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Marys Peak Meadow Edge Loop Hike

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

(Redirected from Marys Peak Meadow Edge Hike)
Heading down to the meadow edge trail from the summit (cfm)
The trail through old growth Noble fir forest (cfm)
Trillium on the Meadow Edge Trail (bobcat)
Looking northwest from the summit of Marys Peak (bobcat)
Map showing the Meadow Edge Trail (bobcat) Courtesy: USFS
  • Start point: Marys Peak Campground TrailheadRoad.JPG
  • End point: Marys Peak
  • Hike Type: Loop with spur
  • Distance: 2.2 miles
  • Elevation gain: 470 feet
  • High point: 4,097 feet
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Seasons: April through December
  • Family Friendly: Yes
  • Backpackable: No
  • Crowded: No

Contents

Hike Description

This is a wonderful little interpretive loop in an old growth noble fir forest near the summit of Marys Peak, with a short spur leading up to the peak itself. Marys Peak is the highest mountain in Oregon's Coast Range and offers wide-ranging views on a clear day. The combination of open meadows and old-growth forest groves offers great wildflower viewing in the spring, and the area is part of the Marys Peak Scenic Botanical Special Interest Area.

Begin at the parking area just outside the entrance to the Marys Peak Campground. Park here and walk into the small campground to find the trailhead. The trail immediately enters the forest and you will climb up a short way and come to the beginning of the loop. You can hike in either direction, but I suggest turning left, then going clockwise. The trail rises through an area of old blowdown created by a 1996 storm and then passes along the edge of a meadow before reentering the woods. The vegetation is thick at the bottom of the the trail near a small stream, but as you climb, making a couple of switchbacks, the understory will thin out and give you a good view of the stately noble firs around you. Forest wildflowers that bloom in this pretty green understory include wood-sorrel, vanilla leaf, trillium, and fairy bells.

For the side trip to the summit, stay right at the first junction, which leads to the gravel summit road, but turn left at the second junction to hike up a grassy meadow where violets and glacier lilies bloom in June. When you reach the top of Marys Peak, enjoy the 360-degree views up and down the Coast Range, west to the Pacific Ocean, and east across the Willamette Valley to Mount Jefferson, the Three Sisters and, far to the south, Diamond Peak. Looking north, you should be able to see Mount Rainier, Mount Saint Helens, and Mount Hood. Although there is a relay station here with antennae, the meadows make a perfect spot for a picnic on a warm dry day. Phlox, larkspur, paintbrush, and desert-parsley flower in this sunny location in late spring.

Return to the loop the way you came to the summit, and turn left. You'll pass a small kiosk that dispenses trail guides for this interpretive trail. At 1.2 miles on the loop trail, the path heads out into the western meadow where you can view the west spur of Marys Peak below you, the summit above you, and the whole world beyond! Enjoy the view before switchbacking into the dark forest of silver and noble firs, following the path in three more switchbacks through a beautiful oxalis carpet. Cross Parker Creek on a footbridge, and pass through a salmonberry thicket. Now you'll be heading up gradually. At a junction with a map, bear left to return to the campground trailhead.


Maps

Regulations or Restrictions, etc.

  • Northwest Forest Pass (or America the Beautiful Pass) required

Trip Reports

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this hike

  • 100 Hikes: Oregon Coast by William L. Sullivan
  • Hiking Oregon's History by William L. Sullivan
  • Best Hikes With Kids: Oregon by Bonnie Henderson & Zach Urness
  • Best Hikes with Children: Western & Central Oregon by Bonnie Henderson
  • Oregon's Best Wildflower Hikes: Northwest Region by George Wuerthner
  • Wild in the Willamette edited by Lorraine Anderson with Abby Phillips Metzger
  • Hiking Oregon's Geology by Ellen Morris Bishop
  • Corvallis Trails by Margie C. Powell
  • A Guide to Trails in the Corvallis Area by Phillip R. Hays
  • Day Hikes in the Pacific Northwest by Don J. Scarmuzzi
  • Siuslaw Forest Hikes: A Guide to Oregon's Central Coast Range Trails by Irene & Dick Lilja
  • Best Short Hikes in Northwest Oregon by Rhonda & George Ostertag
  • 75 Hikes in Oregon's Coast Range & Siskiyous by Rhonda & George Ostertag
  • Oregon Campgrounds Hiking Guide by Rhonda & George Ostertag
  • Oregon Coast Camping & Hiking by Tom Stienstra & Sean Patrick Hill

More Links


Contributors

  • CFM (creator)
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Oregon Hikers Field Guide is built as a collaborative effort by its user community. While we make every effort to fact-check, information found here should be considered anecdotal. You should cross-check against other references before planning a hike. Trail routing and conditions are subject to change. Please contact us if you notice errors on this page.

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