Description:

Meet at the Jerry's Home Improvement Center parking lot (2600 OR-99, Eugene, OR 97402) near the main entrance and Theona Dr, on the Hwy 99 side. Here are the coordinates: 44.098851, -123.168236. We will carpool from Jerry's. Our route will be 99W through Monroe > West on Alpine Cutoff Road > North on Bellfountain Road > to The Finley Refuge Road to the Headquarters.

This hike makes a loop through the William L Finely National Wildlife Refuge to experience the largest remaining tract of native Willamette Valley wet prairie in autumn. We will look for wildlife during this time of seasonal change. Expect to see fields interspersed with Oregon white oak, meandering creeks, bottomlands of Oregon ash, and some old-growth big lead maple.

We will begin at the Refuge Office and walk south along the Mill Hill trail through the forest to the trail junction. We will take the junction to head through fields to the Cattail Pond and then south to Bruce Road. At Bruce Road, we turn east and walk along the refuge's southern boundary to the Cheadle Marsh Trail. We will walk around the marsh and then over to Pigeon Butte. If the weather is clear, we will make a side trip to the quarry overlook on the butte. We continue on the trail north past Cabell Marsh to the Homer Campbell Boardwalk then continue west/south on the gravel road back to the parking area. At the Woodpecker Loop Trail —if the trail is open— we’ll take the wooded southern trail to the Intertie Trail, cross the gravel access road, and return to the Refuge Office building and our cars. There is a restroom at the building with an area to change into dry clothes if needed.