Early autumn on the Rogue River
Near River Bridge Campground – October 3, 2026
Ashland Daily Photo - A picture a day from beautiful Ashland, Southern Oregon USA in the Rogue Valley
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Posts tagged hike
Nature’s Ruins
Half a mile or so upstream from River Bridge on the Rogue River (October 3, 2026)
The subject in today’s photo reminded me of castle or church remnants in some remote place. The fall colors in the background didn’t hurt.
Table Rocks
Upper and Lower Table Rocks from Kenneth Denman Wildlife Area
Today’s photo comes from a four-mile loop that we did a couple of weeks ago. We were between storms so the sky was gorgeous.
We stumbled upon some World War II-era ammunition storage bunkers and buildings left over from when the site operated as part of Camp White. We had never even heard of Camp White, but this walk sent us down a rabbit hole of discovering what the area was like 80+ years before.
Bull Lake via Pacific Crest Trail
Bull Lake with Mt. Shasta and Mt. Eddy in background (August 30, 2026)
According to AllTrails, this is an 8-mile, 1,482 feet of elevation gain hike. I clocked in at 8.6 miles and 1,516 feet of elevation gain. Kangaroo Lake is near the beginning of this hike. Driving on paved roads the entire way, you can make it to the trailhead in an hour and forty minutes from Ashland.
Mount McLoughlin, Oregon’s favorite stratovolcano
Mt. McLoughlin from Siskiyou Peak (May 2026)
When we first arrived at the summit of Siskiyou Peak, Mt. McLoughlin was covered in clouds. Before we descended, 30 minutes or so later, we got a peek at the peak.
Siskiyou Peak, elevation 7,147 feet
US Geological Survey Bench Mark from 1932
You’ve heard of the Siskiyous, but did you know there is an actual Siskiyou Peak? I didn’t, until I was standing on it a bit over a week ago.
Big Red Mountain Trail
Spreading Phlox on the Big Red Mountain portion of the PCT (May 24, 2026)
I found the “Big Red Mountain” trail on AllTrails and headed to it without further research. Big mistake. Although the trail itself was great, getting there and home was a bit of a nightmare. There is a reason you will encounter no other hikers on this section of the PCT; it is remote! Getting there from the Mt. Ashland parking lot requires over 7 miles of driving on an unpaved road (Forest Road 20). That road is mostly OK, but there are portions that are not fun to drive in any vehicle. Another option is to take Wagner Creek Road to NF-22 to NF-20. That way is almost 14 miles on dirt and rocks. I intended to go home that way, but I didn’t research things in advance, and there was no cell service up there. I went the wrong way on NF-20, and ended up not taking the road to Wagner Creek Road. Instead, I ended up on the Siskiyou Summit Road, eventually getting dumped out in the Applegate somewhere, after 15+ miles on unpaved roads. Maybe 15+ miles doesn’t sound like that much, but my average speed was well under 20 miles per hour, and was frequently under 10 miles per hour. There were a few really nasty (rocky) parts. 4WD with a high clearance is highly recommended, but I didn’t have either.
Anywho, the wildflowers were the highlight of this hike. Sometimes the trail was literally lined with them on both sides. Most wildflower trails that I have been on have three or four different kinds of wildflowers. This one had more than 10 varieties! You’ll want layers if you decide to do this hike. In the shade, it felt like about 60 degrees. In the sun, it felt like more than 80 degrees (although I’m sure that it wasn’t really that hot–it just felt hot as the sunnier sections were also the steeper climbing sections).
Cathedral Hills
Grants Pass, Oregon (May 2026)
