Posts Tagged With: hiking

Top 10 Things to Do in the Eugene/Springfield Area

Posted on July 20, 2026 by compassrosequeen

Summer is well underway! We’ve been enjoying it with our favorite activities in the area like camping, hiking, and of course the Enchanted Forest (we got to go for free this year thanks to the latest art they commissioned from Chris). Lately he and I have been working on projects like painting our newly built 2-story shed and doing the footwork to renew our professional licenses. This last week most of our kids went to our church’s little summer camp (out at the property where we got married), and I led around a group of elementary school kids, along with two 7th-grade helpers. Adorable!

I realized earlier this year that I’ve never put together a list of the best things to do / places to go here. Whether you live in Eugene or Springfield and want to try something new, or you’re planning to visit the area and want to do something you can’t do just anywhere, check out this post for my recommendations. Or visit https://www.eugenecascadescoast.org/, Lane County’s official travel & visitor information site. They have a visitor’s center in downtown Eugene with lots of great brochures and travel guides as well as locally-themed merchandise. You can even buy postcards with my friend and local writer/artist Tyler Burgess’ unique art on them!

The hard part for this post is narrowing down a list. There are so many great things to do and places to go! I’ll list 10 different types of activities with some options of places to do them. I’m sticking to the cities of Eugene and Springfield and the few small towns nearest to them because otherwise this post will be insanely longer than it is already. Feel free to skim and skip around to the activities that interest you. I will post (old and new) photos I’ve taken for at least the first section. And I may edit the post every so often, too, so feel free to take a fresh look at it sometime down the road. Also, please leave comments about places I mentioned or didn’t include!

A. (1) Sightseeing and Touring Unique Eugene/Springfield things:

Explore Skinner’s* Butte: (not to be confused with the much larger Spencer’s Butte just south of the city) for all kinds of fun, plus views of Eugene and surrounding mountains. Activities to do there: A) Watch people climb the basalt columns (or go climbing there yourself!) on the west side of the hill; B) Let the kids loose at Riverplay, a great playground at the base on the river (north) side of the hill; C) Take a tour of the Shelton-McMurphy-Johnson House**, an impressive Victorian mansion (south side); D) Hike or drive to the summit for views of the city’s landmarks and surrounding mountains and the Giant O, but be aware that if the drive is open, there will be people smoking pot at the top. If you hike from the farthest east trailhead on the north (river) side of the hill, you’ll see an old stone chimney from a CCC-era lodge. Hike straight up from the south side to see the Shelton-McMurphy-Johnson house. If you hike around the top of the butte on the Mid-Elevation Trail, you’ll pass the Giant E, and the kids can slide on this one because it’s barely above the ground. My 9yo and his buddy slid down it about 50 times in a row recently.
Drive or walk on a self-guided mural tour. Along Main Street and South A in Springfield, you’ll mostly see Simpsons murals by Bayne Gardner on the sides of buildings, but also murals of other themes by various artists. There are a few places of business with murals of mountains painted indoors by my husband. In downtown and UofO campus area in Eugene, you’ll see all kinds of different murals by various artists, including a neat one of flowers and Spencer’s Butte by the aforementioned Bayne Gardner and an inspiring MLK Jr. one. My favorites in Eugene are farther south on Willamette Street: one by Afghan muralist/graffiti artist Shamsia Hassani and one of Eugene’s history on the side of the old trolley stop. Oh, and the newest Bayne Gardner one is down there, too: a Nicolas Cage portrait on the side of an apartment building. So funny!
Run on, to, or by one of Tracktown’s official or famous sights: Hayward Field, where Olympic trials and track & field world championships happen, Pre’s Rock, an informal shrine on a hillside to track hero Steve Prefontaine, and Pre’s Trail, a scenic running trail dedicated to said track hero. There are other great running paths in Eugene, too. Brag time: I ran at Hayward Field for a district track meet when I was in middle school! Long before it was renovated to its current stadium. So of course I got a selfie when I attended the Olympic trials several years ago with my mom and visiting aunt and uncle.
Cascades Raptor Center: a small “nature center and wildlife hospital” for raptor birds in the hills of South Eugene. I’ve been there twice: once with my mom, and later with my husband and our kids. We got to see hawks, falcons, and the Harry Potter snowy owl. So fun!
Explore scenic city parks: In addition to many parks mentioned in various themed sections below, there are some neat unique parks in the area. My favorite in Eugene is the Wayne Morse Family Farm, the historic home of a U.S. Senator, complete with a nice covered picnic area and hiking trails through woods. My favorite in Springfield is the underrated Willamette Heights Park, which has nice views of the south valley and hills as well as a small hiking trail. Photos for both of those parks are on my spring/wildflower posts earlier this year.

B. (2) Outdoor Recreation:

Hiking: The Eugene/Springfield area is full of hiking trails that make you forget you’re in (or on the edge of) a city! A) Spencer’s Butte in South Eugene is a local favorite – I think I’ve been up it at least 100 times starting in high school; B) Mt. Pisgah, in the Howard Buford County Park between Eugene, Springfield, and Pleasant Hill, is the next favorite, and like Spencer’s, has a summit with views of the High Cascades and the Coast Range; C) The Ridgeline Trails of South Eugene are mostly easier forest paths with the exception of Spencer’s Butte, but their Mt. Baldy trail offers a short hike to summit views of the city, and the Wild Iris Ridge trail is part of that network but in West Eugene; D) The Thurston Hills Recreation Area in East Springfield has two trailheads for choice in hike experiences (Chris and I did a thru-hike of them recently and discovered it’s way longer than we realized); E) Last but not least, the trail at Springfield’s Willamette Heights Park is short but offers lovely views.
Biking: There are multiple offerings, but the most popular are the Ruth Bascom Riverbank Path that runs on both sides of the river through much of Eugene and extending into Springfield on the north bank, the Middle Fork Path between Dorris Ranch and Clearwater Park, the downhill mountain bike trails and the flat but long Multi-Use Path in the Thurston Hills Recreation area in Springfield, and the Amazon Path that winds westward through Eugene along Amazon Creek.
Rock Climbing: For a real outdoor experience, climb the basalt columns on the west side of Skinner’s Butte. You’ll need your own gear. If it’s raining or you don’t have gear, head to Crux Climbing Gym for roped climbing and bouldering, or to Elevation or The Circuit for just bouldering. All locations are in Eugene. There are neat basalt columns near the summit of the Thurston Hills Recreation Area, but they are not equipped for climbing.
Floating & Boating: It seems like most of the Lane County Parks are boat ramps along one river or another. Whether you have a canoe, kayak, or a simple inner tube to float the river, summer days are great here. Please be safe and wear a life jacket as the river is deeper and more powerful than it looks.
Swimming Holes: There are many along the rivers and of course in the reservoirs in the small towns around here. My family has a favorite swimming hole, but for the sake of keeping it from overcrowding (from my thousands of subscribers, ha!), I’m keeping it secret. Yup, it’s that good. Other good spots include Hendricks Bridge County Park on the McKenzie just east of Springfield and spots along the Willamette River, such as in the Eastgate Woodlands in Springfield across from Roaring Rapids in Eugene, the river rocks area below Beltline Hwy in the Santa Clara area (that’s the first one I remember visiting as a kid), and a couple places in the Howard Buford County Park (one in the Arboretum area and one at the end of a hike from the East trailhead parking). And of course there are parks around Fern Ridge Reservoir with swimming areas. And again, please wear a life jacket or be very aware of the depth and speed of the water where you are.

C. (3) Stroll in Beautiful Public Flower or Tree Gardens:

Hendricks Park‘s rhodedendron garden near the UofO campus is my favorite, with hillside trails to walk and grassy meadows for picnicking.
Owen Rose Garden is a romantic spot right on the river, full of varieties of roses and a really old, epic tree.
Mt. Pisgah Arboretum in Howard Buford County Park is a tree garden. Honestly, it just looks like the surrounding forest to me, but has interpretive signs and neat bridges and lots of trails.
Dorris Ranch in Springfield has trees, too, but this one is an orchard. A filbert (hazelnut) orchard, to be exact. It’s the oldest working filbert farm in the USA. There are trails through the various parts of the farm as well as through the forest next to it, eventually following the Willamette River. There is a small lodge that can be rented for events. My husband’s nephew got married there. And I once officiated a wedding during the pandemic down in the orchard!
Eugene Japanese-American Art Memorial behind the Hult Center – this tiny hidden gem is more of an historical memorial than a scenic garden, but is very beautiful in spring and fall. It honors the people who were sent to internment camps here in the USA during WWII just for being Japanese.

