About Winter Trips:
When the snow begins to fly in the high country, our thoughts turn to cross country skiing, snow shoeing and other outdoor winter sports.
In all our activities, the ultimate objective is to explore the more scenic areas of our environment, and savor to the fullest the
aesthetic experience of wildness.
Our Winter Trip season runs November 15 through March 31st. |
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Are you prepared for your winter trip? Check our Winter Trip Guide ![]() More tips are listed on our Are You Prepared for an Obsidian Trip? page. Reminder: WINTER SNO-PARK PERMITS ARE REQUIRED IN ALL NW WINTER SPORTS PARKING AREAS FROM NOVEMBER 1 TO APRIL 15 Questions about Winter Trips? Contact wintertrips@obsidians.org |
Upcoming Winter Trips:
November
December
January
February
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Moderate Hike—Blanton Ridge to Spencer Butte—Tuesday, November 28, 2023
Please be at the trailhead by 7:00am. This hike to the top of Spencer Butte takes the less traveled route from Blanton Road. We'll cross Blanton Ridge before continuing on from the 52nd and Willamette trailhead. This option provides a good in town workout.. If the weather doesn't co-operate we can forgo the exposed rocky steps near the top. There are 2 ways to get to the trailhead: 1. To get to the trailhead from 29th & Willamette continue south on Willamette. At Willamette/Donald St Intersection bear right on Willamette. Immediately bear right again on to Crest Drive. Follow signs staying on Crest for approximately 1.2 miles to the Junction with Blanton Road. Turn left on Blanton. The trail head is on your left in about ½ mile. Do not turn left on Southpointe Dr. 2. Another way to get to the Blanton trailhead is to go south on Chambers until it ends at Crest Drive. Turn left on to Crest. In about ½ mile turn right on Blanton Road. Moderate Hike—Amazon Hdwtrs/Spencer Butte—Wednesday, November 29, 2023
NOTE: Flexible departure time from 8:15 to 8:30 Every Wednesday since 2013 we do this hike from the Martin Street Trailhead to the summit of Spencer Butte. Compared to starting at the paved Spencer Butte parking lot, this hike has double the climbing and three times the distance. It is a conditioning hike where everyone is challenging themselves to go at a moderate or fast pace—not like the other hikes on our schedule. If this is your first time on this Obsidian conditioning hike, or hiking to Spencer Butte, you may want to call the leader to discuss the pace. If you should fall too far behind, the leaders reserve the right to have you not summit but wait and return with the group. The regulars on this hike have attained their fitness by showing up consistently and slowly improving. If you have questions, email summertrips@obsidians.org. Come a few minutes early because we leave promptly at the listed time. To get to the trailhead: Take West Amazon to Martin Street. Turn left. Drive past Kinney Park and park Martin Street near the Kiosk sign board across from Canyon Drive Street sign with hiker symbol. Please contact the leader if you have any questions. Moderate Hike—Ribbon to Moon—Thursday, November 30, 2023
Meet at the Ribbon Trailhead, Spring St. at 30th (north side of the overpass at 30th, on street parking), at 8:30. There are several routes to access Bloomberg Park, Black Oak Basin, Coryell Ridge, and Moon Mountain. If the weather cooperates, we may take up to three hours walking the various options and will be finished well before lunch. Trails are rough and unimproved with unavoidable muddy sections. No restrooms. Moderate Hike—Mt Pisgah 6 miler—Friday, December 1, 2023
Meeting place; Mt Pisgah, west (main) trailhead by the restrooms. If you don’t have a Lane County pass, be sure to allow time to purchase one with debit/credit card (no cash) at the fee box near the main (trail #1) trailhead. On this out and back trip we will hike north and clockwise around swing hill following trails 17, 7, and 3. We will continue north-east through the forest on trail 4 crossing to trail 1 via the 14 connector to the summit spending time to enjoy the view, snacks and hydrate. The route is roughly 5 miles out and back and should take 2-2.5 hours. Elevation gain is about 1100 feet. Difficult Hike—Marys Peak—Saturday, December 2, 2023
