Skinner Butte is the smaller of Eugene's two town hills — 682 ft, immediately north of downtown and the Willamette River. It is named after Eugene Skinner, who built the first cabin here in 1846 and gave the city its name.
Trails climb from various sides; a road also goes to the top. From the summit you look down on the Willamette, the railroad, and the downtown grid; on a clear day Mount Pisgah is visible to the southeast. The Columns, a basalt rock wall on the east side of the butte, is one of Oregon's best-known beginner climbing spots and is the closest urban crag to downtown.