D. (4) Human-Made Recreation:

Disc Golf: Eugene has several courses, including Alton Baker Park, Stewart Pond Disc Golf in Bertelsen Nature Park, and Westmoreland, and Springfield has Clearwater Park. There are also courses in the surrounding small towns.
Mini-Golf: Both of the Eugene/Springfield area’s Putt-Putt places are outdoorsy-themed rather than having windmills and castles and such, complete with real waterfalls. Camp Putt in Glenwood (part of Springfield’s parks system) is outdoors and beautiful. If it’s raining, head to West Eugene to Putters for a similar course but indoors. There is also an arcade, indoor playground, and laser-tag place there, and a bowling alley next door.
Axe-Throwing: Oregon Axe in the Kelly Booth Center near downtown Springfield and offers a unique pastime. My husband loved it.
Escape Rooms: I’ve only been to the one in Springfield, Portal Adventures. It was neat but not really my cup of tea.
Childrens & Science Museums: Science Factory by Autzen Stadium (called Wistec when I was a kid, complete with planetarium that now just shows videos) and the Children’s Museum in the Valley River Center Mall are both great places for kids with hands-on exhibits and educational things to play with.
Swimming Pools: “Splash” is the big fancy place in Springfield with wave pool and waterslide, but I prefer Amazon pool in South Eugene (outdoors, with a regular waterslide and “the Scary Slide”) or Willamalane pool, which is only open for rec swims once a week but has way less crowds and still has a waterslide. Other public pools include Echo Hollow, Emerald Park / River Road Park, and Sheldon pool.

E. (5) Eating: The Eugene/Springfield area has some fantastic food and drinks, or at least good food in neat places.

Café Yumm! (Exclamation point is part of name) – Quintessential Eugene hippie food. This small chain started in Eugene and has expanded around the state. Its key ingredient is “Yumm! Sauce”, a thick delicious sauce that is layered into their bowls full of rice and beans and all kinds of other good stuff. My favorite is the Edamame Yumm Bowl. Pro tip: you can buy their Yumm Sauce at local grocery stores and make your own Yumm bowls, or even use it as a condiment on sandwiches.
Public House: Formerly a beautiful church with stained-glass windows, it now houses several eateries and drinkeries (is that a word?). I’d say the best atmosphere in Springfield.
Mazzi’s/Hideway Bakery: Bakery/Coffeeshop by day, and fancy Italian restaurant by night, this is one of my favorite places to go for ambience (cozy by day, romantic by night). There are two fireplaces, and it’s possible to get a spot by them in a morning. I like to go there to journal or read. And eat orange cardamom pinwheels if I get there in time before they sell out.
Fisherman’s Market: Delicious seafood in a very casual setting near the Whiteaker neighborhood in Eugene. They used to have an outpost at Public House, but now I think they have one at a food truck spot farther out in Springfield.
Pint Pot: Cozy family-friendly Irish pub in South Eugene. Good food and sometimes live Irish music. They even have a corner cordoned off for a kids’ playplace.
Bier Stein: German beer and some food, a fireplace, and fun. We went to their Oktoberfest celebration a year or two ago, and Chris joined in with the bier stein holding competition.
Bepe & Gianni’s: A nice Italian restaurant in the UO Campus area.
Eugene Saturday Market: Food tents galore! Next to live music. My favorite is of course the Afghan food tent, run by a gentleman named Abi that lived in Germany for many years after leaving Afghanistan. His kabuli palau is full of cardamom goodness and tender chicken. He used to have a food cart that sold it alongside bratwurst, and my mom said his brats were as good as what she ate in Germany!
Food Trucks: There are a bunch of food truck “villages” around the area. Some of them are for the office workers by day, but others are for after work hours. My favorite is in downtown Eugene.
Purlieu: Casual little French restaurant in South Eugene. We went there once for a date.
Craft Breweries: Planktown, Falling Sky, Ninkasi, and a whole slew of others. This is hipster land, after all!
The Old Spaghetti Factory: Okay, this one is a national chain not from the immediate local area, but it was started in Portland, so we’ll forgive it. And it’s at the location of the old Oregon Electric Station restaurant, a Eugene favorite for ambience and history.
Ta Ra Rin and Tasty Thai: My two favorite Thai restaurants in town. Ta Ra Rin has restaurants in both Eugene and Springfield.
Junkyard Dogs: An outdoor hot dog stand in Junction City that got famous after being featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. I’ve only been there once and Chris hasn’t been there at all, so we’ll probably visit this summer.
Tacovore: A very popular walk-up-to-order Mexican restaurant in the Whit.
Happy Cow: A casual burger place in South Eugene that is very affordable. I get their Bulgogi burger and sweet potato fries.
Joey’s Pizza: This is the oldest pizza shop in Springfield and is family-owned. Their best-seller is the Beer Driver Special, full of savory meats. For a discount on certain pizzas, visit on your letter day (1st of the month for people whose last name starts with A, 2nd for B, etc.).
Roaring Rapids: We like this place more for the view than the food, but the food is good, too. It’s Springfield’s only restaurant that is right on the river. Very family-focused, with outdoorsy decor, seating and a grassy area outside, and a big carousel. We like to sit at a table outside overlooking the river. In the summer, they host live music bands outdoors.
And yet more local/unique pizza places: Mezza Luna, Coburg Pizza Company, Pegasus Pizza, and Tracktown Pizza – All are good! Look them up.
And yet more riverfront restaurants: Sweet Waters On The River and McMenamin’s North Bank of Eugene: Sweet Waters is in the Valley River Inn; North Bank used to be a more fancy restaurant, but the Portland chain McMenamin’s took over several years ago so it’s more casual now.
Desserts: Sweet Life, Metropol Bakery, Provisions Marketplace: All are delicious. I feel like I’m forgetting some important dessert shops, so please put them in the comments!
Ice Cream: Prince Pücklers, Handel’s, Salt & Straw, and La Michoacana. Prince Pückler’s in the UO campus area has been around the longest and I would say is the most popular.

F. (6) Concerts/Shows Venues:

Cuthbert Amphitheater: An outdoor concert venue in Alton Baker Park. I’ve never been in it, but my mom saw the Beach Boys there.
Hult Center for the Performing Arts: This is the big fancy one in downtown Eugene that has operas and Broadway musicals, and best of all the Bach Festival.
Wildish Theater: A smaller venue in Springfield that hosts plays, old movies, concerts, and even high school graduations. They’re great.
Very Little Theater: A community theater in South Eugene that has great plays and musicals. My friend Sarah has directed plays and designed sets for them. Chris and I went to see Murder On The Orient Express there, and it was our favorite version of it (Sorry, Kenneth Branaugh; we liked yours, too!). I think my favorite is still Spamalot, for which I was a seating host and got to see it for free.
Shedd Institute for the Arts: The old First Baptist Church of Eugene now hosts concerts and shows. The only thing I’ve seen in there was this year’s speeches and things after the MLK Jr. march.
Actor’s Cabaret: Another community theater, this one in downtown Eugene. I think I saw my high school friend Paul in “Fame!” there when I was college-age.
McDonald Theater: Formerly a movie theater in downtown Eugene (I sat in the balcony for the very first Jurassic Park movie when I was in high school, and my husband saw it there, too), nowadays it hosts mostly concerts but also other events. My stepsister-in-law was in a beauty pageant there once.
“Shakespeare In The Park” at the Amazon Community Center in South Eugene: The lawn behind the building becomes a natural amphitheater for the Bard’s work on weekends every summer. I’ve seen a couple here, and it’s free fun!

G. (7) Shopping:

5th Street Market: From fancy shops to Mecca’s secondhand art supplies, this is a unique shopping area. The official 3-story 5th Street Market building is historic and beautiful, complete with a fountain and outdoor balconies overlooking it, and lots of great food options. Across the street to the west is a strip of shops including Mecca. Across the street to the east is the new 5th Street Alley with a covered walkway and local shops such as Euphoria Chocolate and Mountain Rose Herbs.
Oakway Center: An upscale shopping area of famous chain stores that has better food than clothes, in my opinion. But then again, I’m more of a thrift store girl than an Old Navy one. I love eating Café Yumm! food in the courtyard area in the summer. But if I do shop there, it’s usually Trader Joes.
Springfield’s antique stores – There are lots! I haven’t explored them yet, but I think my mom has.
Valley River Center: A large traditional indoor shopping mall with all the stores you’d expect (Bath & Body Works, Macy’s, etc.). This was where my girlfriends and I hung out after school when we were young. My kids prefer the Round 1 arcade at the end of one of the legs of it.
The Shoppes at Gateway: There are a number of big-box stores here now as well as my family’s favorite movie theater, but when I was a teenager, it it was a full indoor mall with a large arcade and food court, lots of small shops like Bath & Body Works, and a movie theater that later showed second-run movies for $1.50. Now the only thing you can reach from the big halls inside of the old mall building is the newer theater.

H. (8) Farms & Vineyards: For this section, we’ll have to go a little farther out of Eugene & Springfield, but worth it.

Johnson Farm: A major attraction in the fall due to the unique hayride: you get to throw small pumpkins at targets along the way, and then there is a slingshot area for more pumpkin throwing. Add to that a hay maze, corn maze, and other festivities, and you’ve got crowds for good reason!
Thistledown Farm: Between North Eugene / Santa Clara and Junction City is a beautiful farming community that includes Thistledown and the now-defunct Lone Pine Farm as well as other farms. I think Thistledown was the first open-to-the-public farm I ever went to as a kid.
Northern Lights: This Christmas tree farm near Pleasant Hill also has a huge corn maze in the fall.
Charles Little Flower Farm: Rows of flowers at the base of Mt. Pisgah are open for U-pick, while a neat wooden store has great flower gifts and things for sale. Photo at end of article.
Detering Orchard: A popular place to pick apples or buy cider in the fall, with fun activities for kids.
Herrick Farm: Near the Hendricks Bridge County Park just east of Springfield, this small farm has a hayride out to a pumpkin patch in the fall and a few other things to do, and of course a farm stand with produce.

