Marion Lake, Marion Falls & Marion Mountain
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Hike details:Mileage: 6 miles out and back w/ 1,020 ft. elevation gain OR 10.8 w/ 2,615 ft. elevation gain
Approximate hike time: 2 hours w/ an average pace of 3 mph (to the lake), 4 hours 45 minutes w/ an average page of 2.2 mph (to the summit of Marion Mountain) Difficulty: Moderate to difficult Trail usage: High to Marion Lake on summer weekends, medium to Marion Mountain, low on weekdays. High point: 5,355 ft. Low point: 3,355 ft. General location: 16 miles north of Santiam Junction off of Marion Creek Rd. - Mt. Jefferson Wilderness - Willamette National Forest Suggested seasons: Summer, early to mid fall (Best time to go is after Labor Day when there are less people, no mosquitoes and the beautiful fall foliage starts to turn red and orange). Permits required: Limited Entry Permit for day hikes & over night (May 28 - Sept. 24, 2021) & Northwest Forest Pass for parking. Outside of those dates - free self issue wilderness permit & Northwest Forest Pass for parking. Pit toilet at trailhead: Yes Trail allows: Dogs on leash, camping, fishing Possible dangers: Steep drop offs down to the waterfall trail, otherwise none. |
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Description:
Marion Lake is a very popular destination in the summertime for folks from all over Oregon. The 3 mile hike to the lake is easy so most people only do that and then spend the day at the beautiful lake, fishing, paddle boarding or kayaking. You can also make this hike a bit more challenging by going up to Marion Mountain, where you will see spectacular 360 degree views of the Jefferson Wilderness!
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The trailhead begins at the end of Marion Creek Road 2255 where you will find a round parking area that can hold roughly 20 cars. If the parking lot is full, you can park along the gravel road. This is an extremely popular place to come to in the summer, and even early in the season, there are quite a few people here on the weekend.
Marion Lake Trail #3436 starts out heading 2.1 miles through beautiful large old growth forest. Here the trail is very wide and all you can do is ogle at the giant trees! The first mile is almost flat and then the trail trends uphill just a bit to the meadows of Lake Ann at mile 1.7. The trail next to Lake Ann is rocky, and if you listen closely you can hear the gurgle of water underneath the rocks as you cross the creek that flows out of Lake Ann. This sound is really unique and you should definitely stop and listen to it for a moment. |
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(Lake Ann and the rocks over the creek)
0.3 miles past Lake Ann, you will come to your first trail junction. If you are hiking all the way up to Marion Mountain, you will encounter a total of 4 trail junctions during your trip. Stay to the right and take Marion Outlet Trail #3495.
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200 yards after the trail split, there is a little side trail on the right side which takes you over to Marion Falls. This side trail is slightly hidden, but you can keep and eye out for a tree shaped like a Y (see picture below), that marks the side trail. You will follow this trail through the woods to Marion Creek and then the goes down very steeply along the river's edge towards the falls.
Be careful here as the rocks and roots can become very slippery from the waterfall spray. |
(this obvious tree that marks the Marion Falls side trail)
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(Marion Falls in December)
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Half a mile after the out and back Marion Falls detour, you will come to another trail junction. Here Marion Outlet trail heads to the left, loops around and meets up with Marion Lake trail at the lake shore. If you are tired and just want to do the small loop here, you can. If you want to continue and head up to Marion Mountain, take a right onto the Blue Lake Trail #3422.
This part of the hike is really cool because the trail starts to head uphill along a rocky hillside. Below you can catch a view of Marion Lake and the Pacific Crest beyond. You will hike along Blue Lake trail for 1 mile until coming to another trail junction. Blue Lake trail continues to the left (if you are backpacking a large loop or want to do some camping in a less crowded area, this is a perfect place to head out to do that). To get to Marion Mountain you will take Pine Ridge Trail #3443 to the right.
Now the trail becomes steep, and from this burned ridge trail you can start to see views of not only Marion Lake, but also Mt. Jefferson. If you are hiking this trail after the 2015 Marion Lake fire, this area will most likely look newly burned and there may still be some trees down from the winter season. The trails down by the lake get cleared every spring, but the trails farther up are less maintained, so be prepared to step over some down trees.
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After hiking 0.6 miles on the Pine Ridge trail, you will come to your last trail split. This split is more obvious because the Pine Ridge trail continues to the right and you will take the trail sign pointing to the left to Marion Mountain Trail #3435. From here there are about 9 steep switchbacks leading up another 0.8 miles to the summit of Marion Mountain.
(Marion Lake & Mt. Jefferson from the summit of Marion Mountain)
(Mt. Jefferson)
The top of Marion Mountain is a rocky precipice with 360 degree views spanning the Cascade Mountain range with close-up views of Mt. Jefferson and Three Finger Jack and the lakes in between.
(Three Finger Jack)
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The hike down is spectacular, because you will continue seeing Mt. Jefferson almost the entire way back to Marion Lake. Once you get back to the bridge, you can take Marion Outlet trail and walk 0.7 miles along the Marion Lake shore. From the shore you can see great views of Three Finger Jack across the lake. After 0.7 miles you hook over onto Marion Lake trail for 0.2 miles and then you're back on the main trail to the car. After hiking that many strenuous miles, the 2.1 miles back to the parking area can feel very long and in the summer afternoon it can get quite hot. |
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(Three Finger Jack from across Marion Lake)
Overall, this hike is amazing, and you can see why this area attracts folks from all over Oregon. If you are with small children, it is suggested that you just do the lower 6 mile Marion Lake loop. If you are pretty fit, and are ok climbing over at least ten blowdowns, then Marion Mountain summit is highly recommended. This is a wonderful area, and if you are in the Portland, Salem, Bend or Eugene area, you should definitely come explore!
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Directions:
From Salem
- Drive 66 miles east of Salem on North Santiam Highway 22. At the "town" of Marion Forks between milepost 66 and 67 turn east onto Marion Creek Road 2255. Drive on this road for 5.4 miles to the parking area at its end. (Total of 72.9 miles).
- Drive east on Hwy. 20 to Santiam Junction. Fork right at the junction and drive 16 miles north on OR-22. At the "town" of Marion Forks between milepost 66 and 67 turn east onto Marion Creek Road 2255. Drive on this road for 5.4 miles to the parking area at its end. (Total of 68.8 miles)
- Drive east on OR-126 for 75 miles, then merge right onto US-20 for 3 miles to Santiam Junction. Here take a left onto OR-22 W towards Detroit. At the "town" of Marion Forks between milepost 66 and 67 turn east onto Marion Creek Road 2255. Drive on this road for 5.4 miles to the parking area at its end. (Total of 99.7 miles)
- It is a total of 118 miles via Salem.
- It is a total of 263 miles via Eugene.
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To get a more in-depth and personal view of this hike, watch the YouTube video.
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*All pictures are taken by Franziska Weinheimer
*Disclaimer: the trail descriptions, mileage, GPS tracks and difficulty ratings depicted on this website are never 100% accurate. Always hike at your own risk, using your own knowledge, equipment and common sense. Franziska Weinheimer/Hike Oregon are not responsible if you or anyone in your party gets injured or lost while attempting one of these or any other hikes.
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