Jackson County Hiking and
Backpacking Excursions
If you plan on doing a hiking or backpacking excursion in this area, get updated weather forecasts from http://rogueweather.com/ before heading out.
Upper Rogue River Trail: Part of this trail is in Douglas County, but the majority of it lies in Jackson County. This trail runs from the Crater Lake Rim viewpoint down to Prospect. This is one of the longest trails in Southern Oregon and is an easy to moderate hike. The trail is about 48 miles long and parallels the river almost the entire way. The upper end of the trail is at about 5,200 ft. so it is usually not accessible to hiking until May. The lower end, at 2,650 ft., can be hiked most of the year, however, there are a few creek crossings that may not be passable in winter and early spring. By the time summer comes around they are low enough to make it easily across. There are several areas along the trail for people to start or end there hike if they are just doing a section of it. Trail access can be found at River Bridge Campground, Woodruff Bridge, Natural Bridge, Forest Road 6510, Foster Creek, Forest Road 6530, and Hamaker Campground. Several waterfalls can be seen on the trail and there is also great fishing to be had.
Rating: 8/10
Rating: 8/10
Viewpoint Mike: This is a moderate hike that gives you excellent views of Lost Creek Lake. The trail climbs from an elevation of 1,550 ft. to about 2,500 ft. over 2.5 miles before coming to the viewpoint. The hike can be done year round, but in the spring wild flowers are abundant along the trail. However, in the summer it can be quite hot and dry. There is no water along the trail so if you go in the summer make sure you pack plenty along with you.
Rating: 6/10 6/16
Rating: 6/10 6/16
Mt. McLoughlin Trail: This is a strenuous 11 mile round trip hike to the highest point in Jackson County and the second highest point in Southern Oregon, behind Steens Mtn. in the Southeast corner of the state. You can add about a half mile to the hike if you decide to go off-trail to Freye Lake. The trailhead is actually in Klamath County, but people do this hike for the summit, which is why it is in the Jackson County section of this website. The trail starts at 5,600 feet and climbs to an elevation of 9,495 feet. The first three miles start out with a pretty gradual climb. Along the way the PCT meets up with the Mt. McLoughlin Trail about 1 mile into the hike. For the next half mile the PCT and Mt. McLoughlin trail will share the same path. About a quarter mile after the initial PCT junction there will be a very small little drainage area with some very faint paths off to the right. Following these faint trails a quarter mile will lead you to Freye Lake. From the drainage area it is about another quarter mile to the 2nd junction with the PCT. This is where the PCT leaves the Mt. McLoughlin Trail and will continue North. Over the next 1.5 miles the Mt. McLoughlin Trail will only climb about 300 feet, but after that, things start to get steep. Over the next 2.5 miles you will climb about 2,700 feet. At the 4.5 mile mark you start to get out of the timber and have great views to several lakes, especially Four Mile Lake. There is a little overlook here for you to take a breather before the final push. The last mile is even steeper, and there is a lot of loose rock and soil. Following the ridge line is the easiest way to get to the summit. Once at the summit you have amazing 360 degree views. On most summer days you'll have to share the summit with a handful of other hikers. When going back down, again, follow the ridgeline to where the trail comes out of the timber. I'm not sure how, but every year several people get lost on this trail because they didn't follow the ridgeline back down.
Rating: 9/10
Rating: 9/10
Union Creek Trail: This is a hike I did quite a while ago when I first got into hiking and backpacking, and I haven't been back to the trail since. When I went on it, the trail didn't appear to get much use except for the first quarter mile or so at the upper trailhead. There were some decent views of the Creek at the trailhead, but once I got down stream a little ways there were not too many open views of the creek. There were several spots where I had to climb over downed trees or push brush out of the way to continue on the trail. The trail is an easy hike and makes for about a 10 mile round-trip excursion. However, having to fight the forest to make my way down the trail made it seem longer. The creek was pretty, but wasn't anything special. I have been told that the trail has recently been groomed and the trail is now clear of downed trees and vegetation that is choking out the trail. With a clear path this would be a pretty, peaceful hike, but there is nothing jaw-dropping about it.
Rating: 4/10
Rating: 4/10
South Fork Trail: In all this is probably about a 20 mile long trail along the South Fork of the Rogue River. The upper part of the trail actually lies in Klamath County, and I have never been on that section. I do know however that it leads to the Sky Lakes wilderness and comes out near Blue Lake. The six mile middle section I pretty grew up on. My family used to camp in the area every summer when I was growing up and I would roam up and down that section of trail. It is an easy trail with some great views of the crystal clear South Fork. Fishing along the river is great, however, the fish are small. In late August you can pick Huckleberries as you make your way down the trail. The lower section of the trail isn't as scenic. The trail goes a little bit further from the river, so you don't have as many views of the water. The entire middle and lower section are easy hikes as the trail only drops about 50-100 feet in elevation every mile. At the lower end of the trail you come to a small damn with a beautiful pool below it. I haven't tried fishing there, but I would imagine it gets fished a lot. There is another road that comes out there which makes it easy to do this trail as a shuttle. Most of the time I am on the trail, I have it all to myself.
