Catwalk and Toothpick Trail Loop

Situated in Southern Oregon right near the California border lies the Siskiyou Mountain Range's tallest peak, Mount Ashland. Mount Ashland is a very popular area for many recreational activities, one of the most popular activities is skiing. The ski area was opened up in 1963 and has changed hands numerous times.  Although not very known, a beautiful and secluded hike lies on the backside of th...

Pilot Rock is one of the most prominent features in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and is visible from over 40 miles away in the Shasta Valley of northern California and the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon.Similar to Devil’s Tower in Wyoming, though much smaller in stature, Pilot Rock is a columnar basalt volcanic core located 1.6 miles north of the CA border. It provides impressive scr...

Hobart Bluff is part of the Western Cascades, a range of weathered volcanic mountains that are much older than the High Cascades that most people think of today, the range of Shasta, Rainier, and Hood. These mountains are shorter as a result of the work of time and usually have summits wrapped in forest, but not Hobart Bluff. Here, the igneous rock outcrop stands above the manzanita, void of tr...

This is not an easy hike, but every step is more than worth it. Unlike Mount Thielsen to the north, this summit requires no scrambling/climbing; it's just a long, steep hike. Mount McLoughlin (named for John McLoughlin of Hudson's Bay Company and Oregon Trail fame) is a lava cone on top of a composite volcano, inactive for tens of thousands of years. Its slopes bear the marks of glaciation, and...

Starting at at elevation of 5250 feet, the trail climbs steadily from the trailhead for approximately 3.3 miles to pass at 6900 feet. From here you will come to a junction where going right will lead to Devils Peak and the PCT and going left (straight) will take down into the basin. If you started early I would choose heading down to Cliff Lake first and setting up camp at one of the beautiful ...

Mill Creek Falls is a lesser-known gem in Southern Oregon. At 173 ft it is one of the tallest in the area, and Barr Creek Falls, plunging 240 ft, is less than a quarter mile further down the trail. The viewpoints can be accessed year-round though flows often fluctuate and spring/winter may best for greater flows. If conditions are right, the falls will freeze/partially freeze offering great pho...