New Search
Urban hikes: The metro area offers many scenic, invigorating walks -The Register-Guard,... Page 2 of 4 <br /> Jacobsen's first hike in December lasted about three hours. A <br /> second outing in March took about an hour longer. Local <br /> birding expert Rick Ahrens agreed to talk to the hikers about <br /> some of the birds they saw (which included several Western <br /> Meadowlark and one Peregrine falcon) and about the wetlands. <br /> The group also stopped at "the Red House," a Bureau of Land <br /> Management education center located on Danebo, a block or <br /> so north of the bike path. There the hikers picked up copies of <br /> the "West Eugene Wetlands Guide" and learned more about <br /> the wetlands restoration work. <br /> "The extra hour spent identifying birds and discussing wetlands <br /> made for a more enjoyable trip," Jacobsen said. <br /> Meanwhile, members of the party talked up some of their other <br /> favorite urban hikes. <br /> "There are a lot of trails that <br /> people don't know about" in the 7,4 r,,o <br /> Bertlesen Nature Park near <br /> Stewart Pond, Ahrens said. The <br /> pond is east of Bertlesen Road <br /> and north of Stewart Road. f .' <br /> "There's also kind of an <br /> unofficial trail that people can <br /> follow around the Willow Creek <br /> Natural Area," he said, "Of Headstones dominate the small <br /> course, the bicycle path along cemetery atop Gillespie Butte near <br /> the river is wonderful, too, for Delta Highway.Virginia Prouty has <br /> led hikers on urban walks to the <br /> the whole wildlife experience, cemetery, unseen by most Eugene <br /> for all the birds you can see. residents, for several years. <br /> Beaver come out in the evening <br /> and a lot of other things. Photo: Mike Stahlberg /The <br /> Register-Guard <br /> "And Alton Baker Park has <br /> several miles of trails right in <br /> town, with good birding and wildflowers, and diverse habitat." <br /> Other popular urban hikes include the Ridgeline Trail, Spencer <br /> Butte and Mount Pisgah. <br /> "Pisgah's so much nicer now that they've got all the different <br /> trails rather than just the main road up to the top," Ahrens <br /> said. "Now there's lots of different options where you can get <br /> away from people." <br /> Pisgah, however, is far enough from the nearest bus stop that <br /> some people might question whether it counts as urban. <br /> On the other hand, one hiker in Jacobsen's group said she <br /> knows people who ride the LTD bus 40-some miles to hike the <br /> http://www.registerguard.com/cgi-bin/printStory.py?name—e6.od.urbanhikes.0403&date=2003+... 4/8/03 <br />