Meet at Jerry's on hwy 99, northeast corner of the parking lot. Please arrive by 8:25 so we can coordinate carpools. We need drivers, please indicate how many you can take below . Marys Peak is a classic, great views if weather permits. Hopefully there won't be snow before this date. We'll park at the Connors Camp trailhead (need NW Forest Pass or Interagency/Nati'l Park Pass or pay at the lot) and once at the peak, will add another loop that will bring the total mileage to about 8.5 and a cumulative gain of 2,000 feet. If the weather is concerning - rain, snow or ice, I'll change it to this hike below - which I haven't done before, so we'll call it an "explora hike". https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/oregon/dans-trail-chip-ross-park-to-dimple-hill?sh=fsktyc Moderate Hike—Blanton Ridge to Spencer Butte—Tuesday, December 5, 2023
We will start on time at 7:00 am. This hike to the top of Spencer Butte takes the less traveled route from Blanton Road. We'll cross Blanton Ridge before continuing on from the 52nd and Willamette trailhead. This option provides a good in town workout.. If the weather doesn't co-operate we can forgo the exposed rocky steps near the top. There are 2 ways to get to the trailhead: 1. To get to the trailhead from 29th & Willamette continue south on Willamette. At Willamette/Donald St Intersection bear right on Willamette. Immediately bear right again on to Crest Drive. Follow signs staying on Crest for approximately 1.2 miles to the Junction with Blanton Road. Turn left on Blanton. The trail head is on your left in about ½ mile. Do not turn left on Southpointe Dr. 2. Another way to get to the Blanton trailhead is to go south on Chambers until it ends at Crest Drive. Turn left on to Crest. In about ½ mile turn right on Blanton Road. Moderate Hike—Amazon Hdwtrs/Spencer Butte—Wednesday, December 6, 2023
NOTE: Flexible departure time from 8:15 to 8:30. Every Wednesday since 2013 we do this hike from the Martin Street Trailhead to the summit of Spencer Butte. Compared to starting at the paved Spencer Butte parking lot, this hike has double the climbing and three times the distance. It is a conditioning hike where everyone is challenging themselves to go at a moderate or fast pace—not like the other hikes on our schedule. If this is your first time on this Obsidian conditioning hike, or hiking to Spencer Butte, you may want to call the leader to discuss the pace. If you should fall too far behind, the leaders reserve the right to have you not summit but wait and return with the group. The regulars on this hike have attained their fitness by showing up consistently and slowly improving. If you have questions, email summertrips@obsidians.org. Come a few minutes early because we leave promptly at the listed time. To get to the trailhead: Take West Amazon to Martin Street. Turn left. Drive past Kinney Park and park Martin Street near the Kiosk sign board across from Canyon Drive Street sign with hiker symbol. Please contact the leader if you have any questions. Moderate Hike—Pisgah East Side Loop—Friday, December 8, 2023
East Trailhead – from Eugene, drive east on Highway 58 towards Pleasant Hill. Turn left on Ridgeway Road at the 76 Station and drive 1.7 miles to the parking area on the left. The parking lot is small, but vehicles can also park on the main road if necessary. Lane County Parking Pass is required to park in the lot. Remove any valuables from your vehicle. There is a porta potty at the trailhead. We will hike to the summit on trails #2, 4, 3 and then #1 and returning on trail #6. Good conditioning hike. Optional brunch/lunch following hike. easy Hike—Get Acquainted/Ribbon Trail—Saturday, December 9, 2023
Meet at the Obsidian Lodge to start the hike on the Ribbon Trail to Hendricks Park and back. This is an opportunity to find out about the Obsidians, get acquainted with members, and visit our lodge. This hike through the woods has a few short bursts of steep up and down hill. We will be done around noon. Members are welcome to sign up to help answer questions. Drive past the Laurelwood Golf Course up 27th St then at the top of the hill turn right onto Spring Blvd, a one lane road. When Spring Blvd ends at a T intersection, turn left and immediately look for the Obsidians sign and driveway on your right. Enter the driveway and follow the gravel road to the parking areas and Lodge. The Lodge is hard to find so if you want to view the map, go to the Obsidian home page. http://obsidians.org/lodgemap.htm Difficult Hike—Pisgah Long Route w/Options—Sunday, December 10, 2023
