State: Oregon
Location: Rogue River National Forest
Length, One-Way: 0.5 miles
Trail Type: Out and Back
Minimum Elevation: 3500 feet
Best Season: March to November
Difficulty: Easy
Usage: Light
Pumice Point, Oregon
Trail Information
This is a nice short hike for the entire family with historical and scenic interest. It’s open to mountain bikes too, but is more of a side trip as it’s a short dead end route. Keep speed to a minimum on this trail.
The trail offers panoramic views of Ashland Creek, Reeder Reservoir and Wagner Butte. Relics from the past mining are visible on the way. Trilliums, Tiger Lilies, Asters and Scarlet gilia dot the hill sides in early spring to mid summer. Beginning at the parking area on the loop road (2060) the trail follows portions of an old mining ditch built sometime in the early 1900’s to bring water from Ashland Creek to power a stamp mill located on the upper Tolman Creek road. The ditch trail passes by one of the old adits’ (tunnels with one entrance) of the Lamb Mine, excavated in to the granite slope in search of gold.
The trail ends at a scenic vista point overlooking Reeder Reservoir and the Ashland Municipal Watershed. Please use care to protect this sensitive environment. Do not leave the trail. No camping or campfires are permitted in the Watershed. Access to the trail may be closed in the summer when fire danger is extreme.
Directions
From the Ashland Ranger Station:
Drive west on Highway 66 for 1 mile to Siskiyou Boulevard. Turn right on to Siskiyou Boulevard and 3/4 mile to Morton Street. Turn left on to Morton and follow it up to the top of the hill (Morton St. takes a couple of jogs, so watch the signs). Turn left on to the Ashland Loop road (a dirt road). This is a hard left that is more than 90 degrees making it difficult for long wheelbase vehicles. Once you’ve made the turn proceed a little over 2 miles to the trailhead parking area on the right. The going gets a little tough in the lower segment of the Loop road but is graded from the National Forest Boundary where the Loop Road turns in to Forest Road 2060.
