Eugene prepares traffic changes, crowd management for busy Hendricks Park weekend
Fairmount Boulevard turns westbound-only through Hendricks Park for Mother's Day weekend as Eugene braces for a crowd similar to last year's 7,500-plus visitors.
Fairmount Boulevard will run westbound only through Hendricks Park as Eugene prepares for a Mother’s Day weekend surge the city expects to be similar to last year, when more than 7,500 people visited the park.
The temporary traffic restriction will take effect May 10 at 7 a.m. and remain in place through the morning of May 11, covering Fairmount Boulevard from its intersection with Floral Hill Drive to the 2800 block of Fairmount Boulevard. City staff will be on site to direct traffic and help with parking as families converge on one of Eugene’s most popular spring destinations.
The city is also steering some visitors toward a quieter option: a 360-degree virtual tour of the upper section of Hendricks Park, available through the city parks website. For anyone bringing older relatives, visiting from out of town, or simply trying to skip the weekend crush, the online tour offers a way to see the park without circling for a parking space.
Hendricks Park has long been a draw for that kind of holiday outing. Eugene’s oldest city park was established in 1906 after Thomas and Martha Hendricks donated 47 acres, and the city later purchased additional acreage to build out the roughly 80-acre park. The grounds include a world-renowned rhododendron garden, a native plant garden and a Douglas fir forest, and the city says the park is home to more than 6,000 varieties of rhododendrons and other ornamental plants.
The park also sits at the northern terminus of the 12-mile Ridgeline Trail and remains tied to a long tradition of stewardship. The rhododendron garden was established in 1951 by the Eugene Men’s Camellia and Rhododendron Club, while the native plant garden dates to 2002. The forested portion covers about 60 acres and serves as wildlife habitat, and the city says park staff and volunteers have worked under a Forest Management Plan since 2000 to preserve the urban forest.
The Francis M. Wilkins Shelter, originally built in 1938, is not available for rental on Mother’s Day. City officials are asking visitors to allow extra time, follow staff directions, stay on the paths and avoid picking flowers as Hendricks Park absorbs one of its busiest weekends of the year. Other Eugene options for Mother’s Day outings include Owen Rose Garden, Alton Baker Park, Downtown Riverfront Park, Santa Clara Park and neighborhood parks across the city.
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