Pre's Trail

Pre's Trail, located on the north side of the Willamette River in Eugene, Oregon, United States, aka "Track Town USA", is a four-mile-long running trail named after heralded University of Oregon athlete Steve Prefontaine. The woodchip and bark trail features riparian scenery, including grasslands, duck ponds, and woods, as well as guide signs with a trails map at each of three primary trailheads. Near downtown Eugene, in Alton Baker Park, Pre's Trail is part of an extensive network of running trails in and around the university town and neighboring Springfield.

History

"Pre", as Steve Prefontaine is still well known, was impressed with the style and terrain of European cross country running courses while competing overseas. Upon return from Europe, he suggested to local officials building a running trail through Eugene's Alton Baker Park. Lane County worked with the Oregon Track Club and University of Oregon track coach Bill Bowerman to design and build Pre's Trail. Within four months of Pre's premature death in 1975, a memorial race in his honor, with around five hundred participants, took place on the new trail.

Situated to the north of and across the Willamette River from the University of Oregon, Pre's Trail is enjoyed by a variety of recreational users in the urban core of Eugene. The venue is often the site of cross country competitions staged by local schools, colleges and running clubs. Additionally, a significant portion of the Eugene Marathon is on Pre's Trail.

Route

Pre's Trail undulates mildly on a typically flat river isle, and features large sections entirely covered by wood chips, with some single track dirt trail, gravel sections, and a short swath of asphalt on the Big Loop.

There are three main loops, with interlinking paths:

Southeast (Big Loop), 1.66 miles
Center (Parcourse Loop), .65 miles
Northwest (Bottom Loop), 1.06

Access

Pre's Trail is located off Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, near Autzen Stadium.

Pre's trail lies within Alton Baker Park, and is accessible from parking lots at three trailhead entrances, at each of the three main loops. There are two footbridges, providing access from the University of Oregon campus, located just across the Willamette River. From campus, the Center Loop can be accessed via the Autzen Footbridge (south of Autzen Stadium, half a block north of Franklin and Agate Streets), and to the southeastern Big Loop via the Knickerbocker Footbridge (near Franklin and Riverview Streets).