Grizzly Peak 5-11-26

Photos by Jerry and John

Yesterday's hike on Grizzly Peak was a perfect Spring day, with temperatures in the 60s to 70s and a cool breeze up top. The trail up from the parking through the forest was lined with blooming flowers, including white and pink Trilliums, purple Larkspur, and creamy Jacob's Ladder.

This hike is always one of the most popular on the AHG's 52-week schedule, and yesterday's group brought 20 hikers to the trail. The views were great as we saw snow capped Mt. Shasta and Mt. Eddy seemingly floating in the air from 75 miles away. And nearby: Mt. Ashland, with just a bit of snow facing north, and Pilot Rock. Below our rocky point, we could see the Greensprings and Bear Valley with Emigrant Lake, and into the Rogue Valley with Ashland seen through smoke from controlled burns.

We did the Grizzly Loop in a clockwise direction, which is normal for our group.

We took an early lunch at 11:00 am, sitting on the stair steps of shale rocks.

After lunch, we continued down the rocky trail to the west side of Grizzly with views into Medford and across the valley.
Just past the rock pile, which claims to be Grizzly Peak's 5,900' summit, we came back to the intersection that completes the loop.

On this Spring day, we hiked 6+ miles with 900' of gain.

Note: Next Monday we'll be doing the 2,200' hike up Castle Crags in California, so we'll leave from Ashland at 8:00 am. This is a challenging hike, so best if only experienced hikers join this hike.

The forecast for next Monday on Castle Crags is sunny with an afternoon high of 83.

Happy Trails,
Rich