reservoir, a great outdoorsy scene with many good jumping spots.
Coleman says that one of the most popular outdoor activities in the summer is river rafting. “There’s like 1,001 things to do outdoors,” she said. “We live in the Pacific Northwest, we live in the densest place in the country for all these amazing things. Sure, Eugene is urban, but if you get out of Eugene, even just 30 minutes out, you’re in the wild.”
If you are interested in utilizing the great Outdoor Program the University has to offer, Coleman encourages students to drop by and check out the website.
Whether it’s a sleeping bag or a bike that you are looking for, the Outdoor Program can help you out.
“We’re all outdoor enthusiasts,” Coleman said. “We have something for everyone.”