Driving down to Eugene from mountains in winter?? (Portland, Medford: homes, casino)

[KARW43]

I was originally considering coastal Oregon as a place to retire, but then got the insight from the forum that people have a tough time driving over the mountains in winter, due to the weather.

I’m wondering how bad the drive is, if one chooses to live on the Eugene side of those mountains (wouldn’t drive over them, just down one side). Is it the same? How often is it difficult to get down to Eugene from these mountains in winter?

I ask due to thinking if I needed to get to, say, a medical appointment in Eugene, how tough it would be. I would like to live on the coast, but now see there are homes in the mountains above Eugene on the coastal side.

Oregon seems an ideal place to go, in the overall area of Oregon I am inquiring about. I would not want to go to live in Portland.

Ideally, I would try to be not too far from a city like Eugene, but not in it.

I drove through southern Oregon from Medford to the coast and didn’t like that area. I found the dense forests super creepy.

I see how Big Foot could live there happily.

Medford itself was okay, but it would be hot. I’m still only really liking the coast, like Bandon, Coos Bay, Brookings, but the concern is the relatively low quality and lack of access to health care that prevails in those areas.

Other than that, I would (and still might) choose one of these coastal places. Thank you again.

[Metlakatla]

Lots of black ice and general weather on Highway 58 during winter, and the forests are no less dense.

[KARW43]

Thank you! I may give up on my idea then and look in Eugene.

[Metlakatla]

Look in Thurston. It's on the outer eastern edge of Springfield, and easy drive to whatever health care and other stuff you might need, and doesn't have the quality-of-life issues you'd find in Eugene proper.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by KARW43

I ask due to thinking if I needed to get to, say, a medical appointment in Eugene, how tough it would be. I would like to live on the coast, but now see there are homes in the mountains above Eugene on the coastal side.

For some reason I thought you meant the mountains on the east side of Eugene. Anyway, on the west side, Walton is at the summit, and Noti and Elmira are sort of in the foothills of the Coast Range. Veneta is closer to Eugene but is a dump to be avoided. You'd be better off east of Eugene. Thurston, as I mentioned, provides a good balance and has Thurston Hills Natural Area (you said in another thread that natural beauty was important to you). There's also Pleasant Hill, and Dexter, if you wanted to be further out. Beyond Dexter is where Highway 58 gets curvy and icy, so I wouldn't go past that.

[ejisme]

You're looking at a couple to a few times a month those mountain roads to the west will be icy or snow covered from mid-Nov to late Feb. They will certainly be rainy wet a lot, and a few times more where there will be wet snow coming down and accumulating on the grass at the side of the road. It won't be very predictable, because the difference between just rain and just snow/ice is very slim. Almost always you can drive through the passes over the Coast Range. You just run the risk that the rare time the snow sticks to the road will also be the day you have a specialist appointment you've been waiting for.

[Metlakatla]

While it's true that snow isn't a huge problem in the Coast Range, that doesn't mean there aren't other weather-related driving issues. The most common seems to be tree blowdown from storms. Lots of wrecks on Highway 126 on the western side; most seem to happen at or on the east side of Walton. Another thing that bothers me about that highway is the casino traffic; between that and the U of O students who go to the coast for day and weekend trips, impaired driving may be somewhat more likely than on other routes. Highway 126 on the east side is much better if you stick with the close-in foothill towns. The OP might want to look around Walterville.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

I've lived for a couple of years on the eastern slope of the Coast Range Mountains. There is snow in the winter and a great deal of rain and cloudiness.

The actual highway from the coast to Eugene is quite good, although I have almost never used that road. I've been over Hwy 20 many times in winter and it is not driving on a 4 lane freeway but it is not difficult if you have any driving skills at all and are aware that you must slow down when conditions are not good.

Fog can be a problem and that can make driving hazardous. It can slow the drive down to a crawl.

[Metlakatla]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

I've lived for a couple of years on the eastern slope of the Coast Range Mountains. There is snow in the winter and a great deal of rain and cloudiness.

The actual highway from the coast to Eugene is quite good, although I have almost never used that road. I've been over Hwy 20 many times in winter and it is not driving on a 4 lane freeway but it is not difficult if you have any driving skills at all and are aware that you must slow down when conditions are not good.

Fog can be a problem and that can make driving hazardous. It can slow the drive down to a crawl.

Not sure what you're basing your comment on if you've hardly ever used that highway. Every time there's a wreck there, ODOT says they don't have the money to improve it, so... Any highway is only as safe as the other drivers, which seems to be a real problem on that one — lots of wrecks where people were passing when they shouldn't have been, and drivers who should have been being cautious due to fog but weren't.

[ejisme]

I'll jump on the bandwagon of other drivers are the main problem, followed by wet roads, fog, general gloomy weather, trees falling, darkness without a lot of markers or lights along the road, then snow and ice. You just have to be prepared and you can usually drive through and make an appointment. Driving home might be tougher if you have a late in the day appointment and it's dark, wet and foggy for the drive home. But, realistically, how often each month would you NEED to drive to Eugene? Once, twice, more? How well can you plan the time of your trips and is there any flexibility (i.e. I need to shop for something special in Eugene, but I can go tomorrow/next week if the weather is bad)?

If you NEED to be in Eugene fairly often each month for medical or something, then maybe living at the coast isn't a good option.