- Oregon County HP: #4
- Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️ (on a scale of 5)
- Summit Elevation: 4,101 feet
- Mountain Range: Oregon Coast Range
- Ancestral Lands: Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Alsea, Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, and Confederated Tribes of the Siletz
PLANNING DETAILS
Location: Marys Peak is located in Siuslaw National Forest approximately 25 miles west of Corvallis.
When to Visit: Late spring to early autumn. Marys Peak is the tallest peak in the Oregon Coast Range and often has snow lingering near its summit until Memorial Day. The U.S. Forest Service leaves the paved access road open year-round; however, the road is not maintained during the winter months. Driving up to the summit in the off-season is strongly discouraged due to potentially dangerous conditions from snow, ice, and falling trees.
Fees/Permits Required: There is a $5 parking fee per vehicle. Cash payment is made via envelopes and drop boxes at the trailhead. No fee is required if you have a have a valid Northwest Forest Pass, Oregon Coast Passport, or Interagency Pass.
Getting There: Marys Peak is most accessible from Marys Peak Road on the south of the mountain. The top of this access road will curve around to the mountain’s north side near the Marys Peak Day Use Area (uppermost parking lot).
From the Marys Peak Day Use Area, visitors can ascend to the summit of this county high point on foot using the Summit Trail #1388 (1.6 miles roundtrip) or the gravel access road that runs to the top of the peak (1.4 miles round-trip).
Directions from Corvallis: From downtown Corvallis, head west on US-20/Corvallis-Newport Hwy for 6.5 miles. Just beyond the town of Philomath, make a left turn onto OR-34/Alsea Hwy and continue south for 9 miles. Turn right at the Marys Peak Road and continue up the road toward Marys Peak. After 5 miles, the road will reach a T junction with another paved road. Continue driving straight through the junction and you will now be on NF-3010. Drive for 4 more miles. About 0.5 miles past Marys Peak Campground, the paved road will end at the Marys Peak Day Use Area. This is the uppermost parking lot with access to Marys Peak.
Parking: The Marys Peak Day Use Area is a paved parking lot with enough room for approximately 50 vehicles. Marys Peak is a popular and highly-trafficked area to visit. There are pit toilets, picnic tables, and trash cans at the trailhead, but no potable water is available.
Pets Allowed: Yes. Dogs must be on a leash no longer than six feet.
Kid Friendly: Yes.
The Summit: Marys Peak’s summit is occupied by two outbuildings and some radio towers surrounded by chainlink fencing. There is a geodetic survey monument embedded in concrete just outside the fence’s perimeter (near the compound’s northeast corner).
TRIP SUMMARY
Date Visited: June 7, 2023
Route Used: Summit Trail (#1388) – 1.6 miles round-trip
This was my second visit to Marys Peak in 2023. My first visit was at the very end of April, but it was wholly unsuccessful due to the amount of snow still covering Marys Peak Road and blocking access above Parker Creek. It was a high snow year in Oregon, so I should have known better. I would need to return after Memorial Day and try again.
After several weeks of warm weather, I planned my second visit for a June weekday just to avoid the crowds. The drive up was wholly uneventful this time around, and I arrived at the Marys Peak Day Use Area (uppermost parking lot) to find just a handful of cars in the parking area along with two U.S. Forest Service employees were doing some work up the upper part of the mountain.
I already knew from my prior visit that there’s a $5 parking fee (per vehicle) at all the parking lots. But I wouldn’t need to worry about paying for a day-use permit thanks to my America the Beautiful Veterans Pass. I merely needed to hang my pass from the rearview mirror, grab the dog, and head to trailhead on the edge of the parking area.
There are two routes up to the summit of Marys Peak from this upper parking lot – the Summit Trail (#1388), which is about 0.8 miles long; or the gravel access road, which is 0.7 miles long. I opted for the slightly longer, but more scenic trail, which took me through the forest on single track trail and had lovely views to the east toward Corvallis for part of the way.
About halfway to the summit, the trail met back up with the gravel access road again before heading back into the woods on the access road’s opposite side. I’d originally planned to continue on the trail all the way up to the summit, but just as I got to this junction, a man walking back down the access road wanted to stop and ask me some questions.
First, he wanted to know if I was hiking with with a pitbull (nope, she’s a boxer). Then he proceeded to interrogate me about what other breed she’s mixed with because he’d never personally seen a black boxer before. It was just one more the opportunity to educate someone on ‘sealed’ brindle boxers before Heidi and I would get to continue on our way. Luckily, she didn’t mind a bit of a rest.
The dog conversation lasted just long enough to get me off-track. And once I returned to hiking, I ended up making a left turn and summiting the rest of Marys Peak on the gravel access road — rather than continuing straight ahead onto the Summit Trail as I’d originally intended.
I didn’t mind this little detour though because it gave us a chance to wind around to the south side of the peak on our way up and catch some views of all the wildflowers growing amid the rocks.
Sadly, the top of Marys Peak wasn’t very pretty. It’s covered with a bunch of radio towers and a few outbuildings surrounded by a chainlink fence. But at least the survey monument for the peak was outside the fenced perimeter, allowing highpointers to access it freely (instead of stealthily scaling a fence to go somewhere they should be 😉).
We did a bit of exploring at around the top of Marys Peak before finding our way over to the one remaining pile of snow heaped into the trees just below us. Then we wandered down the Summit Trail (and back up again) just to see what we’d missed by taking the access road up.
Since it was such a beautiful day, we continued on to hike the Meadow Edge Trail too, which is a 1.6-mile loop that winds it way through an old growth forest. We spotted a small skink beside the trail, but that was the only wildlife other than a few squirrels.
The real highlight of this second trail was seeing all the spring wildflowers in bloom and just enjoying the fresh air and the quiet of the outdoors. All told, it was a terrific day to bag my 4th Oregon county high point!
BONUS MATERIAL
Alternate Routes:
- East Ridge Trail. This route approaches from the Conners Camp TH, located on Marys Peak Road just 2.2 miles up from the road’s junction with OR-34/Alsea Hwy. The trail begins lower down the mountain at 2,585 feet elevation and allows for a longer and more challenging hike. To get to the summit, follow the East Ridge Trail (#1324) for 2.4 miles to the Marys Peak Day Use Area, then ascend the remaining 0.8 miles to the summit via the Summit Trail (#1388). This hike is a 6.4 miles long (roundtrip).
- North Ridge Trail. This route approaches from the Woods Creek TH, located on the north side of Marys Peak off Wood Creek Road, and it makes for a nice side trip when hiking the Corvallis to the Sea (C2C) trail. To get to the summit, follow the North Ridge Trail (#1350) for 3.7 miles until you get to the Marys Use Day Area, then ascend to remaining 0.8 miles to the summit via the Summit Trail (#1388). This hike is a 9 miles long (roundtrip).
Camping nearby:
- Marys Peak Campground is located 0.7 miles below the Marys Peak Day Use Area and offers 6 campsites on a first-come, first-serve basis. This USFS campground is open from May to November (weather dependent), and it has one vault toilet, plus picnic tables and fire rings at each campsite. There is NO potable water in the campground. Cost: $10 per campsite.
Resources:
- Marys Peak Overview (USFS)
- Marys Peak Day Use Area & Parking Information (USFS)
- Trail Map for Marys Peak
- Highpointing Marys Peak (Peakbagger)
