Upper Rogue River Trail #1034 – BOOTS on the TRAIL

Boundary Springs (Crater Lake National Park) 26-Jul-2021

2021-07-262021-08-05Posted in Hiking, Southern Oregon, U.S. National Parks & MonumentsTagged Ashland Hiking Group, Boundary Springs, Crater Lake National Park, Day Hiking, Hiking, Rogue River, Southern Oregon, Upper Rogue River, Upper Rogue River Trail #103413 Comments

Boundary Springs – which emerge from semi-arid terrain in the northwest corner of Crater Lake National Park – are the source of the mainstem of the Rogue River. Many other tributaries and streams contribute to the Rogue before it reaches the sea at Gold Beach, but that river starts here. It’s tempting to think that these springs somehow tap Crater Lake itself but they are, instead, fed only by snowmelt.

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Rogue Gorge Trail (Union Creek, Oregon) 15-Nov-2018

2018-11-152022-01-30Posted in Hiking, Southern OregonTagged Beckie's Cafe Oregon, Day Hiking, Hiking, Natural Bridge Campground, Rogue Gorge Trail, Rogue River, Southern Oregon, Union Creek, Upper Rogue River, Upper Rogue River Trail #10342 Comments

We hiked our first Rogue River-related trail (to Boundary Springs) in 2012. Over the next six years, we hiked all of the other river-related trails between the springs and the ocean, culminating (we thought) with the Lower Rogue River Trail this year. Having thus declared victory, we were chagrined to find we’d missed one. Map-gazing revealed the Rogue Gorge Trail (USFS #1034A), which links the Rogue Gorge Viewpoint to the north with the Natural Bridge Viewpoint to the south. This slight required remedy!

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Fun with Ticks on the Upper Rogue River 26-May-2017

2017-05-272022-01-30Posted in Hiking, Southern Oregon, U.S. RiversTagged Crater Lake National Park, Day Hiking, Hiking, Lost Creek Lake Oregon, North Fork Dam Recreation Area, Rogue River, Rogue River - Siskiyou National Forest, Rogue River Trail, Upper Rogue River, Upper Rogue River Trail #10341 Comment

Hiking trails follow the Rogue River for approximately 100 miles. One of these, the Upper Rogue River Trail (USFS #1034), roughly parallels it for about 47 miles from near Boundary Springs to the North Fork Dam Recreation Area outside of Prospect, Oregon. It can be hiked in sections. We hiked our first section, the northern-most, in 2012 and completed the southern-most section in 2016. Done and done, except for the possibility (per Sullivan) that there was a path from the North Fork Dam Recreation Area to the Peyton Bridge Trailhead at Lost Creek Lake. This would allow one to link the true Upper Rogue River Trail (#1034) with the “Rogue River Trail” that goes around the north and south shores of Lost Creek Lake and ends at Casey State Park. We conveniently ignored that “except” until the nagging malaise of incompleteness was too much to bear. So we dragged ourselves off the sofa and went out yesterday to finish the hike…

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Mill Creek Falls (Oregon) 12-May-2017

2017-05-122022-01-30Posted in Hiking, Southern Oregon, U.S. RiversTagged Barr Creek Falls Oregon, Lost Creek Lake Oregon, Mill Creek Falls Oregon, Oregon waterfalls, Prospect Oregon, Rogue River, Rogue River - Siskiyou National Forest, Upper Rogue River, Upper Rogue River Trail #1034

Mill Creek Falls Upper Rogue River Trail Oregon

Well, after three gloriously warm and sunny days, we were pitched yet again into the damp gloom of either a late winter or an early spring, but certainly not an early summer. One of the old jokes about Oregon is that summer doesn’t really start until the 4^th of July and this year that might not be a joke (if it ever was). But, on the upside, all this sky water has made our local waterfalls really, really energetic. So, rather than lament our moist meteorological fate, we decided to explore part of the trail connecting the Upper Rogue River Trail (USFS #1034) with Lost Creek Lake and simultaneously visit two local waterfalls – 173-foot Mill Creek Falls and 240-foot Barr Creek Falls – conveniently located within a quarter mile of one another.

