Lane County Facts

Outdoors

The oldest Black Tartarian cherry tree in the U.S. - Owen Memorial Rose Garden, Eugene
500-year old trees - Delta Old Growth Nature Trail, Hwy 126E
Petrified Forest - at the bottom of Clear Lake, Hwy 126E
1,500-year old lava flows - Dee Wright Observatory, Hwy 242
Oregon's second largest lake (behind Crater Lake) and one of the purest lakes in the world - Waldo Lake, Hwy 58
West Coast's most photographed lighthouse – Heceta Head Lighthouse, Florence
Consistently ranked as one of America's "Most Bicycle Friendly Cities" - Eugene
Home to three of Oregon's official scenic bikeways - McKenzie Pass, Willamette Valley and Covered Bridges
Oregon's largest sports arena/stadium - Autzen Stadium, University of Oregon
Now a worldwide treasure hunt, geocaching got its start in Oregon.
Home to the Covered Bridge Capitol of the West – Cottage Grove

The only sports mascot by Disney - Donald Duck, mascot for the University of Oregon, Eugene
The birthplace of Nike - Eugene
Only U.S. city to host three consecutive U.S. Olympic Team Trials - Track & Field (1972, 1976, 1980 and 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020) - Hayward Field, Eugene
Recognized as "TrackTown USA" - Eugene
World's first sandboarding park - Sand Master Park, Florence
America's largest sea cave - Sea Lion Caves, Florence
Largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America - featuring sand dunes 500 feet (152 m) above sea level - Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Florence
Oregon’s first “Underwater Dive Park” – Florence
First NCAA basketball champions in 1939. The Ducks defeated Ohio State 46-33.
Civil War Football Game – UO vs OSU is the fifth most played rivalry game in the nation. First played in 1894.
Pre’s Rock – Memorial to distance runner Steve Prefontaine.

Author Ken Kesey – Grew up in Springfield and graduated from the University of Oregon.
Woody Hindman & Tom Kaarhus – Developers of the McKenzie River Driftboat in the 1930’s.
Jan Eliot – Writer & illustrator of comic strip Stone Soup.
Dave Wilcox – Professional football player and member of NFL Hall of Fame.
Bobby Doerr – Professional baseball player and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Kenny Moore – Olympic marathoner, author and screenwriter.
Danny Ainge – NBA player, coach and team executive.

Oregon Bach Festival – Founded in 1970 by German conductor Helmuth Rilling and the former president of the American Choral Directors Association Royce Saltzman.
Oregon Country Fair – Founded in 1969 and moved to its current Veneta location in 1970. Known as the Renaissance Fair through 1976.
Saturday Market – First “Saturday Market” in the United States founded in 1970.

No sales tax! – Oregon
Plastic bag ban in Eugene since 2013 - the third city in Oregon to take this sustainability step, joining Portland and Corvallis. Seattle and San Francisco have similar ordinances.
Oregon is one of only two states with statutes requiring attendants to pump your gas. (New Jersey is the other.) The 1951 law cites health, safety and job creation as the reasons for prohibiting self-service at gas stations. In 2017, Oregon voted to allow self-service at rural gas stations during certain hours in order to increase fuel accessibility.

Moderate weather year-round

Summer (June - August) visitors can expect warm and mostly dry weather ideal for outdoor pursuits such as hiking, mountain biking, camping and river rafting.
Fall (September - October) brings cool and clear weather with magnificent changes in leaf color. Visitors will still find many outdoor activities enjoyable.
Winter’s rainy season (November - February) inspires storm watching along the coast, winter festivals, holiday shopping, and snow skiing.

Spring (March - May) lush green landscapes and blooming flower gardens herald the start of the recreational season.

Phone

Stephen leads the Tourism department, overseeing strategic promotion of the Eugene, Cascades & Coast destination to the leisure market.