I. (9) Museums:

Museum of Natural & Cultural History – I’ve attended teacher professional development here and taken my high school social studies students here as well. Very educational.
Oregon Air & Space Museum – Located by the Eugene airport, this museum has full-sized aircraft from various eras and lots of neat artifacts. I went there with my dad for Veterans Day one year, and I think he ended up donating some neat things that he’d collected during his piloting days.
Springfield Museum – Chris and I have only seen what you can see from the front window in this small downtown locale, but they frequently change up the display and it looks neat.
Art Museums – I believe the UofO has two of them, but haven’t been to other.

J. (10) Sports Events: I previously mentioned checking out Tracktown’s track-related things to see (track events at Hayward Field are a must), but Eugene has other sports, too! Come watch a game if you’re around. Go, Ducks!

Autzen Stadium: Home of the University of Oregon (American) football team.
Matthew Knight Arena: Home of the Ducks women’s and men’s basketball teams. The women’s team is fantastic, and I am glad I got to see Sabrina Ionescu play here.
To watch the Ducks or local minor-league team Eugene Emeralds play baseball, head to the baseball court next to Autzen. The Ems used to have their own stadium in South Eugene, but it is now a soccer field for youth sports.
Soccer: also next to Autzen is the soccer stadium, home of the Ducks women’s team.

Fellow locals or visitors to the area, what did I miss? What are your favorite things to do or places to visit in the Eugene/Springfield area?

Charles Little Flower Farm with Mt. Pisgah

*Officially, Eugene’s most famous hills are named “Skinner Butte” and “Spencer Butte”, but most locals add an apostrophe and “s” to them to call them “Skinner’s Butte” and “Spencer’s Butte.”

** Fun fact: several years ago I made my own sample “senior project” to guide my 12th graders. I told them I plan to be a tour guide when I retire. For the job shadow requirement of the project, I got permission to follow around a docent at the Shelton-McMurphy-Johnson House for a day. It was a blast! My favorite part was a huge dollhouse of the mansion that they had up in the top floor. They also host events there throughout the year, like tea parties.

Categories: My Trips and Tips, Traveling with Kids | Tags: activities, adventure, food, hiking, nature, oregon, outdoors, sightseeing, travel | Leave a comment

Happy Trails to You

Posted on June 7, 2026 by compassrosequeen

Happy National Trails Day! Okay, it’s now after midnight as I write this, so I guess it was yesterday, but I’m still up and counting it as today. If you didn’t know about this event (I think I’d heard of it before, but actually looked it up this time), you can find out more at https://americanhiking.org/national-trails-day/.

My day was filled with chores, shopping, and occasional rain, so I didn’t get onto a trail until late this evening. We ate dinner with my in-laws in the UO Campus area, and since the days are long now, we stopped at Hendricks Park afterward to walk the paths of the rhododendron garden before it got too dark. Chris and the kids played on the grassy lawn at the top while I walked around the garden. Not exactly an epic hike, but well worth the stop after dinner. Bonus: the sunset over the city from back at the parking lot, with a view of the tower at Hayward Field, where track & field world championships and Olympic trials are held!

Hopefully many of you got out onto a longer trail today, wherever you were. I would love to hear about it in the comments below!

Also, what are your favorite trails that you’ve ever hiked? If I could only pick one to do again, I’d probably say the Hidden Lake Trail at Glacier National Park in Montana. The views kept getting more and more beautiful, and ended at an epic overlook where mountain goats hung out with my friends and me. Seriously a dream come true. I may or may not have been holding a mountain goat stuffy while hiking that trail (my friends had just purchased it for me at at gift shop since we hadn’t seen any mountain goats in the park yet, and then the next trail we hiked, there they were!). I regret nothing.

Hidden Lake Overlook, Summer 2017; Photo by Jesie MacDonald

Yesterday (Friday) my school had our version of Field Day, and this upcoming week we’ll have our version of Outdoor School. My coworker and I will be leading a rotation of Arts & Crafts & Maps. Thursday will be our awards ceremony and graduation, and then summer begins! I stayed up late every night last week grading last-minute math worksheets and tests that kids turned in. I am ready for summer! I just need to finalize grades and have fun with kids this week. And tear down / pack up my classroom because a few of us teachers are swapping rooms. And then… hiking and day trips and our family camping trip to the coast! And… taking in professional development to renew my license. Fun, fun. But I’m excited for all of it. And excited for next school year. After enjoying summer, of course.

Well, I’m trailing off now (thanks to hubs for the joke), so I will say goodbye and goodnight. Happy trails to you!

Categories: My Trips and Tips | Tags: adventure, city-parks, hiking, national-parks, nature, travel | 2 Comments

Welcome Spring Part II: Happy May Day! (Summer?)

Posted on May 2, 2026 by compassrosequeen

Soon after I published my last post, I found myself wishing I’d waited. I found even more great wildflower hikes in the Eugene/Springfield area!

That next week, my coworkers and I took our 11th & 12th grade students to Mt. Pisgah. Not the Arboretum side or even Swing Hill, but we hiked over 6 miles up to the summit and down from the other side (East/Pleasant Hill trailhead; I’d never done that side) and then another couple miles out and back to the river. Some of the students had never really hiked, but they made it! And both hikes were covered in camas lilies, wild irises, and a small pink flower I didn’t recognize. (Oh, and poison oak). At the end of the week, I hiked a bit in the upper trails of the Arboretum there and saw more camas and irises. Then my friend Jas and I hiked the South Eugene Meadows trail of the Ridgeline trail system after donating blood since it’s one of the easier hikes in the area, and we weren’t supposed to do strenuous stuff after donating. I had to go back to South Eugene later that day, so I walked the camas-filled path at Wayne Morse park for the first time in a good while (I used to live near it). And another day, I stopped at Willamette Heights again, and saw some full-on tall irises along the trail! Spring is beautiful!

Or should I call it summer? I looked up May Day to explain it to my students on Friday, and remembered that in older times in Europe, it was considered to be the beginning of summer. That’s why the tradition of “Midsummer” is at the summer solstice, which is usually when we kick off summer here. Tomorrow is supposed to be 84 degrees here in the Willamette Valley, so summer makes sense! But I don’t count summer until I wrap up the last term’s grades and go on vacation. I’m excited to have one this year! It’s been 6 years since I’ve had a full teacher summer off, since I worked in the insurance industry the last few years and taught at a school that had summer school for the 3 years before that.

Anyway, I wanted to post some more wildflower photos from the last couple weeks because they are gorgeous. And one non-wildflower pic: our cat Arwen enjoying her new Hobbit-themed kitty door that my husband installed last weekend. I showed that photo to my students and two classes requested a “Take your pet to work day” so they could meet her. They might like that, but she wouldn’t! She survived visiting my students on Zoom during the pandemic, and that’s enough for her.

Happy spring, again! Or summer!

Camas on Mt. Pisgah trail from the East Trailhead

South Eugene Meadows trail, Spencer’s Butte in back

Trail to river, Howard Buford Park (East side trails)

Categories: My Trips and Tips | Tags: adventure, hiking, nature, oregon, photography, travel | 4 Comments

Welcome Spring!

Posted on April 19, 2026 by compassrosequeen

Happy spring! At least to the mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. This will be a quick post. I’m working on a couple of longer articles that I’m excited about. But with my teaching schedule, I’m not sure when I’ll get them done, and I’d like to take a moment to celebrate spring with you. Welcome, sunshine and flowers! (Okay, you’re welcome, too, dear rain that keeps things green)

I hope you all had lovely spring holidays! St. Patrick’s Day, Passover, Easter, Nowruz (which is my favorite of the world’s new years; it makes more sense to me for a new year to start at the beginning of spring than in the middle of winter), Eid-al-Fitr, and Rama Navami are celebrations we’ve had so far. And we have some secular celebrations coming up, too, like Earth Day and Memorial Day.

Spring is a beautiful time of year, with the symbol of new life prevalent in the natural world and spiritual disciplines. I hope you all enjoy it.

Here in the Eugene/Springfield area, the camas lilies are in full bloom right now, sometimes in full fields. The best place to see them in Eugene is Wayne Morse Family Farm (aka Morse Ranch) in South Eugene. The trail through the lower (north) end of the park goes through a whole patch of them. The best place to see them in Springfield is Willamette Heights Park, up the little trail from the grassy area to the summit. Here are a couple photos of them from past years. (My photos from the same spot in Willamette Heights park last week were a bit too high of contrast with the sun and shade, so the only pic from this year is the one in the sun up above). Enjoy!

Oh, and yes, I did get a spring break this year, now that I’m back to teaching. We took our family to Central Oregon to visit my cousins in their new home in Bend. It was beautiful! Mountains and rock formations galore! I’ll hopefully post some pictures from it soon, or at least incorporate them into future posts. Happy spring, everyone!

Categories: My Trips and Tips | Tags: flowers, hiking, nature, parks, photography, spring, travel | Leave a comment

The Alps of Everywhere

Posted on February 28, 2026 by compassrosequeen

In a previous post, I compiled a list of “Grand Canyons” around the country and world. Most of these were canyons with other official names but nicknamed the “Grand Canyon of ……” or the “Little Grand Canyon of …” That got me thinking, what about the Alps? This time of year, at least for me here in the winter of the Northern Hemisphere, I love thinking about snowy mountains and cozy alpine lodges and towns. So I set about to discover all the “Alps” I could find.