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Upper Rogue River Trail (Hamaker Campground to Foster Creek) 16-Sep-2016

2016-09-172022-01-29Posted in Hiking, Hiking (Bike Assist), Southern Oregon, U.S. RiversTagged Beckie's Cafe Oregon, Crater Lake National Park, Day Hiking, Foster Creek, Hamaker Campground, Hiking, National Creek Falls, National Recreation Trail, Oregon, Union Creek, Upper Rogue River, Upper Rogue River Trail #1034

The Upper Rogue River Trail (USFS #1034) is a National Recreation Trail that closely follows the Rogue River for about 47 miles from its headwaters at Boundary Springs in the northwest corner of Crater Lake National Park to to the North Fork Dam Recreation Area outside Prospect, Oregon. The trail can be day hiked in sections between readily accessible trailheads. Today I finished another section – from Foster Creek to Hamaker Campground, going from south to north to accommodate a hike & bike approach. The LovedOne had a doctor’s appointment plus she was concerned that this section would be the same unmaintained mess as was the Foster Creek to Big Bend section (post), so I was on my own for this one.

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North Shore Trail (Lost Creek Lake) 13-May-2016

2016-05-142022-01-28Posted in Hiking, Southern Oregon, U.S. RiversTagged Blue Grotto Oregon, Day Hiking, Hiking, Lewis Road Trailhead, Lost Creek Lake Oregon, Oregon, Takelma Park, Upper Rogue River, Upper Rogue River Trail #1034, William L Jess Dam4 Comments

Lost Creek Lake is a 3,340 acre (when full) reservoir situated on the main stem of the Rouge River in a scenic valley basin approximately half way between Crater Lake National Park and Medford, Oregon. It was created in 1977, mainly for flood control and power generation purposes, with the completion of the William L. Jess Dam. Since then it has become a major local recreation area, with boating, fishing, beaches, and miles of lake shore trail (for hikers, runners, equestrians, and mountain bikers). Situated at about 2,500 feet elevation, the trails are open year-round, even when snow closes those further up in the Cascades. But, like most of the water management reservoirs in our area, the level of this lake rises and falls some 60 feet with the seasons – going from a mud-rimmed bathtub in winter to a “real” lake during the summer.

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Upper Rogue River Trail (Big Bend to Natural Bridge) 27-Mar-2015

2015-03-272022-01-28Posted in Hiking, Southern Oregon, U.S. RiversTagged Beckie's Cafe Oregon, Big Bend (Upper Rogue River), Day Hiking, Farewell Bend, Hiking, National Recreation Trail, Natural Bridge Campground, Oregon, Rogue River, Southern Oregon, Upper Rogue River, Upper Rogue River Trail #1034

Upper Rogue River Trail Big Bend Natural Bridge Oregon

The Upper Rogue River Trail (USFS #1034) follows the Rogue River for about 47 miles from near its headwaters at Boundary Springs in the northwest corner of Crater Lake National Park to the North Fork Dam Recreation Area outside of Prospect, Oregon. The trail can be day hiked in sections between readily accessible trailheads. Today we did the short (~7 mile) section from Big Bend to Natural Bridge and allowed for slow going due to winter storm damage and limited trail maintenance.

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Upper Rogue River Trail (Mazama View Point to Hamaker Meadows) 27-Mar-2015

2015-03-272022-01-28Posted in Hiking, Southern Oregon, U.S. RiversTagged Beckie's Cafe Oregon, Crater Rim Viewpoint, Day Hiking, Hamaker Campground, Hiking, Mazama Viewpoint, Oregon, Southern Oregon, Upper Rogue River, Upper Rogue River Trail #1034

Upper Rogue River Trail Mazama View Point Hamaker Meadows Oregon)

The Upper Rogue River Trail (USFS #1034) follows the Rogue River for about 47 miles from near its headwaters at Boundary Springs in the northwest corner of Crater Lake National Park to the North Fork Dam Recreation Area outside of Prospect, Oregon. The trail can be day hiked in sections between readily accessible trailheads. Today we did the section from the trail’s start at Mazama Viewpoint on Highway 230 to Hamaker Meadows, passing Rough Rider Falls along the way. {UPDATE: The first four miles of this trail were burned by the 2015 National Creek Fire.}

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