Wildcat Hills Trail Along The PCT 8-13-25

Photos by Barry and Nanci

Ashland Hiking Home

Six of us ventured out early on an expected hot day to hike a section of the PCT that traverses the hills above the east shore of Hyatt Reservoir. The mostly forested hike included a mixture of pine, oak and madrone interspersed with exposed areas of blooming buckwheat and sedum.

After about four miles of gradual uphill we reached the cutoff trail that took us up 400 feet to the Wildcat Hills Overlook, our lunchtime destination. By then it was quite warm and we were happy to break and relax in the shade. During lunch we were greeted by an American Kestrel looking down at us from a dead snag as well as lovely views of the lake with Mt. Ashland in the background.

The return hike was warm but thankfully mostly downhill and we made it back to the cars by 1:30. We did about 8.6 miles and 600 feet elevation gain.