Of course, the Alps in Europe are, well, The Alps. You know, the big mountain range that spans several countries in continental Europe and has the iconic Matterhorn in it. (The real one in Switzerland, not the Disneyland ride.) I started writing this in the early winter, but now the winter Olympics just took place in the Alps! There are several subdivisions of that parent range, like the Bavarian Alps, and even sub-ranges of the sub-ranges, like the Dolomites in Italy. But there are some other mountain ranges in the world with the word “Alps” in their official names, and of course others that are nicknamed “The Alps of _______” (fill in country, region, province, state, etc.) Are they true Alps? What makes a mountain range or alpine town have Alps-like-qualities? Similarly, some towns or regions have “Switzerland” in their nickname, such as “Little Switzerland,” implying an alps-like feeling to the place.

Let’s see if we can figure out what makes a place seem like the Alps (or Switzerland). Here’s a rundown on Alps that I found online, and I’ll include photos of any that I’ve taken if I can find them in my old files. Also, keep an eye out below for information about a really cool woman writer/traveler that I met recently!

Mountain Ranges and Regions with Alps in the Name: (all but the last entry were found in a Wikipedia disambiguation page or elsewhere in Wikipedia)

The Alps proper (with subdivisions/sub-ranges being the Bavarian Alps, Eastern Alps, Julian Alps, Northern Limestone Alps, Southern Limestone Alps, Southern Alps, and Western Alps) – Monaco, France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Lichtenstein – I’ve only seen the northern edge of the Bavarian Alps, when I went to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.
Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians)- mostly Romania
Arrocher Alps – Scotland (part of the Grampian Mountains range)
Dinaric Alps – Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Albania
Lyngen Alps – mostly Norway
Apuan Alps – Italy
Sunnmore Alps – Norway
Norlund Alps, Princess Caroline-Mathilde Alps, Princess Elizabeth Alps, Schweizerland Alps, and Slauning Alps – Greenland (All right Greenland, we get it, you’ve got lots of awesome mountains!)
Southern Alps – New Zealand
Australian Alps – you guessed it – Australia! They’re part of the Great Dividing Range.
Japanese Alps – several mountain ranges in Japan
Pontic Alps – Turkiye (called the Parhar Mountains in the local languages)
Yeongnam Alps – Korea
Danakil Alps – Ethiopia and Eritrea – a highland region along the southern Red Sea – this one didn’t show up on the Alps disambiguation page, but it does have its own page in Wikipedia
Bohemian Alps – Nebraska, USA – evidently this is a region of gentle hills settled by Czech immigrants, and it reminded them of their homeland
Trinity Alps – California, USA – a sub-range of the Klamath Mountains in Northern CA and Southern Oregon
Mexican Alps – Puebla, México – I only found one reference to this supposed mountain range, and it looks like a university research paper. The mountain it mentions, however, is verified on Wikipedia as the 3rd highest peak in North America as well as the tallest volcano. Awesome!

*The only picture file I could find of the Bavarian Alps was a photo I took of a page in my first Germany trip scrapbook. It snowed while we were in the area. Beautiful!*

Mountains, Ranges, and Hills Nicknamed Alps of Their Area:

North Cascades National Park, Washington, USA – “The American Alps” – I only found out about this park several years ago, after visiting other parks that I thought would get that title, like Glacier NP in Montana and Rocky Mountain NP in Colorado. Now I’ve got to go!
Glacier National Park, Montana, USA – “The Alps of America” – my search for “alps of america” gave me website after website for North Cascades NP. However, I’ve been to Glacier, and thought there’s no way that someone hasn’t claimed the title for it. So I specifically googled Glacier NP and Alps, and sure enough, someone (understandably) says Glacier is as beautiful as the Alps! I’m happy for these two parks to vie for the title. Photo below.
Sawtooth Mountains, Idaho, USA – the “Alps of America” – Another website I found considers the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho to claim this title for the country. Sure, why not? I haven’t seen them, and they do look beautiful in the photos.
Wallowa Mountains, Oregon, USA – “The Alps of Oregon” – Unlike the Cascade Mountains that I’m used to over here in Western Oregon, the Wallowas aren’t volcanoes. They have a mountain named Matterhorn and several glacial valleys. I’ve only seen the northern edge of them while on a road trip, but they are beautiful! Photo below. Also below in the references is a link to the Wallowas page of the website of an Oregon author/hiker extraordinaire that I discovered recently. I’d been following the Facebook profile “Hike Oregon” for a good while when I realized that it’s a person, not an organization like “Travel Oregon”. She held a booksigning event in Eugene recently, so I went to meet her. Franziska came from Germany, lives in Oregon, and writes hiking books with directions, descriptions, great photos, and helpful info. She also has videos on YouTube. And of course I bought one of her books!
Ruby Mountains, Nevada, USA – “the Swiss Alps of Nevada” – I’ve been to the Lamoille Canyon portion of them, which I’ve heard called the “Yosemite of Nevada.” It is spectacular! I went in winter so we couldn’t hike much, but just walking up the snow-covered road held vista after vista. Photo below.
“Issaquah Alps” – Washington, USA – the unofficial name of some highlands near Seattle
Davis Mountains – “The Alps of Texas” – a mountain range in West Texas
Hill Country Drive – “The Swiss Alps of Texas” – 2400 foot peaks on this scenic road trip
Borscht Belt, New York, USA – aka “Yiddish Alps” – An area of the Catskill Mountains that used to be an area where a lot of Jewish Americans would vacation; the Yiddish Alps name was given by Larry King.
East Durham area, New York, USA – aka “Irish Alps of New York” – Also in the Catskills, a region settled by people from Ireland in the early 1900s.
Canadian Rocky Mountains, British Columbia & Alberta, Canada – “Canadian Alps” – I only found one reference to Alps in Canada, and of course it’s the Rockies. With epic national parks like Banff, Jasper, and several others, the Rockies are the strongest contender for the title. I was surprised not to find any other websites referring to them as Alps. But maybe Canada tries to differentiate their mountains from the European ones.
Lake District, Chile – “Chile’s Alps” – offers a “milder Andes Mountain experience than Patagonia” and the town inside the Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park “has a Swiss Alps feel to it” according to the article below. From what I’ve seen in photos, the Patagonia region of Chile and Argentina resembles the Dolomites in Italy’s Alps, so I say both regions qualify for an Alps designation.
Cordillera Central, Dominican Republic – “Dominican Alps” – This tropical playground has the Caribbean’s highest mountain, Pico Duarte, at over 10,000 feet.
Rwenzori Mountains, border of Uganda & the DRC – “Africa’s Own Alps” as well as “Mountains of the Moon” – these mountains look amazing on the websites and Wikipedia page. I did see small mountains in the DRC as I looked across Lake Abert from the Uganda side, but was not far south enough to see these beauties.
Gamburtsev subglacial mountains, Antarctica – “Antarctica’s Hidden Alps” – the NBC article below has some great graphics to show the Alps-sized/shaped mountain range sitting below a giant ice sheet.
Saxon-Bohemian Switzerland, Germany and Czech Republic – this region straddles the border of Southeast Germany and Northwest Czech Republic and was so named by artists Adrian Zingg and Anton Graff, because it reminded them of their homeland, the Swiss Jura. I’ve been to the Saxon Switzerland National Park and hiked (in the snow) to the Bastei Bridge. Seems funny to me to have a place so close to Switzerland be nicknamed that, but it’s beautiful no matter what!
The Himalayas: Just kidding! They’re the highest mountains in the world, and don’t need to be the Alps of anything. They are the epic Himalayas. We should have “Little Himalayas” around the world! I don’t know of any specific parts of them or nearby ranges that have been compared to the Alps, but I would say that the city of Bamiyan, Afghanistan, nestled high in the Hindu Kush range, reminded me of Colorado with its golden-leafed aspens and rocky cliffs (complete with ancient caves that used to house Buddha statues from hundreds of years ago).

