Rogers Peak - Tillamook Co. High Point

Oregon County HP: #22
Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️ (on a scale of 5)
Summit Elevation: 3,703 feet
Mountain Range: Oregon Coast Range
Ancestral Lands: Nehalem; Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla; Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde; and Confederated Tribes of the Siletz

PLANNING DETAILS

Location: Rogers Peak is located amid the Tillamook State Forest in northwest Oregon, approximately 25 miles east of Tillamook.

When to Visit: Rogers Peak is open year-round; however, the Tillamook Forest has its own unique microclimate, which differs from that of other local areas. This peak also receives snow in the winter, so the most popular time to visit is late spring to early autumn, when the logging roads are dry and drivable. The nearby Tillamook Forest Center posts updated road and weather conditions HERE.

Fees/Permits Required: None. This high point is situated on a pocket of private land surrounded by Tillamook State Forest. The owners (Hampton Lumber) currently allow visitors to use the logging roads between the state forest boundary and Rogers Peak without requiring any permit or fees. However, a gate on Gilmore Road stops vehicle access approximately 2 miles from the summit. Visitors may approach the final stretch to the top of Rogers Peak on foot, by bicycle, or on horseback.

Getting There: Rogers Peak is most easily accessed from the south via Oregon Highway 6 (OR-6), the main highway between Tillamook and Banks, Oregon.

Directions from Portland:

From I-405, take US-26 (exit 1D) west toward Beaverton.
Continue on US-26 for 20 miles until you reach the interchange with OR-6. Take the exit toward Tillamook.
Drive west on US-6 for approximately 28 miles, where you will see a sign pointing right towards Jones Creek Campground. Take this right turn onto Jones Creek Road and cross the bridge over the Wilson River.
When you reach the campground’s entrance, turn right (away from the campground and toward the Diamond Mill OHV Area) onto North Fork Wilson River Road and follow the gravel road for 3 miles.
When the road forks near the North Fork dispersed campsites, turn left and head north up West Fork Road for 1 mile until you see the small bridge spanning the creek on your right.
Drive over the bridge and onto Gilmore Road. Follow this narrow logging road for 3.5 miles until you reach the yellow gate that crosses the road. The hike to the summit begins at this gate.

Directions from Tillamook:

From downtown Tillamook, head east on OR-6 toward Portland for 21 miles.
Just beyond mile marker 22, you will see a sign pointing left towards Jones Creek Campground. Take this left turn onto Jones Creek Road and cross the bridge over the Wilson River.
When you reach the campground’s entrance, turn right (away from the campground and toward the Diamond Mill OHV Area) onto North Fork Wilson River Road and follow the gravel road for 3 miles.
When the road forks near the North Fork dispersed campsites, turn left and head north up West Fork Road for 1 mile until you see the small bridge spanning the creek on your right.
Drive over the bridge and onto Gilmore Road. Follow this narrow logging road for 3.5 miles until you reach the yellow gate that crosses the road. The hike to the summit begins at this gate.

Parking: The yellow gate across Gilmore Road is the boundary between the Tillamook State Forest and private land. When the gate is closed, there is space for one vehicle to park just outside the gate, with more space downhill on Gillmore Road at the various turnouts. If the gate is open, there is ample room to park just inside the gate, but visitors park there at their own risk, as Hampton Lumber may close and lock the gate at any time. The closest amenities (toilets, water, trash) are located at Jones Creek Campground near OR-6.

Pets Allowed: There are no signs prohibiting animals. However, this CoHP is on private land, so all animals should be under the direct control of a human.

Kid Friendly: Yes. Due to its length and grade, this hike is best suited for children 8 years old or older.

Hiking Distance: 4.1 miles round-trip.

The Summit: Rogers Peak has no views due to the dense forest atop its summit. There is no geodetic survey monument or signs designating the high point. However, there are a few mossy boulders atop the flattish summit, with one noticeably taller than the others. This boulder is the high point. A summit register is located in a red can and jar nearby.

TRIP SUMMARY

Date Visited: July 28, 2025

Route Used: Gilmore Road – 4.1 miles (round-trip)

Rogers Peak was part of a two-fer of county high points I bagged during my recent visit to the Oregon Coast. The other was nearby Washington CoHP, which is accessed 11 miles farther east on OR-6.