Rating: 7/10
Rating: 7/10
Collings Mountain Trail: This is a moderate 14 mile round-trip hike or it can be done as a 7 mile shuttle. I drove by the trail head probably 100 times, but the trail never looked that exciting to me. From the trail head it always appeared to me that the trail was mostly in manzanita and scrub brush. I finally decided to do it one day because I was looking for lower elevation hike to stay out of the snow. I was pleasantly surprised with the hike. I started at the north trailhead which seems to be the more popular of the two. The trail starts off following grouse creek and after only about .75 miles there is a short spurt that leads to a bigfoot trap that was built in 1973. From there the trail goes past an old mine and starts climbing through a mostly oak forest. The trail will climb about 1,000 feet before going over a ridge. Once on the backside of the ridge, the oaks pretty much disappear and Madrone, Douglas Fir, and Ponderosa Pine take over. From the top of the ridge there are decent views of the surrounding mountains and Applegate Lake. As the trail starts getting closer to the south trail head, it will pass through sporadic clumps of manzanita and scrub brush where the Watkins Fire burned in 1981. Other than the first .75 miles from the north trail head, there is no water along the trail. There is also poison oak along several part of the trail. My recommendation is to hike the trail between late fall and early spring. It's low elevation make it accessible nearly year round, but it will be very hot in the summer. You can also minimize the chance of poison oak by doing the hike after the leaves have fallen off of the bushes.
Rating: 8/10
Rating: 8/10
Sterling Mine Ditch Trail - Tunnel ridge section: Sterling Mine ditch is an old ditch that was made in the middle of the 19th century to draw water from the Little Applegate River and transport it to near Jacksonville for mining purposes. This is just one section of the trail. For this section there are actually 3 trail heads to choose from: Bear Gulch, Tunnel Ridge, and Sterling Mine. The Sterling mine Trail head will put you directly on the sterling mine trail whereas the other two are short spur trails that will lead to the sterling mine trail after about 1 mile. I have always gone up the Tunnel Ridge trail and it comes out at the Sterling Mine Ditch right at the Tunnel. The tunnel is 100 foot section of the ditch that the miners built right through the hillside. From the tunnel you can go east on the trail and after five miles you will come out at the Sterling mine trail head. From there, you can make a loop by following the road 1.7 miles back to the Tunnel Ridge trail head.
The other option is to head west from the tunnel. After 2 miles you will come to the Bear Gulch Trail head. Hike down Bear Gulch trail for 1 mile and then complete the loop by hiking up the road for .7 miles back to the Tunnel Ridge trail head.
This hike can be done year round due to the low elevation. It will get very hot in mid-summer and will also be very dry. Most of the hike is pretty open, so you will want your sun-screen with you. In the Spring there are excellent views for multiple species of wild flowers. However, there are a lot of ticks this time of year. Last time I went in May and got bit by one tick and found three others crawling on me. Make sure you're wearing your Deet. The entire Sterling Mine trail is 23 miles long and is very level for the most part. The eastern most section of the trail does go away from the ditch and climbs further up the hillside. The Bear Gulch trail and Tunnel Ridge trail also climb a couple hundred feet in order to reach the Sterling Mine Ditch. There is a couple proposals to link some other trails to the Sterling Mine Ditch trail. One would link the eastern end to trails in Ashland, and the other would link the western end to Grants Pass.
Rating: 7/10
The other option is to head west from the tunnel. After 2 miles you will come to the Bear Gulch Trail head. Hike down Bear Gulch trail for 1 mile and then complete the loop by hiking up the road for .7 miles back to the Tunnel Ridge trail head.
This hike can be done year round due to the low elevation. It will get very hot in mid-summer and will also be very dry. Most of the hike is pretty open, so you will want your sun-screen with you. In the Spring there are excellent views for multiple species of wild flowers. However, there are a lot of ticks this time of year. Last time I went in May and got bit by one tick and found three others crawling on me. Make sure you're wearing your Deet. The entire Sterling Mine trail is 23 miles long and is very level for the most part. The eastern most section of the trail does go away from the ditch and climbs further up the hillside. The Bear Gulch trail and Tunnel Ridge trail also climb a couple hundred feet in order to reach the Sterling Mine Ditch. There is a couple proposals to link some other trails to the Sterling Mine Ditch trail. One would link the eastern end to trails in Ashland, and the other would link the western end to Grants Pass.
