Four miles long and configured in a series of three loops, the Steve Prefontaine Memorial Running Trail (Pre’s Trail) in Alton Baker Park hosts all ages and abilities of walkers and runners. This bark path with an engineered base is an iconic community and state asset known around the globe. Pre’s Trail is a tangible symbol of Eugene’s status as Track Town, USA. It is both an important tourism draw and a factor in individuals' decisions to relocate to Eugene.

Pre’s Trail memorializes the late Steve Prefontaine, and is a tribute not only to his incredible accomplishments as a runner, but to his vision that Eugene was the perfect place for a European style bark running path that would forever ensure runners, joggers, and walkers a peaceful respite from urban life – a quiet context in which to pursue good health both physically and mentally.

Over the past year, the City of Eugene Parks and Open Space staff has worked to propose and site a much needed disc golf course. Unfortunately, the current proposal has nine holes of the course placed over and within the beginning loop of the Steve Prefontaine Memorial Running Trail. The Oregon Track Club (OTC) supports the idea of a new disc golf course. Disc golf is growing in popularity and is a great recreational activity for all ages. We adamantly oppose placement of the course over Pre’s Trail.

Recent demonstrations at the proposed Alton Baker course drew a very high volume of disc golfers. We believe that overlapping Pre’s Trail with a disc golf course will negatively impact the Trail. The conflicts created and evidenced at Westmoreland Park cannot be ignored, where many runners avoid the running path when the park is busy with disc golf. OTC has asked the City to reconfigure or relocate the proposed disc golf course so that it does not overlap the Trail.

While more disc golfers than runners and walkers may have attended public meetings on this topic, thousands of runners and walkers regularly use Pre’s Trail. The legacy of Pre’s Trail, and the long-term implications of this decision require a separation of disc golf from the Trail. OTC is confident the City can find a way to accommodate disc golf without sacrificing a well-established memorial and a keystone of our community’s identity.

Over the years, the OTC has raised and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars and volunteers have contributed many thousands of hours in the preservation and maintenance of the Pre’s Trail. The Club works in partnership with the City of Eugene to ensure the Trail is available for all residents and visitors. Our input to the City and our advocacy for Pre’s Trail comes from a strong sense of stewardship.

Several years ago, in conjunction with the master plan for West Alton Baker Park, OTC participated in the realignment of a section of Pre’s Trail to accommodate plans for a future children’s play area similar in scope to RiverPlay at the base of Skinner Butte. Placement of a disc golf course in West Alton Baker Park will require a revision of that master plan and a scrapping of the plans for a play area if disc golf is to be permanently sited there.

OTC suggested in March that the City of Eugene consider East Alton Baker Park, also known as the Whilamut Natural Area for part or all of the disc golf course. As an inherently passive recreation activity, disc golf seemed to meet the master plan restrictions for this section of the Park. City staff indicated that the volume of disc golfers anticipated made it inappropriate for East Alton Baker Park under the current master plan.

Whether a disc golf course is placed in West Alton Baker Park, East Alton Baker Park, or another park altogether, the Oregon Track Club hopes an appropriate location is chosen that does not impact the Steve Prefontaine Memorial Running Trail.