Calendar

Past Activity

Finley—Woodpecker & Mill Hill

  • Start date: 09/02/2023

  • Start time: 12:00 AM

  • End date: 09/02/2023

  • End time: 11:59 PM

Description:

Meet at the Jerry's Home Improvement Center parking lot (2600 OR-99, Eugene, OR 97402) on the east side near the main entrance and Hwy 99. We will carpool from there. Our route will be 99W > W on Dawson Road > N on Bellfountain Road > Finley Refuge Road (gravel) to the Woodpecker Loop parking area. There is a pit toilet at the trailhead.

This is a nature-viewing hike on the forested west side on the FInley National Wildlife Refuge.

We will begin hiking on the Woodpecker Loop going counter-clockwise. Within the first 20 minutes we will pass through an oak savanna where we hope to see views of the Three Sisters in the distance. Hopefully a few maples will be turning colors in the trail. At the Inter-tie Trail we head south passing the park headquarters to the Mill Hill Trail where we will go counter-clockwise around the loop, returning again past the park headquarters. We will rest a bit at the HQ, visit the park store and enjoy the interpretive displays there. We will wrap-up the hikes by taking the Inter-tie trail back to the Woodpecker Loop Trailhead.

Lunch will be somewhere on the trail. Dress for the weather. We plan to return to the Jerry's parking lot between 3pm and 4pm. The trip leader has been on about half of this trail, not the Mill Hill Loop.

  • Event Leader: Hougardy Mark

  • Assistant Leader:

  • Event category: Trips

  • Area Type:

  • Departure Location: See Trip Description

  • Rating: Easy

  • Roundtrip total drive miles: 58

  • Season: 2023

  • Permits Required:

  • Event Status: Passed

  • Supplies and Equipment Required:

  • participant prerequisites:

  • Conditions:

  • Total Distance: 4.5

  • Member Fees: —

  • Elevation Gain: 330

  • Non-Member Fees: 5

  • Committee: Trips

  • Junior member fees: —

Trip Report

Arriving at the Finely National Wildlife Refuge we discovered the Woodpecker Loop Trail was closed for repairs. Instead of beginning our hike on that path, we parked at the Visitor Center and then proceeded to the second part of our planned hike, the Mill Hill Loop. We saw a vulture on the trail. There were numerous flying ants emerging from the ground in several areas. Upon returning to the Visitor Center area, it was learned the nearby and rarely opened Fiechter House was open and staffed with interpreters. The house was built in the 1850s and is considered to be the oldest house in Benton County. After our visit to the Fiechter House, we stopped by the Campbell Boardwalk for a side trip to the Cabell Marsh. We made good use of the opportunity to eat plums and blackberries in the parking area before heading home.

Members & Guests signed-up & waitlisted

  • Number of spots on trip: 8
  • Number of spots available: 2
No. Status Full name Phone Transportation Needed? Trip Fee # Can Take?
1 Signed-Up Hougardy, Mark 541-206-9532 N —
2 Signed-Up Hougardy, Christiane 541-914-4556 N —
3 Signed-Up Esch, Patricia 541-338-8280 N —
4 Signed-Up Predeek, Dave 541-345-5531 N —
5 Signed-Up Kopp, Howard 541-391-3654 N 5
6 Signed-Up Koch, Elizabeth 281-323-9440 N —