Summit Trail & Meadowedge Trail at Mary's Peak

Four years ago, we bought the book Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon, and the first hike to catch our interest was Mary's Peak. At 4097 ft elevation, this is the highest peak in the coastal range. To get there from I-5, take Hwy 34 exit toward Corvallis. Just before crossing the Willamette River into Corvallis, turn left onto Hwy 34/Hwy 20. Drive through Philomath, and turn left to continue on Hwy 34. After 10 miles, take a right onto Mary's Peak Rd. Drive about 9 miles {there is a beautiful viewpoint off to the right about 4 miles in} to the parking lot at the very end of the road. If you get motion sick, be aware that there are about 15 miles of windy roads.

There are several trails here. The first time we went, we started by hiking up to the summit {1.4 mile round trip}, and were deeply disappointed to see nothing but a white wall, thanks to the foggy day we were having. We knew that was a possibility when we checked the forecast that morning, but since clouds were supposed to disperse later on, we hoped it would clear up a little before we left. We continued on into the forest on the 1.6 mile Meadow Edge Trail Loop, and were treated with the most spectacular hike we've ever been on. The swirling fog, dense trees, ultra green landscape, and condensation soaked foliage combined to create a beautifully majestic wonderland. Once we reached the end of our hike, the clouds had parted, and we were able to enjoy a small portion the view the peak had to offer as well. 

We have been itching to return ever since, and were expecting to have a similar, but sunnier experience this time around. We couldn't have been more wrong. To start with, because there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, we could spot several mountain peaks in the Cascade Range just from the parking lot. Despite the sun and warmth, there was still a fair amount of snow covering the area, some of which we were required to hike through to reach the summit. There are two ways to get there. One way is to follow the gravel service road straight up. The other option is to start off with a detour on a smaller dirt trail off to the left of the gravel road. You have to look closely, but you can see it head up the hill, around a tree, and over another hill before connecting with the gravel road. Which ever way you go, you will want to stop and take in the sight at the top of this hill. It is a beautiful panoramic view. from the dirt trail/gravel road junction, continue on up to the 4097 ft summit, where you'll be greeted with a view of those Cascade Range Peaks in one direction and the Pacific Ocean in the other direction. 

To get to the Meadowedge Trail Loop, hike about 2/3 of the way back down to the parking lot, and the trailhead will be off to your left, about 30 meters from the gravel road. This is where things got interesting for us. It appeared as though the trail had not been cleared since the previous fall, so there was everything from small sticks to larger branches to entire fallen trees blocking our path. And where last time, the path was a clearly visible narrow dirt trail flanked by grass and ferns, this time the path was nearly impossible to distinguish. We managed to stay on it most of the time, I think, but we were clearly missing something, because we became very confused at the junctions. For this reason, I don't feel I can give an adequate description of the trail, so I'm going to include an excerpt from Hiking with Kids: Oregon.

"To walk the 1.6 mile loop clockwise, go straight at the first junction. For the first few minutes you'll be walking just inside the forests edge, until the trail enters a... meadow. It loops back into the woods.... Wind down through the airy old-growth forest to a little bridge crossing Parker Creek, marking the loop's halfway point. Just beyond is the spur to Mary's Peak Campground, on the left. The main trail climbs just inside the forest until it completes the loop; bear left to return to the summit trail."

It was a little frustrating to find the trail so poorly maintained this time around, although I assume they were waiting until all signs of snow had cleared before tackling the job. Plus, in the end, it just made for another unique experience.

Easily, the best part of the hike this time was the glorious view everywhere we looked. We will be returning, and hope to have another unique experience with this trail.