Cities, Towns, and Resort Villages With “Alps” (or “Switzerland”) in the Name or Nickname:

Alps, Georgia, USA – An unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Georgia, elevation 850 feet. Not sure why this tiny town was named Alps. See the town of Helen for a more alpine-sounding destination.
Swiss Alp, Texas, USA – Another unincorporated community, but this one was settled by German Lutherans around 1865.
Alpine, Texas, USA – A high desert city at over 4,000 feet elevation and surrounded by mile-high mountain peaks
Alpine, Wyoming, USA – The town of Alpine, aka Alpine Junction, sits at elevation 5,663 feet and at the junction of rivers, mountain ranges, and U.S. routes 26 and 89.
Alpine, Arizona, USA – A much smaller Alpine “census-designated place” with a population 145. Not sure how it got its name.
Alpine, Oregon, USA – A tiny town in farm country with two vineyards along Alpine Road, which leads up into the Coast Mountains to the Alsea Falls Recreation Area, which has a great picnic area and hiking trail and two waterfalls. I’ve driven through the town of Alpine but would like to explore it more.
Helen, Georgia, USA – aka “Georgia’s Alpine Village” – The town of Helen seems to have a similar history as Leavenworth, Washington – a dying lumber town reborn as a German-style tourist destination near the mountains, this time the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Appalachians.
Leavenworth, Washington, USA – “An Alpine Village in Washington State” – Same story as above, but this one on the rain shadow side of the Cascade Mountains. I went there with a friend several years ago so I’ll have a photo below, and yes, it’s feels a lot like Germany! Plus, they now have an alpine coaster on the side of a hill that I want to take my family on if we ever make it up there.
Helvetia, West Virginia, USA – A “Little Switzerland” – this town in the highlands of West Virginia was settled by Swiss immigrants and kept its culture in many ways
Heber Valley and town of Midway, Utah, USA – “Utah’s Little Switzerland” – named for its mountain location in the Wasatch Back range and Germanic heritage
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, USA – “America’s Little Switzerland” – This mountain town was named for a Native American Olympic gold medalist and boasts scenic railroads and hiking trails.
Afton Alps Resort, Minnesota, USA – A ski resort surrounded by Afton State Park
Mazamitla, Jalisco, México – the “Mexican Alps” or “Little Switzerland of México” – I found multiple articles about this quaint resort town sitting at an elevation of 2200 meters in the mountainous southwest of the country, where residents of Guadalajara go to get away from the heat. It is considered a “Pueblo Mágico,” which according to Wikipedia is a town designated by the Secretariat of Tourism that offers visitors “cultural richness, historical relevance, cuisin, art, crafts, and great hospitality.”
Arteaga, Coahuila, México – the “Switzerland of México” or “the Mexican Switzerland” – Another of México’s official “Pueblo Mágico” towns, this one is in the northeast corner of the country, next to the Sierra Madre Oriental range, and has wooden cottages and skiing. Not sure which town is more alps-like, but Mazamitla and Arteaga both sound beautiful!
Ouray, Colorado, USA – the “Switzerland of America” town in the San Juan Mountains of the Rocky Mountain range.
Jackson, Wyoming, USA – this town “reflects the Swiss Alps” according to The Travel magazine; and with nearby ski resort villages and Grand Teton National Park, I’m inclined to agree. I think my friend and I drove through it on our way back to her house in Montana after visiting Yellowstone and Grand Teton parks, but I don’t think I got any photos of it. So I’ll include one of my favorite pics of the Tetons.
Stowe, Vermont, USA – the “Ski Capital of the East” at the bottom of the highest mountain in Vermont
Telluride, Colorado, USA – another San Juan Mountains town, in a box canyon with a 365-foot waterfall overlooking the town
Winthrop, Washington, USA – the “Swiss Alps of Washington” (thus rivaling Leavenworth), with North Cascades National Park as a backdrop
Lake Placid, New York, USA – Olympians used to ski in this town in the Adirondacks
Mt. Angel, Oregon, USA: This little town has an interesting immigrant history, with Swiss monks building a monastery in the late 1800s and Bavarian settlers following. The downtown is decked out German-style, and they host the state’s largest Oktoberfest in fall. It’s in a mostly flat part of the Willamette Valley, so not exactly alpine, but the monastery is built on a small hill that has great views of the Cascade Range.

Grand Teton NP, WY (I didn’t have any photos of Jackson, WY)

So, what do you think? What makes a place “Alps-like” or like a “little Switzerland”? I think it’s anywhere with beautiful mountains and/or cozy villages. What is the nearest “Alps” to you? Or other places that I missed? I did read a fun article recently about Scandinavian towns here in the USA, but that leads to a whole new list.

References: (aside from Wikipedia, and in no particular order; some are official travel sites for an area or magazines, and others are blogs by fun travel writers)

All photos were taken by me (unless my friend Jas took the selfie of us in Leavenworth).

Categories: My Trips and Tips | Tags: adventure, hiking, nature, travel | Leave a comment

Love + Oregon

Posted on February 14, 2026 by compassrosequeen

Happy 167th birthday, Oregon! And yes, my 8th & 9th grade math students did the 6-7 hand gestures when they saw that message on my digital white board yesterday. Because despite the news articles declaring that adults killed the fad, 6-7 is still here. They love it.

Fortunately, my students also love Oregon. The warm-up question I assigned for the day wasn’t a math problem but “What is your favorite place in Oregon?” And they answered with gusto. Possibly to postpone doing math work.

Now I wish I’d kept a tally on the places they listed, but I’ll try to recount the best I can remember. I’m pretty sure the most mentioned locale was Crater Lake. Next was definitely the coast, with Coos Bay being the most mentioned coastal city. After that was the local rivers, especially the McKenzie. Several of the kids are really into fishing. A few kids mentioned vacation spots like Sunriver in Central Oregon and the Wallowa Mountains in Eastern Oregon. I was pleased that so many of my students love the outdoors!

Not many of them mentioned human-made places, but I know one of the 12th graders in my homeroom (who recently graduated early, congrats to her!) loves the Enchanted Forest theme park. My husband and I heard the news yesterday that Roger Tofte, who built it, passed away at age 96. May he rest in peace and his legacy live on.

I know I ask this nearly every year, but what are your favorite places in Oregon? I don’t know if I can narrow down mine very well (I love all of Oregon too much), but this last summer I finally made it down to the water’s edge in Crater Lake. My 17yo stepdaughter came with me while Chris hung out with the rest of the kids up at the rim. The trail down will be closed for the next couple years while they revamp the boat ramp, so I was grateful to get there before that! The water was beautiful, but our family’s favorite sight that day was the rainbow-cloud above one of the peaks on the rim.

A new favorite for me is the similarly-named Carter Lake in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. It’s a low-key rustic campground along a small lake, complete with a little sandy beach to play on. It also has a trail over the dunes to the ocean beach, but be forewarned that it is a hefty workout. The 17yo was the only one to join me on that one, too, while everyone else played by the lake. We caught the sunset and saw one of the protected Snowy Plover birds.

As for my favorite human-made place, of course it is the Enchanted Forest. We took my mom there on Mother’s Day for her 70th birthday that week. She loved it as much as when she went there for her 40th birthday. My brother came, too, and had a blast playing there with our kids. Oregon is magical!

Me, Mom, and bro at the Enchanted Forest

Photos from 2025, taken by me aside from the one I’m in. Please tell me your favorites in the comments below! And stay tuned for future posts. I’m still working on a fun article as well as a more serious one. Wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day and Oregon Statehood Day.

Categories: My Trips and Tips, Traveling with Kids | Tags: adventure, hiking, nature, oregon, travel | Leave a comment

Wolf-Themed Trips and Back to School

Posted on October 11, 2025 by compassrosequeen

My husband and I celebrated our 3-year wedding anniversary last month, with our first kid-free overnight trip! We stayed a night at the Wolf Creek Inn, an historic site in the Oregon State Parks system. More about that later, as well as the White Wolf Sanctuary trip that we and the kids took in August. But first, a big announcement.

If you’re friends with me in the real world or Facebook, you may know this already, but I thought I’d make it official on here, too. I went back to teaching! In my “Quick Update” post this spring, I talked about getting promoted to an account manager position at the insurance brokerage firm USI. There were some aspects of that position that I really liked, but it hit me all of a sudden that I really missed teaching after three years away from it, and I’d better get back into it before it was too late.

Fortunately, one of the schools I taught at before had a position come open for this school year. Now I’m teaching two classes each of 8th & 9th grade math, one high school math support class, and a credit-recovery World Geography class for 12th graders. I’m exhausted already from trying to get back into teaching and find my groove after three years out of it (and six years out of teaching regular ed classes). But also energized by getting to work with kids again! They are so fun! I’ve already gotten a drawing from one kid, and another kid and her mom donated a neat map-themed trunk to my classroom. There are tough days, but I feel more like myself now that I’m back in the career I trained for. Chris says I come home with more interesting stories. Certainly it’s more fun (and easier on my ADHD than sitting in a cubicle). I’m very grateful.

I’m also thankful to my husband for supporting my move back to teaching. It won’t be easy for me to balance work with family, but he will help. He is so great! We enjoyed taking time out of our busy lives for our little anniversary overnight trip to Southern Oregon a few weeks ago.

Wolf Creek Inn started out as a stagecoach stop on the Applegate Trail in the 1800s. Over the years, famous visitors have included Clark Gable and Jack London. The latter wrote a short story here, and they preserved his little room as a museum piece as well as named a the peak just south of town after him. We hiked it and enjoyed the views, although it looked like the Smoky Mountains due to the Moon Fire complex. The next day, we visited the nearby ghost town of Golden (also a State Heritage park in the Oregon State Parks system) on our way out. Speaking of ghosts, Wolf Creek Inn has embraced their alleged haunted status, so they have gone all out on Halloween decor. We even found Jack London, or at least a skeleton on the bed in his museum room! It was a little overwhelming. But the place kept its charm. The ballroom upstairs wasn’t decorated as Halloween-ish, and had big tables to spread out on, so we hung out up there to work on our writing and art.

