The Peak View Newsletter June 22nd, 2026

[Rose Young]

The Peak View

Marys Peak Group - Sierra Club

P.O Box 863, Corvallis, OR 97339

http://oregon2.sierraclub.org/marys-peak

June 22nd, 2026

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Hikes: 

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This week! Wednesday, June 24th, 2026

Marys Peak – East Ridge Trail/Tie Trail/North Ridge Trail Loop Hike

Meet at 10:00 am

Moderate: 3.2 miles 

680 Ft. elevation gain

with the option (weather permitting) of adding the Summit Loop Trail to the top of the mountain, making the total Moderate, 4.6 miles, 1065 ft. elevation gain.

To register, please contact hike leader Mike Neeley-Brown (541-760-3934) sna...@gmail.com

David Eckert, Co-founder and Leader of the Marys Peak Alliance will accompany us on this hike as the Interpretive Guide to answer questions and point out highlights. The top of Marys Peak (4,097 ft.) is the only place in the Coast Range where you can see the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Ocean from one location. The hike passes through Douglas-fir and Noble Fir forests, stands of Western Hemlock, Red Alder and Western Red Cedar and open meadows. The understory consists of sword ferns, vine maple, oxalis, vanilla leaf and much, much more. We will pass through a Noble Fir blow-down area and by the headwaters of Parker Creek. 

The start of the hike will be from the upper parking lot on Marys Peak. Restrooms are available there. We will return to the parking lot before starting the Summit Trail Loop. The hike will be on part of the North Ridge Trail (0.7 mi), the East Ridge Trail (1.3 mi.), all of the Tie Trail (1.2 mi.), the Summit Trail loop (1.4 mi.).

Meeting place will be given upon registration. Bring plenty of water, snacks, lunch, sturdy hiking boots or shoes, appropriate clothing for possible wind, rain and cool temperatures. More information will be given out a couple of days before the hike. All minors must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.  

Sponsored by the Marys Peak Group of the Sierra Club.

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This week! Saturday, June 27th

Cone Peak Trail and Iron Mountain Lookout, Willamette National Forest 
9:00 am - 4:30 pm
Distance: 6.7 miles loop trail
Elevation gain: 1,850 feet
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Registration required! Contact the outing leader to reserve a spot and obtain further details. Leader: Randy Rasmussen, quietre...@gmail.com
Group limit: 12 

We’ll approach the Cone Peak Trail in clockwise fashion, starting with a steep but largely shaded climb to the Iron Mountain lookout, where we can lunch and take in stunning views of the Cascades. We might be lucky to catch the start of the alpine flowering season. At the summit sits a sprawling deck for viewing, the site of a former fire lookout. From there, we’ll head back down to the Cone Peak Trail and traverse northeast to the foot of Cone Peak, where we’ll continue southeast and largely downhill toward Santiam Highway. After crossing the highway, we’ll make our way up through trees and ferns to Tombstone Pass, which is a short distance from where we started.

Wear clothing appropriate for the weather, including possible afternoon thunder showers. Wear comfortable and sturdy shoes with traction. Bring water and a snack or lunch. Trekking poles are suggested. Our pace will be modest with frequent stops. We’ll carpool the 1.5-hour drive to the trailhead from Corvallis. The outing leader will provide information about where to meet and directions to the trailhead.

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Announcements: 

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This week! Summer Potluck and Hike

Sunday, June 28th

12:00 - 4 pm

Willamette Park Rotary Shelter, Corvallis 

1350 SE Goodnight Ave.

Please join us as we celebrate the arrival of summer! Meet and greet old and new friends! 

What to bring: 

1) Dish to share with others and ingredient list (salad, main dish, or dessert) with a serving spoon or fork, and a list of ingredients in your dish.

2) Plate, bowl, utensils and napkin

3) Water and personal beverage (no alcohol please)

4) Chair (optional, there are several picnic tables)

From 12-2 pm, we will gather, eat, and then hear the latest Marys Peak news.

From 2-4 pm, Robert White will lead a hike through Willamette Park. It may be hot, so bring a hat, sunscreen, and extra water.

There will be T-shirts for sale. 

To get to the Willamette Park from Corvallis, go south on 99. You will see a sign for Willamette Park. Turn left onto SE Goodnight Ave. Follow to the very end of the road and you will be in Willamette Park.  

No RSVP needed, but if you have any questions, please contact Mary Beth Downes at mbcd...@gmail.com.

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You Can Help Save the Wilderness
Take Action to Save the Roadless Rule!

