It is time to plan your perfect picnic for the peak; Mary’s Peak that is.
This is the highest point in the Coast Range. On a clear day (here’s hoping) you can see the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Range across the Willamette Valley. We plan to use the day use area for a picnic and then a short hike up to the View Point. This is part of the Siuslaw National Forest so there is a $5.00 per car fee or a Forest Service Pass. See the US Forest Service website for further information about Mary's Peak and a day use pass or annual pass you can purchase online.
We will meet at the Sherwood Safeway on SW Roy Rogers Road; to leave around 9:30am and follow 99 south to Kings Valley Highway, and down to Alsea Highway and the Peak.
After lunch, we plan to continue west on Alsea Highway to the coast at Waldport approximately 45miles and up US101 until we get to an east/west route to return to the Portland area.
If you need to get right back to town; Corvallis and I5 are about 25 miles east on OR34.
Book a place to stay overnight at the beach if that appeals to you. UPDATE: Route is now all paved so we're good to go. Rest stop has a Porta-Potty and the Day Use Area at the Peak has well maintained chemical (no running water) bathrooms. If you are buying your picnic lunch there is a Safeway next to the meeting site. The Kings Valley Store where we will make a rest stop seems to have a pretty good stock of convenience store type items. Make sure you have a light jacket or sweater in the trunk - it was a bright sunny day in the upper 70's but when we got out of the Miata at the top it was windy and quite cool. I guess when you get that far up in the air (4000 feet or so) there is usually a prevailing wind; but the view from the day use area is well worth it and would assume from the viewpoint at the top, even better. Oh, before it is forgotten, Yes Covid Rules are still in effect when out of the Miata.