52 Adventures to Try This Year

A new year is a new opportunity to live life like you mean it. We've collected the 52 best adventures in the Eugene, Cascades & Coast region — one for every week of the year. Many of these are low cost and easy to access. 

1. Snowshoe to an icy winter waterfall.

2. Soak in a mineral-rich hot spring.

3. Learn about truffles during the Oregon Truffle Festival in person or online, and taste some wild Oregon truffles at home. 

4. Get a thrill tubing or sledding at the Salt Creek Sno-Park.

5. Catch a sunrise over Eugene at Skinner Butte. 

6. Visit barking sea lions in the largest mainland sea cave. 

7. Cycle the Cottage Grove Covered Bridges Scenic Bikeway.

8. Find your favorite local craft beers on the Eugene Ale Trail.

9. Spend the night at the keepers' house beneath a century-old lighthouse.

10. Explore wine country during Oregon Wine Month.

11. Tour famous filming locations for movies like "Stand By Me" and "Animal House".

12. Hike the Amanda Trail and learn the history of the area's Indigenous Peoples. 

13. See a play, concert or ballet at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts.

14. Touch the Pacific Crest Trail at one of the trailheads.

15. See eleven waterfalls on one easy hike at Sweet Creek. 

16. Buy some tie-dye at the Saturday Market.

17. Take a wildflower hike on Wild Iris Ridge.

18. Stay at Westfir Lodge and experience guided "forest bathing" for relaxing nature therapy. 

19. Paddle over a petrified forest at Clear Lake.

20. Wander through hazelnut orchards at Dorris Ranch. 

21. Walk behind a waterfall. 

22. Charge the rapids on the Wild & Scenic McKenzie River.

23. Cruise the top trails in Oakridge, "The Mountain Biking Capital of the Northwest".

24. See Spouting Horn and Thor's Well on the Oregon Coast at high tide for a powerful show of tidal force. 

25. Experience rich, local flavors on the South Willamette Valley Food Trail. 

26. Watch the sunset over the Pacific Ocean with smores on the beach at Driftwood Shores. 

27. Spend a summer day swimming and sliding at the Lake Creek Rock Slides.

28. Check out the only park dedicated to carnivorous plants at the Darlingtonia State Natural Site.

29. Visit the Dee Wright Observatory for great views from a lava rock fort.

30. Roar over 500-foot sandhills on a dune buggy.

31. Horseback ride on the beach at sunset. 

32. Explore tide pools at low tide. 

33. Find the swing at Mount Pisgah and have a picnic there. 

34. Learn to fly-fish from a pro and catch your dinner. 

35. Float the McKenzie River in the iconic drift boat designed for the river. 

36. Sleep in a yurt on the coast at Honeyman State Park.

37. See Oregon's second tallest waterfall. Bonus points for capturing the entire waterfall in a single photo.

38. Go birdwatching at Fern Ridge. 

39. Gain a new hobby sandboarding on the Oregon Coast. 

40. Drive the Aufderheide for the best fall foliage. 

41. Run in the footsteps of track legend Steve Prefontaine.

42. Learn American history while hiking Constitution Grove in the Cascades. 

43. Visit some of the region's most haunted places... if you dare. 

44. Practice your underwater photography skills in one of the purest and clearest lakes in the world. 

45. Learn some Indigenous phrases for the local landscape at the Kalapuya Talking Stones. 

46. Do a self-guided tour of more than twenty murals by locals and international artists in Eugene. 

47. Look out over the coastline at the tallest point on the coast accessible by car at Cape Perpetua Overlook. 

48. See what remains of an old gold mining ghost town high in the Cascade Mountains. 

49. Visit the official Simpsons mural in the "real" Springfield. 

50. Scout out holiday lights on display across the communities.      

51. Cut your own Christmas tree at Northern Lights Christmas Tree Farm or get a permit to find a wild one in the National Forest. 

52. Go whale watching on the Oregon Coast.