I started my morning in Pacific City, which isn’t particularly close by as far as launching points go. But it was where the hubby and I were camping on the Oregon Coast. And it was far better than a 2.5-hour drive (each way) from my home in Eugene. Besides, if all went well, I’d get to toast my achievement with an ice cream cone from Tillamook Creamery on my way back to Pacific City this afternoon.

Getting to the start of this high point requires all visitors to take OR-6, the paved highway running between Tillamook and Portland. About a quarter-mile east of the Tillamook Forest Center, I spotted the brown signs for Jones Creek Campground and turned off the highway to begin the 7.7-mile trip to the gate on Gilmore Road where this hike begins.

The drive between Jones Creek Campground and the Gilmore Road gate follows several logging roads inside Tillamook State Forest. The roads were in excellent condition on this mid-summer morning. They were easily drivable in any type of car, and my SUV had no issues.

I noticed mile markers on the route roughly every half mile, but none of the other signs along this route direct visitors to Rogers Peak. In fact, most of the signs I passed were for OHV trails and dispersed camping. Nonetheless, the route was fairly straightforward.

The drive began on North Fort Wilson Road – on the logging road directly across from Jones Creek Campground. I followed this gravel road for three miles until I reached a junction at the boundary of a “Fee Area” marked by dayglow orange flags and signs for the North Fork dispersed campsites.

This junction was where North Fork Wilson Road met West Fork Road. The campsites were presumably across the small bridge on my right, while the wider main road curved around to the left onto West Ford Road.

For the next mile, the gravel road followed the creek on my right side. More signs for OHV trails appeared around me, but I didn’t see a soul.

Just beyond the tree marking mile 4 on the logging road (aka 4 miles from Jones Creek Campground), I departed the main logging road, making a right turn over a small concrete bridge. I was now on Gilmore Road, a narrow, curvy logging road that would take me the remaining 3.5 miles through the Tillamook State Forest to the access gate where my hike would begin.

Those next few miles were quiet, but nerve-wrecking. I’d seen some signs back near Jones Creek Campground indicating that active logging and hauling in the area. As a result, I found myself driving slowly up the curvy roads, expectantly listening for the rumble of a diesel engine that signaled a logging truck would soon be approaching.

This sign for active logging and hauling had me worried.

The tall trees of the forest cast a dark shadow over my surroundings as I climbed and made the tight turns on this narrow road. I occasionally passed turnouts wide enough for a single car, but would I reach one in time to pull into it if a logging truck came barreling down these tight curves toward me?

When I reached the sign for mile 6 on the trees, I still hadn’t heard or seen a single logging truck, though, and the steep road seemed to be leveling off finally. A large family of quail was hanging out on the road, but they flew away into the woods before I could get a photo. And just ahead, a break in the trees provided me with my first glimpse of Rogers Peak and its tree-covered summit.

I was so distracted by this view that I almost missed seeing the animal that walked into the forest on the right side of the road. I didn’t see the entire body of this four-legged animal, just the back half of it as it disappeared into the trees. At first glance, I thought it was a medium-sized dog. But what would a dog be doing way up here on its own?

That left only two other options for what I’d seen. It was either a coyote or a mountain lion (cougar). Oregon is home to an estimated 6,000 mountain lions, according to ODFW. So it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that what I’d just seen was the back end of a big cat. But I was going to ignore that possibility. I didn’t need anything new to worry about on this drive. My fear of a collision with a logging truck was enough stress.

When I passed the marker for mile 7.5, I knew I was getting close to my destination. Roughly a quarter-mile farther, I reached the yellow access gate marking the boundary of the Tillamook State Forest land and the private land owned by Hampton Lumber.

Based on the trip reports from my fellow highpointers, I’d assumed this gate between the two parcels would be closed and locked. But it was wide open as I approached. This meant there was no parking available in front of the gate. What’s more, the last place I’d seen that was wide enough to pull out was back down by the 7.5-mile marker.

Gate at the boundary of Hampton Lumber land

A sign beside the gate informed visitors they were entering private property, and that the area was open for non-motorized recreational use. I could proceed on foot for the remaining 2 miles to the summit, but first, I had to figure out where to park my car so that it wouldn’t block the road or get side-swiped by a logging truck while I was off hiking.

I drove past the gate to find a good place to turn around, and that’s when I discovered there were plenty of places to park about 100 feet up the hill. I wasn’t sure if this was a viable choice, though. The sign beside the gate read: GATES MAY BE LOCKED AT ANY TIME. DO NOT BLOCK GATE! in bold, red font. If I opted to park inside this gate, I’d be taking a risk that I might get locked behind it.