Wolf Creek Inn is also an interpretive site along the Applegate Trail, complete with covered wagon and informational signs and a picnic table. A great spot to stop for a break on a road trip. We also visited a different Applegate Trail site in Myrtle Creek on the way down that was really neat. When I lived in Myrtle Creek many years ago, I didn’t know there was a hike you could do along the ruts of the trail! It goes up a bluff with great views of the valley and South Umpqua River below. In that area, we also stopped at Pizza Palace in Tri-City so Chris could see why his pizza restaurant reminds me of it, and ate lunch at Ken’s Sidewalk Café in Canyonville. I’ve shown Chris and the kids some of my old haunts in this area before, but it was fun to show him around a bit more without the kids. Wolf Creek Inn makes a great weekend getaway!

Speaking of wolves, on my birthday in August, we got to go to the White Wolf Sanctuary in Tidewater, Oregon. It’s up in the mountains near Waldport. The trip was thanks to the Summit Award I earned at USI. We made a loop of the trip, stopping to eat at a fisherman’s market in Newport and see the giant rock formations in the ocean at Seal Rock. We arrived at the meeting spot to get to the wolf sanctuary a little late, but fortunately they waited for us. It was a very educational and neat place. One of the wolves, Nukka , was the most friendly, letting us see her up close in her giant pen. She was beautiful. And she knew it. She would strut around and pose for us to admire her, reminding us of my cat Arwen. So cute! Thanks to USI for this experience!

This new (school!) year will be busy, so I may not get to write as much for a while. I’ve got a couple articles drafted and will get one of them out very soon (see below for preview). If you’re wanting some fall scenery ideas in the Eugene/Springfield area, be sure to check out my post of autumn photos from this past winter, a few posts ago.

Recently I’ve discovered a couple blogs that I think you’d enjoy. I’ll list them here along with websites and blogs from two very interesting local friends of mine.

http://www.walk-with-me.com – my friend Tyler’s website (with link to her blog on it). My next post is complete, and it’s about her fascinating life! She is an author and artist and led walking tours around the world for years. Stay tuned in a day or two for more about her, but if you can’t wait, check out her website.

jeromycilley.com – my former coworker at USI has had a very interesting life, too. He has some unique hobbies that he shares on his website/blog, including making music and hunting for animal skulls.

http://www.adventurouskate.com – Kate teaches women how to travel on their own.

http://www.thewanderingqueen.com – Michelle teaches women how to hike and backpack.

Categories: My Trips and Tips | Tags: family, hiking, life, nature, travel | Leave a comment

Grand Canyons of Everywhere

Posted on August 17, 2025 by compassrosequeen

Notes: For this post, NP = National Park, NM = National Monument, SP = State Park, NRA = National Recreation Area, and BLM = Bureau of Land Management. All photos were taken by me. I’ve been working on this article for months, and am saddened by the recent news in Grand Canyon National Park. My condolences to all who are affected by the wildfire destruction at the North Rim. Donating to the Grand Canyon Conservancy is one way to help. I’ll list the link at the bottom of this post. I’ve also been deeply saddened by many other things impacting people in the national and world news lately. Please join me in praying for these situations to get better and/or helping out in any way you can.

Recently I saw a photo of Grand Canyon NP, and it got my brain gears turning. I remembered having seen other gorges with the title “Grand Canyon” in them, such as the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone [River] in Yellowstone NP, or having Grand Canyon as a nickname, like Breaks Interstate Park, dubbed “the Grand Canyon of the South.” Could the U.S. national park one then be called “The Grand Canyon of the United States”? Or just the very literal “Grand Canyon of the Colorado River”? Or is “the Grand Canyon” enough to denote the big one in GCNP?

Being the information nerd that I am, I decided to look up Grand Canyons for every region and state in the USA as well as any I could find in other countries. Here’s a fun list of what I found. I’ll try to add photos for any that I’ve seen myself if I can find them in my old photo folders. Links to references and websites with multiple “grand canyon” locations will be listed at the end.

I had fun looking at canyons ranging from epically grand to small-but-scenic. Some are noteworthy for their width and others for their depth. Being from the state of Oregon with fairly dramatic topography thanks to volcanic activity, my definition of a canyon may be different than some people’s definition of a canyon. One time I was driving through Nebraska to visit family and came across a place called “Massacre Canyon.” While it had an interesting human history, I thought it was only a slight dip in the road compared to gorges we have back home. For many of the states, I could only find a “Little Grand Canyon” of some sort which resembled the scale and scenery of the many waterfall canyons we have here in Oregon. But I will happily let these states and regions lovingly nickname their local scenery as Grand Canyons, because, why not? Everyone needs one, evidently. You’ll notice that many of these are in national parks, state parks, preserves, and national geologic areas.

Cool fact: for Nebraska’s entry below (which is not the aforementioned canyon), I learned a bit of neat family history on my dad’s side! Also, for educational purposes, check out this description of the difference between a canyon and a gorge, although we use them somewhat interchangeably around here: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-is-the-difference-between-a-canyon-and-a-gorge.html

Enjoy this list, and please comment about any you’ve been to or any you know of that I missed.

By U.S. regions, these are known as “The Grand Canyon of the…”:

Midwest: Turkey Run SP in Indiana – deep sandstone ravines carved by glacial action and later wind and water
North: Hull Rust Mahoning Mine in Minnesota (human made, so less interesting to me, but still looks pretty)
Pacific: Waimea Canyon, Waimea Canyon SP in Hawaii – formed by erosion as well as the collapse of the volcano that created the island, more than 10 miles long and 3,000 feet deep!
Northwest: the Columbia River Gorge on the border of Oregon & Washington, or Hells Canyon on the border of Oregon & Idaho. I’ve been to the Columbia Gorge many times to hike to the many waterfalls or gaze out from the Crown Point Vista House, and even went on a short river cruise with my husband Chris on our honeymoon. It is beautiful! Haven’t been to Hells Canyon yet, though. By some measurements, it’s the deepest gorge in the world. I’ll make it there someday.
East: Pine Creek Gorge in Pennsylvania or Letchworth SP in New York – explained more below.
West: Couldn’t find a definitive answer for this (or “Grand Canyon of the Rockies” online, but I’m voting for the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in Wyoming. I loved seeing the canyon at Lower Falls even more than seeing the geysers! So big and beautiful. There are several other canyons in national parks that could vie for this title that will be mentioned in the U.S. States section below.
South: Providence Canyon SP, Georgia, or Breaks Interstate Park on the border of Kentucky & Virginia – I saw the latter with my ex-husband when we drove an hour or two from his parents’ house in Eastern Kentucky to see fall foliage there. The leaves hadn’t turned yet due to lack of rain, but I got a neat photo of a lady painting the lush green gorge. The ironic thing about this one is that it’s technically farther north than Grand Canyon NP!
Southwest: the Grand Canyon [of the Colorado River] in Arizona – I haven’t been to the national park side of it yet, but years ago I got to fly over it in a small jet and stop at the Hualapai tribe side of it with my ex-husband’s family who were living in Las Vegas at the time. It was spectacular, but in some ways so grand that I couldn’t even comprehend it. Can’t find my old photos, sadly. Someday, I’d like to hike down into it, at least a bit.

By continent/world region:

South/Central Asia: Band-e-Amir NP in Afghanistan – Okay, I am spoiled. I’ve flown over this one in a 10-seater jet, as well. When I was a teacher at the International School of Kabul, some colleagues and I organized a trip with a pilot friend who worked for an organization that flew people who worked for NGOs around the country. It was a day trip to see the Buddha Caves and other wonders in the Bamiyan area. They flew us over Band-e-Amir so we could see Afganistan’s Grand Canyon on the way there. It was so beautiful! I managed to get a photo or two over the wings of the little King-Air jet.
Central Asia: Charyn Canyon in Kazakhstan – the “Valley of the Castles” portion of it looks fantastic, literally.
Western Europe: High Cup and Cheddar Gorge in the United Kingdom, Cruz du Van in Switzerland, and the Bastei Rocks in Saxon Switzerland NP in Germany – This last one isn’t on the compilation websites below, but when I googled Grand Canyon of Germany, it showed up on the blog https://www.girllightning.com/2017/08/grand-canyon-germany-bastei-rocks.html I was excited because I’ve been there! I hiked to the beautiful stone Bastei Bridge in the snow once while on vacation from teaching overseas. A scene from the Han Solo movie was filmed there.
Eastern Europe: Vikos Gorge in Greece (listed as world’s “deepest compared to its width” by Guinness Book of Records), Tara River Canyon in Montenegro (over 40 waterfalls pour into it!), and Sulak Canyon in Russia (deepest in Europe)
Southern Africa: Fish River Canyon in Namibia – the largest canyon in Africa, one of the most popular hiking trails in Southern Africa
East Asia: Yarlung Tsangpo (or Zangbo) Grand Canyon in Tibet/China – the deepest canyon in the world according to Wikipedia
South America: Colca Canyon in Peru – home of the Andean Condor
Australia: Cappertee Valley in, well, Australia (that one continent that’s just one country) – the widest canyon in the world, according to Wikipedia
Northern North America: the aforementioned GCNP is of course the main contender for North America’s Grand Canyon, but Canada has one, too: the Grand Canyon of the Fraser in British Columbia (not to be confused with nearby Fraser Canyon, which looks even more epic to me in the photos)
Mexico: When I published this post, I just listed Copper Canyon (Barrancas del Cobre in Spanish) in the state of Chihuahua, México, because it looks amazing and has tall waterfalls and a fascinating history. However, my husband and I recently got to video chat with my ex-husband and his partner in México, and they told us about Cañón del Sumidero in the state of Chiapas. It looks amazing, too! Hopefully someday, I’ll get to visit both of these.
Central America: Pacuare River in Costa Rica is famous for whitewater rafting through rainforested gorges.
Oceania/Pacific: Waimea Canyon in Waimea Canyon SP, Hawaii, USA (see description in U.S. regions above)

By every U.S. State: (some of these may be repeats from the U.S. regions list). Note: I couldn’t find any feature referred to as a “grand canyon” for a few states. Any guesses? Read on to find out! If you’re from those states, please tell me if there’s a “grand canyon” of any sort there!

