Sunday, June 16, 2024
It’s been quite awhile since I last visited Marys Peak. Today was too cloudy for views, but the flowers were still nice!
I started off at the Marys Peak Campground, where some lovely wild iris was blooming:
The start of the trail at the edge of the campground:
Heading into the forest:
I quickly reached a junction with the Meadowedge Trail, which makes a loop. I turned right here:
Everything was so green and so lush in the forest!
There were these numbered markers that probably match up with some long-ago forgotten brochure:
Things were blooming:
Crossing Parker Creek:
Along the next stretch the forest floor was absolutely carpeted in sorrel:
The trail popped out into the meadow briefly:
I passed the junction where the Meadowedge Trail loops back to the campground (I’d be back to this spot later) then quickly reached another junction where I picked up the Summit Trail:
Back out into the meadow:
The lupine weren’t quite in bloom yet:
The summit was once home to a series of fire lookouts, the last of which was removed in the 1970s. This photo is from 1944:
Now the summit is occupied by communications equipment:
I was pretty socked-in so there were no views, but the flowers sure were nice!
I followed the service road as it descended from the summit:
I reached a junction where trails headed off to the right and the service road went straight:
I turned left onto the Summit Trail:
During the final hike back to the trailhead it started sleeting at one point, so I picked up the pace and was glad to retreat into the warmth of my car. After that I drove to the day use area at the end of road. No surprise, the view was cloudy:
Nice to see the flowers up here, even with so many clouds.
Gaia stats: 2.6 miles, 590′ elevation gain