But the bigger risk seemed to be finding a better place to park where I’d be safely out of the way of other vehicles coming up or down this road. Besides, it was 9:30 on a Monday morning. I hadn’t seen or heard a single logging truck yet. What were the chances that someone was going to come and lock the gate during the work day?

And so, I decided to roll the dice. I parked my SUV just inside the gate, making sure it was tucked far enough off the road’s edge that it wasn’t blocking the ingress or egress while I was gone. Here’s hoping I wasn’t being foolish, I thought to myself as I grabbed my daypack and began the hike uphill for the final 2 miles (and 1,270 vertical feet) to the summit.

A gravel road led me uphill beside a tree-covered slope, and it was a pleasant morning hike. The sun was out. The temperature was climbing into the low 70s. And not another soul was around.

After half a mile of hiking, the logging road began to level out. I was so distracted by the views to the east that I almost missed my sharp left turn off the logging road to continue uphill. Purple foxglove lined the gravel road as it continued north, and I couldn’t help but stop to take some pictures.

As I reached the top of a clear-cut hilltop with tons of silver-gray stumps dotting the slopes, I was treated to fantastic views of the Oregon Coast Range and the Pacific Ocean 20 miles away. A network of logging roads left scars across the hilltops below me, and there still wasn’t a single logging truck in sight. It was a supremely quiet morning.

The road curved east again and leveled out, and I could now see Rogers Peak. The round forested summit was just ahead. This was turning into such a pleasant hike with the nicely groomed dirt and gravel path leading me almost the entire way to my destination.

The logging road skirted the southern side of Rogers Peak, and when I got to mile 1.9 (from my car), I reached a junction with another gravel road that broke off sharply to my left. I followed the final turn uphill and began the last push toward my destination between the skinny “toothpick” trunks of the trees that lined the top of the mountain.

After less than 0.2 miles, the road ended abruptly. It didn’t quite reach the summit. However, I could see a faint trail into the trees that seemed to head the final uphill stretch. It wasn’t a true trail. But the trampled area clearly indicated that others had used it before me.

After a minute or two of bushwhacking, I reached the small, flattish summit ensconced inside a dense cocoon of trees. There were no views; just trees, mossy rocks, and foliage. But one of these boulders seemed taller than the rest, so I made my way over to it to claim it as the highest natural point in Tillamook County.

I wasn’t surprised to discover that there wasn’t any sort of survey benchmark or marker atop this boulder. It would have been impossible for a surveyor to see anything from inside this cluster of trees. But I made sure to climb atop the fuzzy boulder, just to lay claim to the high point.

From this vantage point, I could see two red-painted metal cans peeking out from beneath some of the other boulders nearby. Inside each one was a small notepad that served as the summit register. I wasn’t sure which one was the “official” summit register, so I signed both of them, just to be safe.

My hike back downhill was completely uneventful. I didn’t spot any mountain lions. I didn’t hear any logging trucks in the distance. It was so quiet that the sole soundtrack accompanying my descent was my footfalls crunching on the gravel and the occasional bird calls.

The yellow access gate across Gilmore Road was still open when I returned to the car. I hadn’t been locked inside during my 4-mile hike. And it was still early enough in the day that I had enough time to head over to Washington County to try and bag another county high point – South Saddle Mountain!

BONUS MATERIAL

Public Camping:

Jones Creek Campground is located directly south of Rogers Peak and offers 28 drive-in campsites and 14 walk-in tent campsites. This State Forest campground is open from mid-May to early October and sits near the banks of the Wilson River and adjacent to the 20-mile-long Wilson River Trail. All campsites are first-come, first-served, and the rustic campground features one vault toilet, picnic tables, potable water, fire rings, and wood shed. Cost: $15-20 per campsite (includes 2 vehicles); a fee station is on-site.
Elk Creek Campground is situated on OR-6, between Rogers Peak and South Saddle Mountain, and is open year-round. This State Forest campground has 15 first-come, first-served walk-in tent campsites, a vault toilet, and potable water. Cost: $15 per campsite; fee station is on-site.
Gales Creek Campground is located on OR-6, just 15 miles west of Banks, OR. This State Forest campground is open from mid-May to early October, has 21 first-come, first-served tent campsites, a vault toilet, picnic tables, and a hand pump for water. Cost: $20 per campsite (includes 2 vehicles); fee station is on-site.

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