Park Fee: $5/day; $30/year

Total Distance: 3 miles
Trail Type: Out & back, Loop
Trail Appearance: Summit- gravel road; Meadowedge- dirt, difficult to distinguish
Trail Elevation: Hilly; 660 elevation gain
Atmosphere: Bird & animal sounds; Clear, fresh air
View: Mountains, ocean, trees
Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
My Rating: ****
Kid Ratings: *****; *****; ***

New Growth Trail & Old Growth Trail at Lewisburg Saddle Trailhead at OSU McDonald-Dunn Research Forest

It's been 2 weeks since we had a free sunny day to hike, and it felt like an eternity! I've gotten so used to hiking 1-3 times every week, that I was just dying to get out again after a 14 day hiatus. We wanted to check out the Gem & Mineral Show at the Polk County Fairgrounds in the morning, so I searched for a place nearby to hike afterwards and discovered OSU's McDonald-Dunn Research Forest, which features miles of trails. This is obviously the forest OSU College of Forestry uses for research, and is therefore very large, natural, and well maintained.

First, I want to touch on the rock show. About a month ago, while we were in Idaho, one of my sons picked up an awesome book about rocks and minerals at the bookstore. He has been pouring over it ever since. All of my kids have always liked collecting interesting rocks, but this book put it over the top. So, when my parents told me about a local rock show, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to go. It was only $2 for each adult to get in, and all kids under 12 (which included all of mine) were free. Not only were there a ton of incredible rocks to look at, they also had several 50¢ and $1 activities for kids to do, after which they walk away with A LOT of cool rocks. As if that weren't enough, there was also a treasure hunt. They divided an area up based on age groups, and had the field scattered with rock-filled eggs, candy, and some petrified wood and thundereggs. By the time we left, my kids were all loaded down with a bag full of new rocks. It was an hour and a half very well spent.

Now onto the hike. To get to the Lewisburg Saddle Trailhead take HWY 99 W north from Corvallis. Take a left at the light onto Lewisburg Road, then after a mile take a gradual right onto Sulfer Springs Road and follow to the top of the hill. At the top there is a small parking lot on your right. The orange gate is your trailhead.

The trail immediately splits, and you will follow William A Davies forest road on the left. Only about 0.1 miles down the road, you'll come to the New Growth Trail on your left. That trail meanders through the beautiful forest, over a couple of bridges, and spits you out onto the Old Growth Trail. At this point, it is has only been a 0.5 mile hike, and you can follow the Old Growth Trail the the right, meet back up with Davies Rd., and finish just under a mile if you have real little ones for whom 1 mile is just the right length. If you're up for a little more, follow the trail to the left/straight instead, and finish the Old Growth Trail for another 0.4 miles before connecting with Davies Rd. On this stretch, you'll encounter another bridge or two, and wind the trail between large old trees. Once you hit the road, it's a perfect place for a snack break, with some logs laid out for seating (although these did look like recent cuts, and may only be there temporarily). Just about 0.2 miles down the road, you'll come to a beautiful area to your left. Don't pass it by! There is a small pond to check out, which made for an ideal playtime for our friends' dog that was with us.

In another 0.3 miles, you'll come to the Old Growth trailhead on your right. You could choose to continue folllowing the main road back to the parking lot, but we decided to hit the trail again, and take the trail to the New Growth Trail junction, take that left, and head back to our car the way we originally came. If you take this route, you'll finish the whole hike with a total of about 2 miles.

Bonus: We bought a Geocaching membership a while back, but have yet to activate and use it. My daughter just happened to accidentally discover a Geocache right along our trail. Unfortunately, the pen in the box didn't work, so we couldn't sign the book, and we didn't have anything on us to leave in exchange for taking something. Instead, we put everything back, and vowed to return with a pen and trinkets for next time. Now, we need to finally activate our account so we can look for more out on our hikes!


Park Fee: Free
Total Distance: 2 miles
Trail Type: Loop
Trail Appearance: Well maintained, packed & nature covered gravel
Trail Elevation: Relatively flat
Atmosphere: Serene, birds chirping, water trickling at times
View: Trees, ferns, streams
Extras: Geocache
Difficulty: Easy
My Rating: ****
Kid Ratings: ***; ***; ***

Winter Trail at Silver Falls State Park

If you've never been to Silver Falls State Park, you are really missing out. It's an easily accessible, local paradise. It's in the mountains, secluded, and boasts over 25 miles of hiking trails extending over 9,000 acres of wilderness. Not only is it the perfect place for a day hike, they also offer an expanse of camping facilities, whether you prefer trailers, tents, yurts, cabins, tepees or lodges. You can also photograph, bird watch, mountain bike, explore, walk your dog, and horseback ride on certain areas of the park. Please check out the park website to find information on all they have to offer.