Alabama – Little River Canyon National Preserve in the Southern Appalachians has waterfalls, sandstone cliffs, and forested vistas
Alaska – Grand Canyon of the Noatak River, in Noatak National Preserve – people float the river in the summer to see more of the canyon in a short amount of time
Arizona – Grand Canyon of the Colorado River (aka GCNP) of course, but don’t miss Walnut Canyon NM. I stopped there on a road trip and loved the history (the cliff dwellings from the Ancestral Puebloans as well as the visits and quotes from legendary author Willa Cather). And the canyon itself may not be as big as at GCNP, but it was beautiful.
Arkansas – Vendor Valley – the deepest canyon in the Ozarks was labeled “Arkansas’ Grand Canyon in a marketing campaign by the owners of Cliff House Inn. Works for me! I’d stop there, based on the photos I see!
California – Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne [River] in Yosemite NP, or Kings Canyon in Kings Canyon NP – these both look beautiful in pictures, and are in national parks, so of course I want to go to both of them. I’ve been to Yosemite Valley in Yosemite NP, and it is a pretty impressive glacier-cut gorge, too! (Yes, that’s a huge understatement)
Colorado – Black Canyon of the Gunnison in Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP – this one looks so deep and epic in the photos I’ve seen! Black because it’s in the shade most of the day.
Connecticut – some random chasm made by installing a pipeline, according to Reddit. That’s all I could find. Sorry, Connecticut!
Delaware – Delaware Water Gap NRA – a dramatic mountain pass in the Appalachians
Florida – ????? couldn’t find one
Georgia – Providence Canyon – human-made from mining but still looks neat, or Tallulah Gorge SP – Tallulah Falls looks awesome in the photos!
Hawaii – Waimea Canyon (see above in Regions section) – I mean hey, I’ll use an excuse to go to Hawaii. This one of course looks epic in the photos.
Idaho – Bruneau Canyon on BLM land (not to be confused with Bruneau Dunes SP) – deep and wide, it looks like a NW-style geologic version of the Arizona GC but without the crowds. In fact, very few people make their way out there. Hells Canyon, where the Snake River runs between Oregon and Idaho, is by some accounts the deepest canyon in the world (if you use the top of mountains in the calculations).
Illinois – the Little Grand Canyon Trail in Shawnee Forest – compared to some of the others, the 100 foot sandstone cliffs may not sound huge. But for Illinois, that is pretty deep! And it has a neat natural staircase carved by water that you can climb.
Indiana – Turkey Run SP (description above in the Regions section)
Iowa – Lost Canyon in Whitewater Canyon Wildlife Area is “Iowa’s Little Grand Canyon”, aka “Midwest’s Little Grand Canyon” – 200-foot cliffs believed to be formed by a collapsed ancient cave system
Kansas –Arikaree Breaks – ravines and canyons in a badlands area, a nice break from cornfields! I feel like I saw topography that looked like this when I drove through Kansas from Colorado to Oklahoma.
Kentucky – Red River Gorge Geologic Area – Red River Gorge in the Daniel Boone National Forest boasts 41 natural bridges, according to the NPS. Kentucky also shares Breaks Interstate Park with Virginia.
Louisiana – Longleaf Vista Recreation Area in Kisatchie National Forest is “Louisiana’s Little Grand Canyon” – doesn’t look like a canyon or even a valley to me, but one website says “the topography is rugged by Louisiana standards” so we’ll let it slide.
Maine – Gulf Hagas – has multiple waterfalls gushing out of stone cliffs very near the Appalachian Trail
Maryland – Swallow Falls SP had some famous historical figures as visitors over 100 years ago! Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Harvey Firestone camped there in 1921, according to the state park website.
Massachusetts – Chesterfield Gorge – a pretty hiking area with small waterfalls and 70-foot rock walls
Michigan – Canyon Falls is “the Grand Canyon of the UP [Upper Peninsula]” – the river falls 30 feet into a box canyon
Minnesota – Hull Rust Mahoming Mine (human-made from mining)
Mississippi – Red Bluff – an exposure of red clay, soil, and sand sloping into the Pearl River floodplain
Missouri – Grand Canyon of Charrette Creek has high vertical walls on either side of a wide floodplain, or Grand Gulf SP is considered one of the natural wonders of the Ozarks and “Missouri’s Little Grand Canyon”
Montana – Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area was named by Lewis & Clark for how the cliffs seem to open up like gates as you traverse the Missouri River, or Bighorn Canyon NRA which looks more like the big Grand Canyon and is of course epic since it’s in Montana
Nebraska – Frenchman Creek Valley is “Nebraska’s Little Grand Canyon” or “Wauneta’s Little Grand Canyon” according to a local sign. It looks badlands-esque and also looked to be very close to where my Dad grew up. I sent him a screenshot of the webpage, and he says he would see it weekly when he rode along with his dad (the grandpa that died before I was born) to a job he did for the state, which was observing and recording which farmers were irrigating because the state was monitoring water usage.
Nevada – Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas – I couldn’t find a reference to a Grand Canyon in Nevada because every search for Nevada led me to tours of GCNP from Las Vegas. But I’ve been to Red Rock Canyon (on BLM land) with my ex-husband and his family, and it was stunning. Pink and red colors swirling everywhere. Absolutely otherwordly. Can’t find my photos of it, sorry!
New Hampshire – Sculptured Rocks Natural Area is a geology-oriented nature preserve with impressive rock formations surrounding a popular swimming hole
New Jersey – Palisades Interstate Park (geologic site) – a 12-mile long and 1/2 mile wide area of cliffs and uplands just minutes from Manhattan – I had no idea that New Jersey has scenery like this!
New Mexico – Rio Grande Gorge – the Rio Grande’s “grand canyon” follows an eroded chasm in northern New Mexico. I crossed over the Rio Grande much farther south in New Mexico, so I didn’t see this beautiful stretch of it, but even the part I saw was sure grand!
New York –Letchworth SP “the Grand Canyon of the East” – follows the Genesee River over several large waterfalls
North Carolina – Linville Gorge – earns its nickname as “the Grand Canyon of North Carolina” as one of only two official wilderness gorges in the South, with the Linville River 1400 feet below the ridge and having one of the few old growth forests in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
North Dakota – Painted Canyon in Theodore Roosevelt NP aka “Grand Canyon of North Dakota” – named for its colorful rocks, it reminds me a bit of the Painted Desert in Arizona’s Petrified Forest NP.
Ohio – Conkle’s Hollow State Nature Preserve in the Hocking Hills region – I’d go see this one just for the name. But it also has 200-foot Black Hand sandstone cliffs that look amazing.
Oklahoma – Red Rock Canyon Camping & Adventure Park – formerly known as Red Rock Canyon SP as well as Kiwanis Canyon Park – its red rock cliffs now offer activities run by a private company since the state ceased operating it and some other parks to balance the budget. But before it was a state park, it had plenty of history – Native Americans used it as a winter camp, and was later a rest stop for pioneers on the California trail (you can still see wagon ruts).
Oregon – Owyhee River Canyon /Canyonlands in SE Oregon/SW Idaho is the main contender for the title according to the internet, with breathtaking scenery in every direction. Also shared with Idaho, Hells Canyon could count (see description in Idaho above). And the Columbia River Gorge, shared with Washington, is full of activities (see description in U.S. Regions above). For smaller ones only in Oregon, visit Crooked River Gorge for Central Oregon with the spectacular Smith Rock SP and other viewpoints, and Silver Falls SP with its dramatic waterfall canyons. And my friend Natasha says to make sure to include Crack in the Ground as a “Little Grand Canyon” in South-Central Oregon, which is a small but amazing slot canyon from a volcanic fissure. I’ve been to all of these except Owyhee and Hells Canyon.
Pennsylvania – Pine Creek Gorge, called “the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania” – a perfect V-shaped gorge that is included in a state natural area and contains a state park
Rhode Island – No real canyons that I could find. My husband tried to help and found Cranston Canyon, a road construction project. That’s it.
South Carolina – Jones Gap SP or Jocassee Gorges – Jones Gap is part of the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area on the Blue Ridge Escarpment and has waterfalls. Jocassee Gorges has waterfall canyons and a beautiful lake.
South Dakota – Spearfish Canyon “Grand Canyon of the Black Hills” – a long, narrow canyon of limestone palisades and waterfalls
Tennessee – Tennessee River Gorge – formerly known as Walden Gorge, is the 4th largest largest river gorge in the eastern U.S.
Texas – Palo Duro Canyon SP – the 2nd largest canyon in the country, according to the Texas State Parks website. Looks like some beautiful places I’ve seen in Arizona. Caprock Canyons SP was also mentioned on some sites, and has the bonus of bison herds.
Utah – San Rafael Swell, Zion NP, or Canyonlands NP – any of these 3 would qualify! And probably others, too, since Utah is chock-full of epic parks. Does Bryce Canyon NP count, too? The only one of these I’ve been to is Zion NP. Y’all probably already know about the NP sites, so I looked up San Rafael Swell. It’s a large dome-shaped geologic feature carved by flash foods into valleys, canyons, gorges, mesas, buttes, and badlands, according to Wikipedia.
Vermont – Quechee Gorge in Quechee SP is Vermont’s deepest gorge, formed by glacial activity
Virginia – Breaks Interstate Park – “the Grand Canyon of the South” (also in Kentucky) – description in U.S. regions section above
Washington – Grand Canyon of the Elwha or Palouse River Canyon – I’ve seen the Elwha River in Olympic NP, but I don’t think I saw this section of it, or the nearby section called Goblin’s Gate, which looks amazing.
West Virginia – New River Gorge NP is one of the USA’s newest national parks, and ironically the New River is one of the oldest rivers in the nation. The Endless Wall trail zig-zags along a cliff edge nearly 1,000 feet above the river. The park is also famous for rock climbing. I think my ex-husband and I drove over the landmark New River Gorge Bridge once.
Wisconsin – has many small canyons and no consensus on a “grand” one, but the Dells of the Wisconsin River is a 5 mile gorge with Cambrian sandstone rock formations and tributary canyons, and Devils Lake State Park has 500-foot bluffs above the lake.
Wyoming – the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone – description in U.S. Regions section above

