Places to Go

OPEN Wednesday through Saturday, 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM CLOSED Sunday, Monday, Tuesday

We are located within the Philomath High School Campus.

The C2C Trail is located within the traditional homelands of the Ampinefu or Marys River Band of Kalapuya, Wusi’n or Alsea People, and the Yaqo’n or Yaquina People.

Benton County Parks works with private landowners, Corvallis Parks and Recreation, the City of Philomath, Siuslaw National Forest, OSU Research Forests, the Greenbelt Land Trust and others to offer a trail system that provides health and recreation benefits for the citizenry.

What does outdoor adventure mean to you? For some of us, it means an epic, multi-day backpacking trip through thick forests. For others, it means a mid-day paddle on a quiet stretch of river. And for some, a day outdoors means an afternoon picnic at the neighborhood park. However you enjoy the outdoors, we’re excited to welcome you to Benton County and Corvallis - in the heart of the Willamette Valley - and share all our region has to offer. Across our county, you’ll find rolling hillsides, idyllic farmland, soaring forests, wooded mountains, scenic waterways, verdant parks... Basically, the perfect playgrounds for however you’d like to get outside.

Enjoy a gorgeous drive through the Heart of Willamette back-roads and discover our special place in Oregon Wine country. Find scenic, intimate, artisanal settings with exceptional wines.

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 Marys Peak Day Use at 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.

From the highest point in the Coast Range to the broad, sandy beaches of the Central Coast, one of Oregon’s newest byways follows the Alsea River on a delightfully meandering 72-mile/116-kilometer tour. It’s always tempting to make a beeline for Oregon’s magnificent coast, but this byway encourages you to take it slow — not only to navigate the often narrow, twisting road but to discover the many attractions hiding just beyond the highway.

The vision of the OSU Research Forests Recreation and Engagement Program is to offer a variety of enjoyable opportunities for a diverse set of forest visitors to participate in close-to-home recreation and learning activities in a forested environment; a place where people feel comfortable engaging in outdoor activities as individuals or with their neighbors and friends, and come away learning something new about forests. We welcome picnickers, hikers, trail runners, mountain bikers, equestrians, dog walkers, hunters (Dunn Forest only), nature enthusiasts, and you to explore our 35 miles of trails and over 110 miles of roads. Trailhead parking gets full on busy afternoons and weekends, so check out alternative transportation options!