All my life, I've always lived within a half hour of this park, and therefore have been to it countless times, but it never gets old. There are too many trails and wilderness to explore, too many sites to see, and too many things to do to ever tire of it. Despite the rain and cold weather, today was one of those days I looked around and marveled at how lucky we are to live so close to such a beautiful place. The only downside to this park {which I've mentioned previously, so sorry for the repetition}, is that because it is so perfect, it can also get very busy. I've enjoyed being here in the winter, which has allowed us to miss most of the park traffic. Even with it being winter and raining most of the day though, we still encountered 4 or 5 other hiking groups along our way.

The popular 8.7 mile "Trail of Ten Falls" {which is described more thoroughly in the FAQ section of the park's website here} takes you around the whole park to viewpoints of {obviously} all 10 waterfalls the park features. Today, we hiked only 2.5 miles, and where able to see 5 of the 10. Pretty good bang for your buck, eh? For this hike, you'll start at the Winter Falls parking lot, which is about 2 miles north of the South Falls day use area {be aware that there are no bathrooms here, so you'll want to stop on your way at the South Falls for bathrooms, if needed}. There are hiking trails leading off both ends of the lot. Take the one to the right, where you'll find a map at the trailhead. From here, you'll hike down a switchback trail for only about 0.2 miles to the 134 ft Winter Falls. Just as you take the switch back past the viewpoint, there is a small trail off to your left. Our kids immediately jumped at the opportunity to scale down the trail to the water's edge {it's very shallow here}, and work their way a little closer to the base of the falls.

You'll then continue another 0.3 miles before reaching a bridge crossing over the creek. After crossing, turn left {there will be a sign indicating that you are heading along the Canyon Trail toward South Falls}. Another 0.2 miles will bring you to the magnificent 106 ft Middle North Falls. I am partial to this one. As I've indicated before, my favorite waterfalls are not the highest, but the widest ones. This one fits the bill for me, and ranks as one of my favorites at the park. To get to this viewpoint, you'll branch off the trail to the left. You can continue all of the way back behind the waterfall, and just a little farther past before it dead ends. I recommend this detour, since it's always fun for everyone {especially the kids} to walk BEHIND a waterfall, plus the outcroppings in the rock are interesting to look at too. We even noticed a large nest perched on a stone ledge near the dead end.

After making your way back to the main trail, follow it another 0.2 miles to Drake Falls. This one is the park's smallest at only 27 ft, and is named after a photographer that brought the park some fame with his impressive photographs of the falls. 0.2 miles farther brings you over another small bridge and to a split in the trail. Going straight continues you on the Canyon Trail, which we followed for only about 50 meters more to a viewpoint for 30 ft Lower North Falls. Back track to the split, and head the other direction for 0.1 miles to where it dead ends at the highest falls in the park, Double Falls. It is so named, because it drops several feet, then continues along a straight path for a little ways, before dropping the remainder of its 178 total ft. The thing I enjoyed the most about this falls, is the diversion from the main trail. The falls drops into a smaller stream/creek that then connects back to the main Silver Creek, which makes this area feel especially secluded and majestic.

After your view of the Double Falls, you just turn around and make the 1.25 mile trek back to the car. While the trail makes occasional small rises and falls, it really is quite easy, and the hardest part of the trail is the 0.2 mile switchback section from the Winter Falls back up to the parking lot. It isn't too bad, but I know that back in our beginner days with much smaller children, we would have been carrying one or two up this section of the trail.

We all really enjoyed this hike, and my oldest {who is our least enthusiastic hiker} commented on how fast the distance seemed to fly by, since they were having so much fun. Always a good indication of a successful trail!