One of the most important US Forest Service conservation policies is on the verge of being cut by the Trump administration. If the Roadless Area Conservation Rule is repealed, 45 million acres of pristine national forests across the country will be opened up for the first time in over 20 years to road building and the logging, mining, and extractive industries that come with that.

This policy was created by the Forest Service because it was ecologically critical, fiscally responsible, and overwhelmingly popular. Now the administration is repealing it, citing fire concerns and timber value - but neither of those justifications stands up to scrutiny.

Last year, over 600,000 people voiced their support for this rule, but the Trump administration is steamrolling ahead and ignoring the American public. Our goal is to continue to demonstrate how popular this policy is, and to raise more awareness about it, by submitting even more comments to the administration than last year.

Join your voice with thousands of others by submitting your comment today!

Note: The US Forest Service has not opened a comment period on this issue yet, but we are expecting them to only take comments for 14 days once the docket is open. To help show the broad support for the Roadless Rule, the Sierra Club will be collecting comments until the comment period is open, and then will deliver those collected to the US Forest Service.

Contact the Sierra Club at sc.org/roadlessrule and share your comments.

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The 2025 Champinefu Series is Now Available Online

This year marks the ninth season of the Champinefu Series, which was founded by the Marys Peak Group of the Sierra Club and the Cultural Resources Department of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. The purpose of these talks is to inform the general public about local Indigenous lands, rivers, and people. During the past nine years, there have been 27 unique programs featured through this series, some in person and others via webinar. 

The 2025 series was launched at OSU in October with an in-person program titled “The Future of Indigenous Foods in the Kalapuya Ilihi”. Members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde who work directly with developing programs related to Indigenous foods were featured. YouTube link: The Future of Indigenous Foods in the Kalapuya Ilihi

The November talk was a webinar entitled “Indigenous Placekeeping through Tea.” It featured David Harrelson from the Cultural Resources Department of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. He is experimenting with the processes related to Indigenous teas. YouTube link: Indigenous Placekeeping through Tea

The December webinar was a dialogue between OSU’s Dr. Molly Carney and David Harrelson as they focused on the cultural relevance of the tarweed plant and the importance of regenerating tarweed ecology in the Willamette Valley. That talk was called "Kalapuya Placekeeping through Tarweed". YouTube link: Kalapuya Placekeeping through Tarweed

The Corvallis-Benton County Public Library's Champinefu Webinar Series YouTube playlist contains videos from this program dating back to 2021. 

Co-sponsors of the series are the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition, the Spring Creek Project, the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, the OSU School of Language, Culture & Society, and the Marys Peak Group. Champinefu Series programs and presenters are all chosen by the Cultural Resources Department of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde.

Save the date! The first program of the 2026 Champinefu Series will take place at OSUs Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts on October 15. The topic and presenters are yet to be chosen. Admission is free.

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Recordings of Spring 2025 Webinars Are Now Available

String of Pearls: The Magical River Parks of Corvallis was the theme of the 2025 Liz and Bob Frenkel Hiking and Environment Spring Webinar Series. Closed captioned recordings of two of the talks are now available on the Corvallis-Benton County Library YouTube channel. The talks provided the historical background, park ecology, and current user opportunities for the City parks along the Willamette River and the Marys River near Corvallis. 

Webinar #1: The South Corvallis Willamette River Parks with Gwendolyn Ellen includes Willamette Park and Kendall Natural Area.

The South Corvallis Willamette River Parks

Webinar #2: The Marys River Parks with Dave Eckert includes Herbert Natural Area, Caldwell Natural Area, Marys River Natural Area, Avery Park and Natural Area, Pioneer Park, BMX Park and Shawala Point. 

The Marys River Parks

Sponsors of the webinars are the Marys Peak Group Sierra Club, Corvallis-Benton County Public Library & the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition Water Action Team.

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General Notes: 

1) Newcomers to MPG outing events, please view the GENERAL OUTING POLICY on our MPG website, http://oregon2.sierraclub.org/marys-peak before pre-registering for or attending an outing.

2) Contacting Marys Peak Group:  Marys Peak Group contact information is obtainable at http://oregon2.sierraclub.org/marys-peak Listed are the Executive Committee members and the Administrative and Program Coordinators.

3) Minutes of the MPG Executive Committee (ExCom) meetings for the last 5 years can be viewed by clicking on minutes. The ExCom meetings are held on Zoom and occur quarterly. All current Sierra Club members are welcome to attend. Contact MarysPe...@Oregon.Sierraclub.org to get the Zoom link.

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OSU Forestry Recreation Updates:

cf.forestry.oregonstate.edu/recreation/forest-updates