Katalin Linder for the Emerald
Adam Detteer, Luke Laird and Brad Simpson (left to right) relax and enjoy the view after hiking to the top of Spencer Butte on March 4.
THE VIEW’S
A BUTTE
A University student says a hike
up Spencer Butte is ‘really short,
and the top is gorgeous’
By Kataiin Linder
for the Emerald
A sunny day in Eugene is a dan
gerous situation. For many, it
means a “what-if-this-is-the
last-time-I-see-the-sun-before
July?” panic sets in. Living in a cli
mate where gray skies envelop the
world for eight months of the year, I
must make the most of each day the
sun shines.
Luckily, Eugene has an abun
dance of hiking trails awaiting
every enthusiastic, nature-loving
person who wants to explore them.
My favorite: Spencer Butte.
Spencer Butte is a popular spot
to hike in Eugene because it offers
perhaps the most rewarding view
in the area. Being atop the highest
point in the south hills, hikers can
see for what seems like forever in
every direction.
“On a clear day you can see Sis
ters,” said Adam DeHeer, a senior at
South Eugene High School. “It’s not
(a very strenuous hike) for the view
at the top.”
That seems to be the general con
sensus among hikers at Spencer
Butte: It’s a trip that’s not too diffi
cult with an amazing view.
The hike is “really short, and the
top is gorgeous,” University stu
dent Anna Byers said. “You can
make it in a half hour. ”
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Byers, accompanied by six of her
friends, celebrated her birthday by
climbing to the top of the butte to
enjoy the fresh air.
The hike itself can be easy or dif
ficult, depending on the trail you
take and the speed at which you
climb. The trails are between a half
mile and two miles long and differ
in types of terrain.
Assuming you climb to the top,
the majority of the hike is on a well
maintained trail through the woods.
Some areas
are relatively
flat while
others are
steeper. The
most difficult
(and most
fun) part is
toward the top when you choose
your own path, climbing over huge
rocks and undeveloped landscape
for the rest of the way.
Emily Kegel, a Eugene resident
for the past year, thought parts of
the hike were difficult. However,
“you’re not really thinking about
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how hard it is,” she said.
Kegel’s friend Aaron Kruziki of
Michigan had never climbed any
thing as big as Spencer Butte.
“It’s amazing to not have any
thing higher than you,” he said.
Spencer Butte is also a great
place to go hiking with a dog and a
good place for people like me who
like seeing lots of cute puppies.
Shannon Wikoff, a Eugene resi
dent, enjoys hiking with her two
dogs, Yo-na and Riley. She said she
appreciates that there are a variety
of trails so close to her home and
accessible for her dogs.
“I love to get out here,” she said.
“It’s nice because you can hike dif
ferent routes.”
Spencer Butte attracts people of
all ages and interests, but almost
everyone who hikes it seems to do
it for the incredible view. If you’ve
never hiked Spencer Butte, I highly
recommend it the next time you’re
frantically deciding what to do on
that rare sunny day in Eugene.
Katalin Linder is a freelance
reporter for the Emerald.
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