“Rhyolite Point” (Soda Mtn. Wilderness) 12-Nov-2018

Last April, we did a short hike to Rhyolite Ridge, one of the many odd little destinations tucked away in Sullivan’s 100 Hikes in Southern Oregon (4^th Edition). This location is on the south side of Point 5401 just west of Pilot Rock. Which raised the question: If a Rhyolite Ridge, then why not a Rhyolite Point? 💡 After all, there must be views from the open, rocky top of Point 5401. Right?

We sought an answer to this perplexing question with a hike along the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) starting from where it crosses Old Highway 99 near Siskiyou Summit. The PCT was its usual great self, and we were soon rounding the west side of Point 5401. Here we went cross-country uphill, past an excellent viewpoint for Mount Shasta, to the rocky summit. From here there were views of Pilot Rock looming to the east, of Mount McLoughlin to the north, and, of course, Mount Ashland. There’s a cairn and a register on the summit. Coming back, we followed the ridge to the north to intersect an old road, which we descended for a short distance to where it crosses the PCT, and hence back to the trailhead. Combining the ridge and the point makes for a nice little hike with views in all directions. 🙂