Guides
A trail in Silver Falls State Park past 10 beautiful waterfalls, perfect for the whole family.
This casual hike through a beautiful canyon in Oregon's largest State park takes you past TEN beautiful waterfalls ranging in height from 27 feet to 178 feet and 4 of them you can even walk behind! There are plenty of benches to rest at and the trail is extremely well maintained, perfect for the whole family. Before or after the amazing hike you can...
Mary's Peak, the highest point in the Coast Range has a variety of trails, and spectacular views from Ocean to Cascades
Marys Peak, at 4,097 feet, is the highest point in Oregon’s Coast Range and the most prominent peak to the west of Corvallis. On a clear day, from the top of the peak, you can see both the Pacific Ocean to the west and many of the Cascade peaks to the east across the Willamette Valley. Wildflower displays in the meadow and rock gardens change...
An overlook on a national wildlife refuge teeming with waterfowl, the Guadagno Memorial Trail is a great short hike.
The hike up to the top of Mt Baldy and the Rich Guadagno Memorial overlook will give you a 360 degree view of the Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge. From here, you can expect to see tens of thousands of dusky and cackling Canada geese in the spring and fall, along with countless other waterfowl.
Take two boardwalk trails in this guide for some amazing bird watching in this beautiful wildlife refuge south of Salem
This wildlife refuge just south of Salem is home to a wide variety of bird species. In this guide you will find two very nice boardwalk trails through wetlands that lead to covered bird blinds for wildlife viewing. Make sure you bring a camera with a good zoom lens and some binoculars.
Easy hike to two waterfalls in the Santiam Foothills. At Shellburg Falls you can walk behind the waterfall.
The Shellburg Falls Recreation Area is located near Lyons, Oregon in the Santiam State Forest and is managed by the Oregon Department of Forestry. It offers a peaceful, secluded recreational experience. Whether you enjoy camping, hiking, mountain biking, equestrian riding or simply exploring nature, you’ll find many things to do and see. It is...
The trail of ten falls is a popular pick for any northwest hiker because of the cluster of unique waterfalls.
From the Oregon State Parks Website: Nestled in the lower elevation of Oregon's Cascade Mountains lies a temperate rain forest. It is here that the Trail of Ten Falls/Canyon Trail can be found. The Canyon Trail and the falls descend to a forest floor covered with ferns, mosses, and wildflowers. You will also find stands of Douglas fir, hemlock, and...
Moderate hike through the woods type hike through six of pine, fir and maple trees, as well as Crone Miller lake.
Peavy Arboretum is an arboretum operated by Oregon State University and located on Arboretum Road, Corvallis, Oregon. The arboretum was dedicated by the university in 1926, operated as a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp from 1933-1942, and reverted to College of Forestry management in 1964. While the CCC was active, they planted trees, expanded...
A short hike through old growth temperate rainforest, only minutes outside town!
This is the best place to see what the Coastal Range used to look like before European settlers and modern logging. The massive trees here were sheltered by the steep valley and later donated to OSU as part of the Research Forest. It's an impressive place, even more so when you realize that the entire area used to look similarly.
This BRAND NEW trail complements the nearby Old Growth Trail and shows the stark difference between the two.
The brand new addition to the Mcdonald-Dunn Forest, the New Growth Trail is a mile loop through Douglass fir regrowth forest. It is an active research area for the Forestry Department at OSU and shows many stages and strategies in reforestation after logging operations.
A wonderful hike just outside of the town of Corvallis with views over the City below.
This is a great hike or bike ride just outside of town. You'll have great views from the top over Corvallis and towards Mary's Peak to the west. I commonly bike this and it is a great trail for beginners to mountain biking as the trails are open year round, well maintained, and not technical.
After a long climb up from Oak Creek, this loop trail is an often-missed gem.
This year-round mountain bike trail is a hidden gem of Mac/Dunn forest. It's just a short spin up a spur road near some of the most travelled areas of the forest, yet you'll likely never see a soul up here. Along the way, look out for one of the largest Douglass firs in the area - literally! It's right in front of you on one of the switchbacks,...
A fun ride to the highest point in MacDunn Research Forrest
This ride will take you up gravel forrest service roads to the highest point in MacDunn Forrest then return you to the trailhead via two very fun singletrack trails.
This is a nice forrest service road climb leading to steep switchbacks and a fun singletrack descent.
This is one of the most popular mountain biking and trail running loops in MacDunn Forrest outside of Corvallis. Short and sweet with a gradual road climb, a few steep switchbacks, and then a killer descent on great singletrack.