Meeting place: Mt. Pisgah, West (main) Trailhead, by the bathrooms. If you don’t have a Lane County pass, be sure to allow time to purchase one with a Debit/Credit card (no cash) at the fee box by the upper trailhead. We will follow the Incense Cedar Trail and Trails 5, 56 and 6 to the summit, where we will gather for water and a snack. (At this point, those who prefer a shorter hike can return from the summit directly via main Trail 1, a total of about 5 miles and 2-2.5 hours.) To complete the long route, we will descend Trail 2, then follow Trails 4 and 3 around Swing Hill to the North Trailhead, and finally return to the West Trailhead along the river trail. It will probably take about 4 hours to hike the entire 9.4 miles. We can adjust the route if the weather is poor. Moderate Hike—Blanton Ridge to Spencer Butte—Tuesday, December 12, 2023
We will start on time at 7:00 am. This hike to the top of Spencer Butte takes the less traveled route from Blanton Road. We'll cross Blanton Ridge before continuing on from the 52nd and Willamette trailhead. This option provides a good in town workout.. If the weather doesn't co-operate we can forgo the exposed rocky steps near the top. There are 2 ways to get to the trailhead: 1. To get to the trailhead from 29th & Willamette continue south on Willamette. At Willamette/Donald St Intersection bear right on Willamette. Immediately bear right again on to Crest Drive. Follow signs staying on Crest for approximately 1.2 miles to the Junction with Blanton Road. Turn left on Blanton. The trail head is on your left in about ½ mile. Do not turn left on Southpointe Dr. 2. Another way to get to the Blanton trailhead is to go south on Chambers until it ends at Crest Drive. Turn left on to Crest. In about ½ mile turn right on Blanton Road. Moderate Hike—Amazon Hdwtrs/Spencer Butte—Wednesday, December 13, 2023
NOTE: Flexible departure time from 8:15 to 8:30 Every Wednesday since 2013 we do this hike from the Martin Street Trailhead to the summit of Spencer Butte. Compared to starting at the paved Spencer Butte parking lot, this hike has double the climbing and three times the distance. It is a conditioning hike where everyone is challenging themselves to go at a moderate or fast pace—not like the other hikes on our schedule. If this is your first time on this Obsidian conditioning hike, or hiking to Spencer Butte, you may want to call the leader to discuss the pace. If you should fall too far behind, the leaders reserve the right to have you not summit but wait and return with the group. The regulars on this hike have attained their fitness by showing up consistently and slowly improving. If you have questions, email summertrips@obsidians.org. Come a few minutes early because we leave promptly at the listed time. To get to the trailhead: Take West Amazon to Martin Street. Turn left. Drive past Kinney Park and park Martin Street near the Kiosk sign board across from Canyon Drive Street sign with hiker symbol. Please contact the leader if you have any questions. Moderate Hike—Blanton Ridge to Spencer Butte—Tuesday, December 19, 2023
We will start on time at 7:00 am. This hike to the top of Spencer Butte takes the less traveled route from Blanton Road. We'll cross Blanton Ridge before continuing on from the 52nd and Willamette trailhead. This option provides a good in town workout.. If the weather doesn't co-operate we can forgo the exposed rocky steps near the top. There are 2 ways to get to the trailhead: 1. To get to the trailhead from 29th & Willamette continue south on Willamette. At Willamette/Donald St Intersection bear right on Willamette. Immediately bear right again on to Crest Drive. Follow signs staying on Crest for approximately 1.2 miles to the Junction with Blanton Road. Turn left on Blanton. The trail head is on your left in about ½ mile. Do not turn left on Southpointe Dr. 2. Another way to get to the Blanton trailhead is to go south on Chambers until it ends at Crest Drive. Turn left on to Crest. In about ½ mile turn right on Blanton Road. |
Past Winter Trips:
Reports on Past Trips:
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001