Marys Peak East Ridge Loop Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Connor's Camp Trailhead
- End point: Marys Peak Summit Trailhead
- Trail Log: Trail Log
- Hike Type: Dogbone (out and back to a loop)
- Distance: 5.5 miles with longer options
- Elevation gain: 1200 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Seasons: Year-round (expect snow in winter months)
- Family Friendly: Yes
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: No
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Hike Description
The East Ridge trail begins at the Connor's Camp Trailhead parking area. You enter the forest immediately and begin a slow gradual climb northward through a majestic forest dominated by stately Douglas-firs. The rich, airy understory is filled with vine maple, salal and sword fern.
Just after a mile on the East Ridge Trail, you'll reach a junction with a bench. Fork right onto the Tie Trail. This trail is rugged and less used, but offers a more diverse forest with Devil's Club and Western Red Cedars in the moist drainage areas. The Tie Trail continues northward along the east ridge for 1.3 miles until it ends with another bench at the North Ridge Trail.
Turn left, uphill onto the North Ridge Trail. Notice how different the forest is here. You have crossed into the Noble Fir zone. The understory is less bushy and the ground is covered in mosses, with massive beds of Vanilla Leaf. The North Ridge Trail climbs gradually in just under a mile to the Marys Peak Summit Trailhead. Here you can add on the Marys Peak Summit Hike and the Marys Peak Meadow Edge Hike. When you are ready to return to your car, re-enter the woods at the southeast side of the parking lot, near the kiosk. Take the East Ridge Trail down ~2 miles to return to your car.
Regulations or Restrictions, etc.
Northwest Forest Pass needed to park at Connor's Camp
| File:'s Peak - E Ridge.jpg Map of Mary's Peak area trails, with this hike highlighted in red and a suggested add-on hike to the summit highlighted in green (click to enlarge) |
File:Tietrail.jpg The trail can be snowy during the winter months (cfm) |
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Maps
- Marys Peak (USFS)
- Sky Island Graphics: Marys Peak - McDonald Forest Recreation Guide
- U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service: Siuslaw National Forest
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Marys Peak
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Marys Peak
Guidebooks that cover this hike
- Oregon's Ancient Forests: A Hiking Guide by Chandra LeGue
- Wild in the Willamette edited by Lorraine Anderson with Abby Phillips Metzger
- Hiking Oregon's Geology by Ellen Morris Bishop
- 100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Oregon Coast and Coast Range by William L Sullivan
- A Guide to Trails in the Corvallis Area by Phillip R. Hays
More Links
Contributors
- CFM (creator)