Appalachians of the West?
When people think of mountains in the Pacific Northwest, they usually think of the Cascades. With towering volcanoes like Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, and Mt. Baker, they are certainly hard to beat. However, there is a lesser-known range that runs much closer to the coast. In Washington they go by the name Willapa Hills, and in Oregon they are known as the Coast Range. With peaks in the 3000′ range, sometimes reaching up to 4000′, they give the Appalachians a run for their money.
The crown jewel and highest peak in the Coast Range is Mary’s Peak. At 4097′, it looms above the town of Corvallis and beckons people to come explore. The drive out there is twisty-turny. For some it’s just one stop on their way deeper into the Coast Range, to see the salmon runs of the Alsea River and eventually the ocean at Waldport. But for most, Marys Peak is the final destination for a day trip.
There are a few options to climb Marys Peak. One is quite easy, and just consists of driving the paved access road to the day use area. From there it is a short hike to the summit. On the other end of the spectrum is the North Ridge Trail, 7.1 miles out and back with over 2000′ of elevation gain. From friends I hear it starts quite steep.
Rewarded with a view
When I hiked the mountain I did the Marys Peak Trail, which starts from the south side of the mountain. There is not as much elevation gain as the North Ridge Trail, but it is still a good workout and goes through some very impressive forest. The trees are tall and wide, probably Douglas Firs. Near the end, the trail becomes a series of sharp switchbacks, allowing you to look down and see your progress up the steep mountain.
Once I reached the day use area, I could join the car folks in their hike up the wide, gravel road to the summit. Here I also teamed up with Rita, who did not want to do the full trail. The peak is a wide, open, grassy meadow, so there are spectacular views at the top. To the west one can see land fade into ocean, and to the east are a few of the spectacular Cascade peaks. All around are the rolling Coast Range mountains and the flat Willamette Valley.
There were scattered clouds blocking some of the more distant views, but overall, we got a good flavor of it. It was certainly better than walking into the fog of a Pacific Northwest rainstorm. I hiked my way back down the trail, once again passing through the tall stands of evergreens. Then I met up with Rita at the trailhead and we drove back down the twisty road.
Coast Range Connoisseur
There is a lot to do and see in the Coast Range mountains surrounding Marys Peak. I’ve fished for trout in the Marys River (successfully) and for salmon and steelhead in the Alsea River (unsuccessfully). Perhaps our best catches though were the abundant crawdads, or even the crabs out by Waldport. If the bite isn’t on, you can always just take a swim.
Between Marys Peak and Corvallis there is plentiful hiking at a number of preserves. There is the intricate web of forest roads and trails at McDonald Dunn Forest, the busy paths of Bald Hill, and the magical loop route at Fitton Green. I recently hiked at Fitton Green for the first time during a soft rain, and the views of the surrounding cloud forests were beautiful. In addition, during the rain the grassy hilltop has a series of cascading creeks. It would be the perfect rambling zone, but alas the managers request that hikers stay on the trail.
On the north slopes of Marys Peak I once raced (slowly) in the Mudslinger mountain bike race. In fact, there are plenty of trails in the area to keep a mountain biker busy. Corvallis is down by the river and generally flat, but as soon as you get outside of town you start climbing into the mountains. There will always be something new to explore.
