Bush's Pasture Park & Minto-Brown Island Park

Bush's Pasture Park

The Willamette University cross country teams call Bush’s Pasture Park in Salem, Ore., their home. The park covers over 90 acres and is just two blocks from the Willamette University campus. It is a public park highly utilized by the Willamette and Salem communities.

A 1.5 mile bark trail surrounds the perimeter of the park, making it a great place for an easy run or a full workout. Runners on the Willamette's distance squad tally a majority of their miles in the park.

Minto-Brown Island Park

Just a five-minute jog from campus is Minto-Brown Island Park. The park is the perfect place for long runs and workouts. While many of the 20 miles of paths are paved, a bit of exploration and adventure can lead to the soft surfaces of bark paths that runners crave.

This 900-acre park is a Wildlife Refuge, so keep your eyes peeled for great blue herons and beavers. The trails wind through orchards, fields, forests and a dog park. Minto-Brown is the place to go for those seeking seclusion. In the front of the park, you’ll find plenty of other runners, walkers and bikers, but once you delve into the deeper trails, it feels like you have the place to yourself.