Park Fee: $5/day, $30/yr Oregon State Park Pass

Total Distance: 2.5 miles
Trail Type: Out & back
Trail Appearance: Well maintained, packed & nature covered gravel
Trail Elevation: Several rises & falls, 0.2 mile moderate incline
Atmosphere: Birds chirping, water roaring
View: Trees, creek, waterfalls
Extras: Walk behind a waterfall

Difficulty: Easy-Moderate
My Rating: ****
Kid Ratings: ****; ****; ****

Visual Education Trail at Willamette Mission Park

I raced here at Willamette Mission Park several times with my high school cross country team years ago, and have only returned a couple of times since then. I don't know why we haven't visited this place more often. It is a beautiful park with several trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. There is even the Wheatland Ferry that you could catch over to West Salem, as an added bonus, especially fun for the kids.

From I-5, take exit 293 toward Brooks. Turn west onto Brooklake Rd., then after 2 miles, take a right onto Wheatland Rd. Travel another 2.5 miles to the park entrance road on your left. Just after passing the information booth, you'll see a parking lot off to your right. This is where you'll find the trailhead for the 2.5 mile Willamette Vision Education Trail. Parking/Day use fee is just $3 or if you have an Oregon State Park annual pass {which I highly recommend}, it will cover this park. For you and your little ones' convenience, there are bathrooms available at trailhead.

This hike is, as the name indicated, very educational, which is perfect for those curious little kids. It starts off with a thorough history display, including pictures and timelines, just as you step out of your car. From here, you'll start down the barkdust trail, and after 0.1, you'll see another informative display where the trail splits. At this point, you can go either way, since it creates a loop, but if you go to the right, you'll encounter accurate mileage markers along the trail. Interspersed throughout the hike are educational botany plaques. We learned about the names and uses of several different trees and shrubs, then after examining them closely, tried to spot more of them along the trail. With the plethora of dandelions around, I also took the opportunity to tell my kids about the fact that dandelions are edible {that information just blew their minds}. Just over a mile in, you'll find the nation's largest black cottonwood tree. It is over 250 years old, and stands over 150 ft tall. About .25 miles farther, you'll cross over the park entrance road. Off to your left, you'll see a pole with an osprey nest at top. You can easily walk closer to get a better look, but even from the trail viewpoint, we were able to spot a baby in it's nest, and hear it calling out for it's mom. The trail then loops around one of the park's "sustainable farm management areas", back over the entrance road, past some grape vines, and concluding at the trailhead.

The hike was beautiful. It wasn't the secluded wilderness trail that is typically my favorite, but the educational aspects at this park made it one of my favorite hikes. We'll be returning to this one again very soon.

Total Distance: 2.5 miles
Trail Type: Loop
Trail Appearance: Barkdust {old & packed down, giving it a very natural appearance}
Trail Elevation: Flat
Atmosphere: Quiet, birds
View: Trees, open field, grape vines, water channels
Extras: Educational plaques, osprey nest, ferry

Difficulty: Easy
My Rating: **** 
Kid Ratings: *****;*****;*****

Trail at Aumsville Ponds County Park

This was a spur of the moment after dinner hike. We only had about an hour to work with, so we skipped our usual bike ride to this location, just over a mile from our home. It is located off of Mill Creek Rd. in Aumsville. Turn South onto Bishop Rd, then right onto Bates Rd. The park entrance will be on your left. It is officially closed for the winter, and is open from May 1- October 31 from 8am-sunset.
Aumsville Ponds County Park is a 77 acre wetlands area, consisting of small ponds, the largest of which is Young Lake. Eight years ago, the Northwest Youth Corps forged trail nearly 1 mile long that fully encircles the pond. It includes a couple of bridges, some stairs, an observation deck, and a few tangent trails leading to the water's edge. In addition to the trail, there is a small island about 10 ft from the pond's bank. Thanks to local kids, there is usually a gathering of large stones and branches stretching the distance, allowing dry passage to the island. During the summer, you might also enjoy the rope swing tied to a tree on the island, allowing you/your children to swing out into the water. The pond is stocked for fishing, and there are always several ducks, geese, and other birds wading through the pond, flying above it, or meandering around it. Dogs are not allowed.

