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On a cold, but sunny, winter day, we were all itching to get outside. We packed up the kids and headed to Lane Community College in Eugene, Oregon. They have a short walking trail that’s perfect for children.
The beginning of the walking trail is near LCC. You’ll find it at the very west end of the parking lot, through a gate marked “Private Property”. You are allowed to walk through, but they ask that you not drive through or block the gate. Park in the parking lot D, walk through the gate and up the road a short way. The path will be to the right.
Although some spots on the trail were muddy or icy today, most of it was ideal for walking. I’ve been on this trail before when it could accommodate strollers, but today we found some limbs down across the path and the muddy spots were really sludgy. It’s perfect for using a baby carrier, though.
We found leaves, snow, lichen, tree fungus, bright red berries, and more to interest the kids. The hike is maybe 1/2 mile and took us less than an hour.
Our kids are 1, 2, 3, 6, 11 years. Our 1-year-old rode in a Deuter frame pack on Papa’s back and our 3-year-old started out walking but finished in a Toddler Tula on mama’s back. The 2-year-old did fine, as did the older kids.
If you go: you really don’t need a map, but one is available on LCC’s website. It’s the purple route, but we only did the forested portion from Parking Lot D to Lot A.
Click to enlarge map
