The Peak View Newsletter May 11th, 2026

[Rose Young]

The Peak View

Marys Peak Group - Sierra Club

P.O Box 863, Corvallis, OR 97339

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

May 11th, 2026

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Hikes: 

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Saturday, May 23rd 

Vineyard Mountain and Dave’s trails, OSU McDonald Research Forest 
10:00 am - 2:30 pm
Distance: 6.75-mile loop
Elevation gain: 1,300 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Pace: Modest
Registration required! Contact the outing leader to reserve a spot and obtain further details. Leader: Randy Rasmussen, quietre...@gmail.com
Group limit: 12

 
This forested hike starts at the Lewisburg Saddle where we will hike up all three segments of the Vineyard Mountain Trail, just below the comm towers, where we’ll level out and follow a lightly-used trail to reach the start of Dave’s Trail. Then we’ll enjoy a mostly downhill walk along three segments of Dave’s Trail (there are four total) to the gravel 580 road. We’ll follow the road back toward Lewisburg Saddle and end the hike after traversing the Old Growth and New Growth trails.

Wear clothing appropriate for the weather, including comfortable and sturdy shoes with traction. Bring water and a snack or lunch. Trekking poles are optional but could be useful on descents. Our pace will be moderate with frequent stops.

Contact the trip leader for meeting time and location logistics.

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New! Wednesday, May 27th, 2026
10:00am – 2:00pm
Marys Peak Meadow Edge Trail and Summit Loops
Siuslaw National Forest
Distance: 3 miles
Elevation Gain: 653 feet
Difficulty: Moderate
Pace: Leisurely, with multiple stops for interpretation
Registration required! The group is limited to 12 participants. To sign up for this hike and obtain further details, contact outing leader, Sheryl Thorburn, at thorbu...@comcast.net

Many of you are aware that the BLM is proposing to revise Western Oregon resource management plans to increase logging and reduce protections on public forestland including the forests around Marys Peak. Dave Eckert will be the interpretative guide on this hike. In addition to being the Program Chair for the MPG, he is also co-founder (with Barry Wulff) of the Marys Peak Alliance and continues to manage the Marys Peak interpretation hikes for all ages. Dave will be describing some of the physical, ecological and cultural aspects which make Marys Peak special.

This hike includes forest, meadows, wildflowers, and views of the valley. The hike will begin near the Marys Peak Campground and include two loops: the larger Meadow Edge Trail loop and the smaller Summit Loop. From the campground’s day use parking area, we will take the Meadow Edge Trail along the southern portion of the loop (counterclockwise) until we reach the Summit Loop Trail, which we will follow to the top of Marys Peak and have an early lunch.

We will then continue around the peak on the gravel road until we take a left on the Summit Loop Trail. We will continue a short distance until we turn right and head downhill on the northern loop of the Meadow Edge Trail back to the parking area. Some sections of the trail are steep, narrow, and exposed. In other places, the trail includes rocks and tree roots. Trekking poles are recommended. Wear hiking shoes or boots. The weather can be variable, and Marys Peak can be up to 20 degrees colder than the valley. Be sure to bring appropriate clothing layers and sun protection. Bring water and lunch. The Marys Peak Campground is 45 minutes from Corvallis. I will send directions and additional information, including potential carpool options, to participants before the hike. The hike may take longer if hikers have a lot of questions for Dave to answer.

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Announcements: 

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This Week! 

2026 Liz & Bob Frenkel Spring Environmental Webinar Series
The theme of the 2026 series is Listening to the Land.

Wednesday, May 13th 

7 pm

Lessons from the Land: Cultivating Abundance through Land-Based Education
By Marta Capriles, Corvallis Waldorf School Agricultural Arts teacher

Learn how a local schoolyard was developed into a dynamic farmscape in which the students tend the land and learn to work with its gifts through an Indigenized curriculum developed at the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. The students not only tend to the land, but they learn how to efficiently and sustainably utilize and benefit from the gifts of the land they tend. You will wish you had attended this school when you were growing up.
Registration Link: cbcpl.net/Frenkel3

Info: https://corvallisbenton.librarycalendar.com/event/2026-liz-bob-frenkel-hiking-environment-series-27209

The webinars are free, but pre-registration is required. Those who pre-register will receive a link to the webinar recording within three days following the webinar. So, register today! You will receive multiple reminders in advance and the Zoom link from the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library, which is providing all of the technical support.

And don’t forget to thank our three co-sponsors:

Marys Peak Group Sierra Club
Corvallis-Benton County Public Library
Corvallis Sustainability Coalition

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Save The Date!

On Sunday, June 28, 2026, we are having our Summer Solstice Potluck. We are meeting at the Rotary Shelter in Willamette Park from 12-4 pm. Hike in Willamette Park after we eat! Details to follow. If you have questions, contact mbcd...@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!

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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