The Willamette Valley’s snow-lovers often drive east to the Cascade Range. But they’re forgetting one unlikely snow island.
West of Corvallis, 4,097-foot-tall Marys Peak, the highest point of the Coast Range, is a delightful break from the crowds and resorts of the Cascade passes.
Occasionally the snow here is as powdery as Utah. Reliably, there’s something white up here until April. On a blue-sky day the view is unbeatable – where else can you see the ocean surf at Newport and the entire parade of Cascade snowpeaks from Rainier to Diamond Peak?
A day in the snow atop Marys Peak is fun, but it’s not typical of the Coast Range in winter. For balance, I’m going to recommend that you swing by the forgotten backwoods village of Alpine on the way home. More about that later.
First, who was Mary? No one seems to be sure. The Kalapuyas named the mountain Chateemanwi, “the place where spirits dwell.” It was said to be one of three sacred peaks for the tribe, along with Mount Angel and Spirit Mountain, near a modern casino.