Rating: 7/10
Pilot Rock: This is one of the must do trails in Southern Oregon and can be seen for many miles from the South. The landmark is very visible from the sky which is how it got it's name. The trail is about a 5 mile round trip that lies in the Soda Mountain Wilderness. Overall, it is moderate difficulty. The trail starts out along an old road and follows it for about 1.25 miles. It then joins the PCT for about 1/2 mile before splitting off. The last .75 miles are pretty steep and once you get to the rock itself, some scrambling is required. The upper section of the trail was recently re-done. It is slightly longer now, but not as steep or loose. Once at the top of the rock you have magnificent 360 degree views. Be very careful while climbing the rock, because people have died from falling while up there. It is strongly recommended that you don't climb the rock while it is wet or covered in snow or ice.
Rating: 9/10
Rating: 9/10
Grizzly Peak: This is an easy 5 mile loop trail that gives you great views of the valley down below. It used to be a 4 mile in-and-out hike that went to a nice overlook, but about 2007 they added more trail to make it a loop. The trail starts at about 5,200 feet and will climb to about 5,900 feet before descending slightly to get to a vista point and another overlook. Part of the trail goes through an area that burned in 2003. This has opened up the view and also makes for a great spot to view wild flowers in the spring. Most of the south and eastern sections of the trail go through a mixed forest of fir and pine. From the overlook, there are incredible views of the southern part of the rogue valley including Ashland, Talent and Medford. This is a pretty popular trail in spring and early summer, so you will likely have company on the trail.
Rating: 8/10
Rating: 8/10
Hobart Bluff: This is a moderate 3 mile round trip hike. There isn't really anything fancy about this hike, but there is good opportunity to view wildflowers in the spring. Most of the trail is on the south side of Hobart Peak and there are not many stands of timber along the trail so it will get very hot during the summer time. The trail starts off along the PCT and will go about one mile before the Hobart Bluff trail turns off. This side trail is pretty steep, but in about half mile you will be at the top. The rocky geology of the area make the hike a little more interesting. The Bluff itself is a rocky outcropping with a small lake (Hobart Lake) at the bottom of the cliff. One of the nice things about this hike is you can make it longer by including a section of the PCT. By heading the opposite direction from the trailhead you can hike up Soda Mountain. You can also do a shuttle hike by going about 2 miles further along the PCT past the Hobart Bluff trail, which will take you to Green Springs Summit on HWY 66. Since it is a short hike, I usually do this hike when I am in the area climbing Pilot rock or hiking Grizzly Peak.
Rating: 4/10
Rating: 4/10
Josephine County Hiking and
Backpacking Excursions
O'brien Creek Trail/Boundary Trail: This is a very strenuous trail that gives you access to the tallest mountain in Josephine County. O'brien Creek trail starts at about 5,000 ft elevation and climbs to about 6,100 feet in only 2.3 miles before reaching the Boundary Trail. At about the half way point the trail forks. The lower fork goes about 1/4 mile before coming to a nice little cabin. The upper fork is the one that continues on to the the Boundary Trail. The Boundary Trail is a 15.6 mile trail that goes from Rock Creek Rd out of Williams, to the PCT in the Red Buttes Wilderness. There are several trails off of Boundary Creek Trail, including trails that lead to Oregon Caves National Monument. In order to get to the summit of Grayback Mountain you must go off-trail. From the top of O'brien Creek Trail I went right on Boundary Trail until I found a descent looking area to continue up the hill to the summit. Others have gone left on the Boundary Trail from the top of O'brien Creek trail for about .7 miles until they come to a saddle. From there, they go right up the hill to the summit.
Rating: 7/10 7
Rating: 7/10 7
Steve's Fork Trailhead to Tannen Mountain: This is a moderate 16 mile round trip hike where you are guaranteed some solitude. This hike is in the northern part of the Red Buttes Wilderness. Most of the hike is in Oregon, but the first section does go into California. The trail starts off climbing slightly and soon comes to trail #906. At the junction, make a right and proceed up the hill a couple miles until you come to trail #1207. Make left at this junction and continue down the trail. The trail becomes more level at this point, but it also becomes much harder to navigate. I am told that many of the trails in the area were cleared in the summer of 2014, but when I did this hike in 2010 there were 8 foot tall oak trees and a lot of brush growing in the middle of the trail. Stay on the 1207 trail. There is another trail (1237) that forks off and follows Sucker Creek down at the bottom of the drainage. There are also a couple other trails that fork off just before Tannen Mountain, one of which will also take you down to Sucker Creek and the other will lead to Tannen Lakes. The 1207 trail will traverse the south flank of Tannen mountain and on the western side there is a side trail that will lead to the summit. From the summit there are great views of the surrounding Siskiyou Mountains and Tannen Lakes down below. There is supposed to be a marble cavern about 1 mile from the trail summit with a 50 foot vertical drop entrance, but I'm told it's very hard to find. There is some controversy as to what the actual name of the mountain and lakes are. Some people say it is "Tannen" while other sources say "Tanner".
Rating: 7/10
Rating: 7/10