Difficulty: Moderate
Length: Approx. 2 miles to the top (we just hike partway up)
Elevation Gain: Approx. 750 ft if you go to the summit
Season: May-October
Location: Marble Creek Road (20 minutes from Baker City, OR)
Note: No services
Marble Creek is close to Baker City and a quick escape to the mountains. By May the snow is typically melted. This hike starts at the "picnic area" and continues up the forest service "road". The road leads up to the city watershed area and is not highly used. I run here often and have only run into a few mountain bikers. The picnic area is a great place to park, but there are no services (bathroom, picnic table, etc.). You can access Marble Creek if you whack through the bushes a bit, but it's a pretty steep and fast creek and not ideal for playing in. Although there isn't a destination to reach at the end of the hike (lake, waterfall, etc.) this is a fun spot to let the kids run wild and get some exercise with beautiful views along the way.
Along the way there are some great viewpoints down to Baker Valley below.
About a mile up there's some fun areas for older kids to scramble up the hillside. My kids always love exploring off the trail. We normally stop here for a snack and go back down, but you can continue about another 1 mile to the summit for a harder hike.
My toddler clearly found this hike thrilling :) We went in the afternoon and he conked out pretty fast and didn't wake up until we were back at the truck.
Getting There: From Baker City head West on Pocahontas towards the mountains. Continue onto Marble Creek Road. turn left to stay on Marble Creek Road and head into the mountains. Continue for approx. 2 miles up Marble Creek Road and then turn left to park at the picnic area. This last section of road has some very large potholes. There's plenty of room to turnaround and park at the picnic area. I have seen people drive up here before in a sedan or minivan, but I would recommend a 4-wheel drive vehicle as parts of the road have some large ruts and pot holes. Most of the road is an easy drive.
*Update- This road was graded in June, 2021 and is now suitable for all vehicles!
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