Located in Kings Valley this hike follows a creek up a canyon, and a short hill hike to a meadow view.
You'll find hiking trails for all ages and abilities. A short hike through a habitat for birds. A medium hike up the canyon along Plunkett Creek. A longer hike up the hill to a meadow viewpoint. Located in Kings Valley, this is the largest of all Benton County Parks at 586 acres and the most recent County acquisition, donated in July 2000. The...
This is a great bike loop for some exercise in the MacDunn Research Forest of Corvallis, OR
This is a stellar 9.3 mile loop that will burn your legs with 1,900 feet of elevation gain on mostly gravel forest service roads but with a couple single track descents and descents along the way. Feel free to hike this if you'd like also.
This guide covers nearly every trail possible in the park.
This is a great park for the family. There are a bunch of trails that spiderweb their way around the woods behind the park. There are a crazy amount of junctions in this track. Use the track here as a guide to explore the area. Don't worry, it's not big enough for you to get seriously lost. There are also 3 different exits to neighborhoods and...
Easy hike, picnic area, and information nature hike about the former site of Fort Hoskins.
From the hillside, you can see the Luckiamute River flowing east in the valley below. The Luckiamute Band of Kalapuya Indians once maintained a village on the valley floor. They were one of the many linguistically and culturally related bands of people collectively known as the Kalapuya who occupied the Willamette Valley. The Kalapuya intensively...
A nice ride up to amazing views of the Mary's Peak and the Coast Range from Bald Hill in Corvallis, OR
Enjoy this bike ride to the newest park in the Benton County area. The Allen Throop Loop at the top has a beautiful open meadow with sweeping views towards Mary's Peak and down towards teh towns of Philomath and Corvallis.
The old fire road to the top of Bald Hill is the quickest way to get a great view over Corvallis and off to the sunset
The fire road up to the summit of Bald Hill is an easy and fast way to get to the top and enjoy a great view of Corvallis and the surrounding area, as well as a perfect place to watch the sunset.
A fun afternoon mountain bike ride if you live in the Corvallis and want some exercise after work.
This short ride from the Bald Hill area is great for an afterwork workout as it is just outside of town. If you want you can combine this guide with the one I made for Fitton Green or the multiple guides for Bald Hill for a more thorough workout. Although there aren't any good views at the top there is a bench to rest at after the switchbacks with...
A beautiful park at the confluence of the Pudding, Molalla and Willamette Rivers.
Take a hike along a beautiful meadow and through beautiful woods to the shore of the Molalla River. If you have time enjoy a picnic at the tables near the parking lot and a game of horse shoes!
In this guide you will be exploring the many trails around little Bald Hill just outside of town
This is a great area to bring dogs. The trails here are super easy. These are literally all the trails in the area (and 2 unknown secret ones). A paved path runs along the base of Bald Hill and there are numerous single track trails great for hiking or mountain biking. You'll probably also eat a lot of blackberries if you time the year right.
Easy hike along McDowell Creek with lower and upper views of Royal Terrace Falls & Majestic Falls.
Visitors to the crystal clear water of McDowell Creek will be rewarded with the beautiful vistas of Royal Terrace and Majestic Falls from the bridges and viewing decks along the hiking trails of this lush green park. The McDowell Creek Falls offer exceptional scenery with places to stop and enjoy a picnic lunch. Some fishing and wading is available...
Get off the usual Marys Peak trails and check out a quiet path through lush Douglass Fir forests
The Marys River watershed starts on the upper slopes of Marys Peak, in western Benton county. The forest here is mainly Douglass fir and Noble fir, with understories of maple and rhododendron. In the spring and early summer, wildflowers are everywhere. This old access road allows for quick travel over a steady, clear surface. You can extend the...
This is a fun loop variation of the standard Conors Camp Trail that includes a trip to the summit of Mary's Peak
This is a nice loop hike to the summit of Mary's Peak which provides some interesting views besides just taking the east ridge trail out and back from the summit. The Tie Trail isn't very difficult hiking (biking it can be tricky). I called this a hike because technically the trail that leaves the East Ridge Trail at POI #2 and switchbacks to the...
Take a nice loop hike on this undeveloped Butte in Clackamas County
This short loop to the top of this extinct lava dome in Clackamas County is perfect for the whole family. The trail winds through beautiful forest and is filled with interpretive signs about the environment you are walking through and the flora and fauna you may see along the way.