Compilation websites (for photos of some of the places listed above):

https://www.wanderlustmagazine.com/inspiration/grand-canyons-around-the-world/ Eight Grand Canyons around the world.
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/gallery/2024/dec/12/owyhee-oregon-world-grand-canyon-in-pictures Grand Canyons around the world, inspired by and starting with Owyhee Canyonlands in SE Oregon.
https://www.journeylatinamerica.com/travel-inspiration/destination-guides/spotlight-on-canyons-gorges-latin-america/ I found this one after publishing the post, and it confirmed my Copper Canyon nomination.
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/ This website has several articles for Grand Canyons in various states.
https://quincykoetz.com/2012/05/grand-canyon-of-36-other-grand-canyons/ This one gives info for 10 Grand Canyons from various regions of the USA, and has a map to others.
https://www.completenorthamerica.com/did-you-know-america-has-3-grand-canyons/ Three famous Grand Canyons in the U.S.
https://www.southernthing.com/grand-canyon-of-the-south-2563250269.html This one lists Grand Canyons and “Little Grand Canyons” of the South.

Donate to the Grand Canyon Concervancy: https://preserve.grandcanyon.org/campaign/705507/donate

Categories: Miscellaneous | Tags: grand-canyon, hiking, national-parks, nature, travel | 2 Comments

Admiring Autumn from Afar

Posted on January 30, 2025 by compassrosequeen

Okay, so I know this isn’t the time of year everyone is thinking of autumn. It’s January. If we’re daydreaming about a different season, it’s probably spring or summer. But I found some neat places nearby in the last year or two for viewing fall colors that I haven’t gotten to share yet. Besides, it’s January. The bleakest time of the year in many parts of the country and the Northern Hemisphere. My nation has a new president who is making sweeping changes, many of which are impacting people I know and populations I care about, like Afghan refugees that were promised to settle here and now can’t. I think we could all use some vibrant color right now; a bit of hope for the future. Read on for some photos and local destinations, and check back here in October or November for ideas of places to visit!

Eugene and Springfield have some beautiful places to see fall foliage, often mixed with evergreens. The sunny summit of the Mt. Baldy trail (one of the Ridgeline Trails in South Eugene) has epic views and great trees, doable for all ages with its 1/2 mile trails to the top. Willamalane Park in Springfield has a great playground, but my kids love to play below the giant sequoias and deciduous trees near the runner’s track just as much. Oakmont Park in Eugene has flowers and foliage to spare.

How many Eugenians have heard of Linslaw Park? I’d driven by it a million times on my way to the coast, but never stopped. Last fall, my Central Oregon friend Tracey treated me to an overnight trip to Florence while she was in Western Oregon for a conference. We stopped on the way for a picnic lunch at this Siuslaw River wayside in the Lane County Parks system. It had a pit toilet, a small boat ramp, a couple picnic tables, and a sign with only the last letter of the park name still on it. But I loved it! Subtle fall foliage stood under evergreens and along the river. I’d been to the coast enough that month to not have an agenda of my own this trip. After that wayside stop, I decided I’d be along for the ride to any other places Tracey suggested. It was so much fun to see places I’d never thought to stop at! This included a coffeeshop in Mapleton that had kittens on the back patio and a Mexican restaurant on the bayfront in Old Town Florence.

The next place I found with great fall colors was up the McKenzie River. The drive along the way was devastated by the 2020 fire, but fall foliage is growing underneath the burned evergreens for a stark contrast and a visual of new hope. My friend Jas and my mom came with me for that day trip. We saw some blue sky (and slackliners) over Sahalie Falls, which was beautiful. But the visual highlight of the trip was the Secret Garden at Belknap Springs, which we walked to after soaking in the pools. The autumn splendor was all around the garden, and so gorgeous! I’d never been there that time of year. It was perfect. We finished off that trip with a stop for dinner at my family’s new favorite road trip restaurant, Takoda’s in the town of Rainbow.

The last new bit of fall foliage I discovered last year was at the Eugene Japanese-American Art Memorial. This is a tiny park tucked behind the Hult Center (performance hall). I’d been there before, but not in autumn. The Japanese maple tree was in full color, and the fallen leaves of other trees blanketed the ground with gold. The memorial honors the American people who were sent to internment camps during WWII just for being Japanese immigrants or American-born of Japanese descent. I hope and pray that we are not entering that dark of a time now.

Categories: My Trips and Tips | Tags: autumn, fall, hiking, nature, parks, travel | Leave a comment

Happy New Year 2025!

Posted on January 1, 2025 by compassrosequeen

It’s 2025! I can’t believe it. This summer will be 30 years since I graduated from high school; 25 since graduating college. But mostly I’m excited for a new year of life and adventures. And I’ll be praying for our country and world.

The last few months were fast and furious due to work (we call it “Busy Season” or 4th quarter) and holidays. We got to do some fun things, though.

I’ll try to do a fuller post soon with some trips and tips from the rest of the year. But for now, family photos from the year. Our Christmas card photo was from playing in the mountain snow way back in February, because it’s not easy to get 5 kids in a picture at a time with no one scowling. Next, the only other family pic with all of us (not scowling) for the year, which took place in October at the coast right after my previous blog post. That was a nice day trip with the kids’ relatives on their mom’s side. We went to the beach that I’d tried to take them to on 4th of July weekend but was too packed then, the Heceta Head Lighthouse beach. They loved it! It’s small, which is nice so our teens don’t disappear 2 miles down the beach like they usually do at the South Jetty Beach. And it’s small because it’s surrounded by cliffs and a lighthouse. Beautiful! Lastly, our fun new experience for Christmas 2024 was to go see the film “Elf” at the historic Elsinore Theatre in Salem. I’ve been there before, but Chris and the kids hadn’t, and I knew they’d love it. It’s the most beautiful theater I’ve ever seen, built nearly 100 years ago in a Gothic style. Our family photo is from a high walkway in the lobby by stained glass (the artwork is all Shakespeare-themed). One kiddo isn’t in the picture because she wasn’t feeling well that day, but she is off to the side and enjoyed seeing the theater.

For more about our experience seeing that movie there, check out my husband’s movie “non-reviews” website at https://popinjaynonreviews.wordpress.com/2024/12/31/elf-at-the-elsinore-theatre/.

It’s getting late and I need to work in the morning, so I’ll leave off with a list of 10 (plus one I added later) things I hope to do in this new year:

Travel & hike more. 2024 was busy with fixing up and selling the old house; plus we couldn’t go far since we’re stuck driving two vehicles to fit everyone.
Buy a new house and van (okay, then we’ll be fixing up that house, so we’ll see how much traveling & hiking I get to do)
Take Chris & the kids to Crater Lake National Park for their first time
Host a monthly write-in with friends
Work out more. I got a small stair-stepper for Christmas so I can watch hiking videos and pretend I’m hiking while it’s raining outside! Not nearly as fun, but helpful in Western Oregon, which has been extra grey and rainy this year.
Take the kids to visit relatives in Idaho while Chris and I (and my Dad if I can get him to come) visit my relatives in Utah and Nebraska
Get back into practicing my guitar
Hike Broken Top with friend Jas, plus places she hasn’t hiked yet like Smith Rock
Finish reading some books I started about step-parenting and other needed themes
Play video games with the kids more because they love it
Adding this one late because I forgot it: Take the family to Portland by train and visit Powell’s! We can do this one even before we get a new vehicle that fits us all, which is another goal for the year. Oh, and maybe go ice skating this winter? Our oldest loves it.

What do you hope to do in 2025? I’d love to hear your ideas, dreams, and resolutions in the comments! I hope you all have a good 2025, despite the difficulties and challenges of life and in our world.

Categories: Miscellaneous | Tags: family-travel, hiking, nature, travel, travel-tips | 4 Comments