Bald Hill Natural Area is located just west of Corvallis.  It only has 5 miles of dirt and gravel trails, but they are arranged in a spider web pattern with the center being the hill, so several miles can be run going up, down, and around the hill. When combined with Fitton Green and Crestmont to the west, several miles can be run on luscious, hilly singletrack, footpaths, and jeep roads.  Besides Doug Fir, there are many maple and oak trees surrounding the trails turning the tracks into an autumn wonderland.  These trails are used for the Run for the Hills 30k and 8k.

 

Mulkey Creek Trail in the Fall

The Oak Creek Trailhead has the best access to trails.  It has a parking lot for around 20 cars and is just 10 minutes from downtown Corvallis.  The Mulkey Ridge Trail and the Bald Hill Multi-Use paved path meet at the Oak Creek Trailhead.  To access the Bald Hill Natural area, head right on Mulkey Ridge for a half-mile to the County Connector trail and turn left.

 

Bench on Bald Hill facing the Mary’s River and farmlands in the Bellfountain area

After .3 miles is the dog off-leash area and a trail junction.  This begins the myriad of trails that lead up and around Bald Hill.  Each trail junction has signage making it easy to navigate the area.  The peak of the hill is 750′ located at the junction of West Summit Trail and Summit Road and offers views to the south and west of Corvallis.  At the bottom of the North Summit Trail in the Northeast section of the trail is the Bald Hill Barn, leftover from when the area was a working farm.

 

Bald Hill Barn

To access the Fitton Green Natural Area from Oak Creek Trailhead, stay on Mulkey Creek Trail for 2.7 miles to the Fitton Green North-South Trail.  This is the spine of the area and connects to a couple of other trails to Creston Land Trust, a newly donated parcel of land to the Corvallis area.  Fitton Green offers views of the Oregon Coast Range including Mary’s Peak.

 

Oregon Coastal Range from Fitton Green Natural Area

 

Follow this 12-mile route that utilizes climbing Bald Hill on different trails and back to Mulkey Creek up to Fitton Green and loops back via Panorama Drive trailhead and Wynoochee Drive.  Add more miles by using Amy’s trail, the new connector trail to Crestmont Land Trust and the Cardwell Hill trail.