Total Distance: < 1 mile
Trail Type: Loop
Trail Appearance: Dirt, gravel 
Trail Elevation: Mostly level, a few dips w/ stairs
Atmosphere: Quiet, birds
View: Pond, trees
Extras: Island, rope swing

Difficulty: Easy
My Rating: *** 
Kid Ratings: ****; ****; ****

Dierkes Lake at Shoshone Falls Park in Twin Falls, Idaho

We started off Spring Break with a visit to Twin Falls, Idaho. While there, we took a day to go rock hounding about and hour past Twin at Rabbit Springs, near the Nevada border {in fact, we overshot Rabbit Springs, and landed in Jackpot, NV, before turning around and finding the right spot}. After a few minutes of searching the frozen landscape, we hit the thunderegg jackpot. We were overexcited, and gathered far more than we were ultimately able to haul home with us. It's a great place to go, if you're ever in the area.

We headed back, filled up with lunch, then piled back into the car to go for a hike. We started at 212 ft. Shoshone Falls, which was just a trickle in comparison to the magnitude of roaring water flowing over last time we were there. From the same parking lot, there is about a 3 mile round trip hike up to the spot where Evel Knievil tried to jump the Snake River Canyon in 1974 {video here, if you're interested; skip to 2:25 to see the actual launch}. Due to the cold and even colder high winds, we opted for the shorter 1.6 mile hike around Dierkes Lake, which starts and ends at the parking lot less than 1/4 of a mile further down the road.

The hike is quite different than anything you'll get in Oregon's Willamette Valley. This area is a dry desert with very little in the way of shrubs or trees, but plentiful in rocks, cliffs, and large boulders for kids to climb. As much as I prefer our greenery, it was nice to experience something different. It was short, easy, and out in the open, allowing for the kids to often wander off the trail to climb a boulder or two, then rush back to the trail to catch up to us. There are several points at which you're able to walk right up to the top of cliffs and take in the view. This was great for us, as well as our kids who were old enough to listen and stay back far enough from the edge. Any smaller children would need an adult close at hand at all times on this hike. The hike never becomes too strenuous. Despite your constant elevation change, it remains fairly easy, because of the stairs built into the landscape anytime you face an uphill climb.

In addition to the rocky landscape, you're also likely to spot a rock chuck or two... or ten. I did this same loop last year and only spotted a couple. This time was going to be about the same, until we neared the end of the trail, and several were suddenly swarming across our path. They're quick little suckers, and I was surprised that once they were up on the rocks above us, they stayed still long enough for us to snap several pictures before concluding our hike and heading back to our car.

Total Distance: 1.6 miles
Trail Type: Loop
Trail Appearance: Dirt/mud trail, gravel last 1/2 mile
Trail Elevation: Easy uphill/downhill climbs
Atmosphere: Quiet, birds, rock chucks
View: River, lake, canyon, cliffs, rocks
Extras: Rock chucks, Shoshone Falls

