Mount Pisgah–Hike to a promising land of spectacular wildflowers

April 22, 2021 |

Quick Facts:

Location: Willamette Valley south of Eugene Land Agency: Lane County Parks Roundtrip: 3.0 miles Elevation gain: 1,050 feet Map: Park map available online Contact: Friends of Buford Park and Mount Pisgah Notes: $5.00 day use fee; dogs must be leashed

Access: From Eugene follow Franklin Blvd (Exit 189 I-5 southbound or Exit 188B northbound ) to Seavey Loop Road (follow signs for park). Continue for about 1.5 miles crossing river and turn righting onto Frank Parrish Road. Proceed 0.4 mile to trailhead.

Good to Know: kid-friendly, dog-friendly, exceptional wildflowers, snow-free winter hike

Rising above the confluence of the Middle Fork and Coast Fork Willamette Rivers, just minutes from downtown Springfield and Eugene, Oregon is 1,531-foot Mount Pisgah. Centerpiece to the 2,363-acre Howard Buford County Park, hikers can take to more than 30 miles of excellent trails across this beautiful and ecologically diverse landscape.

The views alone of the Willamette Valley and the foothills of Oregon’s Central Cascades is enough of a draw to hike this peak named by early settlers for the mountain in which Moses first saw the Promised Land. But there’s more reason to hike Pisgah’s verdant slopes. Come springtime the mountain’s oak savannah bursts into a kaleidoscope of flowers. And nowhere have I seen a better and bigger camas displays than at this gorgeous mountain overlooking Oregon’s heartland.

There are several ways to get to Pisgah’s summit and you can easily spend all day or two hiking within this park. There’s a good map available on line—print it and take it. Take trail number one, an old service road turned wide and smooth trail 1.5 miles to the open summit. Soak up the views and then explore at will the flowering radiating slopes. Aside from camas, look for Oregon iris, western buttercups, shooting stars, fawn lilies and plenty of other species.

If you don’t spend all day hiking, consider a visit to the park’s 209-acre Mount Pisgah Arboretum. A living tree museum, the arboretum has some beautiful family friendly trails including one along the Coast Fork of the Willamette River.