Difficulty: Easy- Moderate
My Rating: **** 
Kid Ratings: N/A;*****;*****

*Awesome "rock chuck peeking over the rock" pic contributed by my brother Eric

Upper North Falls at Silver Falls State Park

If your kids are little tikes and/or beginners, it doesn't get more perfect that this! I have hiked this short trail many times with my 3 children, especially when they were younger {or when we were short on time & needed a quick hike like today}. This hike is only 0.4 miles round trip to a beautiful waterfall. Start off at the North Falls Trailhead located on Hwy 214 at mile marker 27. From the parking lot, you'll head over a wooden footbridge. The trail immediately branches off, and you'll make a U turn to the right, following under the bridge you just came over. Right off the bat, there is a fun rocky/dirt area under the bridge that one of my sons always insists on climbing. As you follow the trail to the waterfall, there will be 4-5 "baby waterfalls" {as my 6 year old calls them} to your right, and a 10 ft drop to the creek on your left, so you'll obviously want to keep any toddlers to your right {there is plenty of room to walk side-by-side}. The Upper North Falls has always been one of my favorite waterfalls at Silver Falls Park. I am partial to the wide ones. I was incredibly disappointed, however, to find that a trio of fallen trees has blocked a portion of this falls, cutting it's width nearly in half. It is still beautiful, but not the stunner it once was. The main trail will end about 50 yards away from the 65 ft waterfall, but there are stone steps that will take you down to the rocky creek's edge, if you want to get a closer look.

After we returned to the bridge, we had a little time to spare, so we ventured about 0.3 miles down the Canyon Trail to the North Falls viewpoint before turning around and returning to the car. This is a great addition, if you're wanting to hike a little longer. If you choose to continue past the viewpoint, you can make a nice 2.9 mile loop by catching the Winter Falls trail 1.5 miles away on the left, following that for 0.5 miles, then returning 0.9 miles on the Rim Trail. I'll be featuring that loop here on the blog sometime soon.

Total Distance: 0.4 miles
Trail Type: Out & back
Trail Appearance: Well maintained, packed & nature covered gravel
Trail Elevation: Flat
Atmosphere: Birds chirping, water roaring
View: Trees, creek, waterfalls

Difficulty: Easy
My Rating: ****
Kid Ratings: ****;****;****

Virginia Lake at Wapato Access Greenway

We spent a delicious lunchtime in downtown Portland with family. Since it was a beautiful (or at least dry) day, we decided to find a trail to explore before heading home. We drove about 25 minutes to a trail on Oak Island Road. This is hike #2 featured in the book I mentioned previously, Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon. On the way there, I noticed that this hike was on the book's list of "Best Hikes in Winter." Once we got there, however, we discovered that the trail we were planning on hiking is NOT open year-round. It is only available to hike April-October, therefore it's most definitely NOT a winter hike. To the book's credit, despite this error, if I had looked more closely at the page that features more specifics about the hike, I would have seen the note indicating the correct times it is open for hiking.

Once we jumped back into the car, I was determined to find something else close by so that the afternoon wouldn't be wasted. Luckily, I realized that the very first hike featured in the book was Virginia Lake, which was only a few miles away. This hike can be found just 2.5 miles past the Sauvie Island Bridge, on Sauvie Island Road. The small parking lot will be on your left, marked "Wapato Access Greenway".

This hike begins with a 0.2 mile hike, before coming to a covered picnic area. You can continue along the trail to the right, or veer left. It creates a loop around Virginia Lake, so it doesn't matter which way you go. I prefer the way we went {to the right}, because it allowed us to get most of our hike in before stopping at another picnic table along the Multnomah Channel for a snack. Just over half a mile into the hike, you'll come to a small dip in the trail and cross over the wooden bridge at the far end of the lake. As the hike continues, you'll stray a little farther from the lake, and a little closer to the Multnomah Channel. You'll find a small "exploration trail" or two along the way that will take you up to the water's edge {these special exploration trails are always exciting for kids to discover}. About a mile beyond the wooden bridge, you can detour about 100m off to the right to Hadley's Landing. This is where you'll find the other picnicking area, and likely a few fisherman fishing off the Channel's dock. Shortly thereafter you'll come to a bird blind viewing dock on the left, just before concluding your loop back at the covered picnic area.

Total Distance: 2.2 miles
Trail Type: Loop
Trail Appearance: Wide, well maintained, gravel, rutted vehicle access pathway
Trail Elevation: Relatively flat, a few small rises
Atmosphere: Birds chirping, ducks quacking, dogs barking, distant road noise
View: Lake, trees, birds, neighboring houses, industrial junkyard at Hadley's Landing
Extras: Information plaques and bird identifying markers along the trail

Difficulty: Easy
My Rating: ***
Kid Ratings: ****;***;****