Mountain of the Rogue 2-4-26

Photos by Nanci

Ashland Hiking Home

This was a day of new experiences for the twelve of us hikers: a new hike, a drone photo op, and even a Sasquatch sighting. Mountain of the Rogue is well known for its mountain biking trails, so I shouldn’t have been surprised to see five mountain bikers gearing up next to us in the parking lot. Today, Scott led us along a route of multi-use hiking and biking trails, assuring us that, in his past experiences, he’s seldom encountered bikers on these paths.

The trails follow an easy, graded ascent with frequent switchbacks. We started out on the Rat Pack Trail, hiking through groves of madrone, manzanita, and other deciduous trees and shrubs. Gradually, the trail opened up, and we found ourselves basking in sunshine with expansive views of the surrounding mountains and valley for much of the climb. Shortly before reaching the summit, we connected with the conifer-forested Darkside Trail, which then joined the Tin Pan Peak Trail. Upon reaching the peak, the group voted to make it our lunch spot—it was noon, and the location offered wonderful views of both the valley and the mountains to the southwest, with Mount McLaughlin visible to the east.

As we settled in to enjoy lunch, a couple with their dogs and a drone joined us. The drone operator, Tanner, introduced himself to Francie and explained that he was using the drone in search of a missing young man. As a kind gesture, he used his drone to take a group photo and later texted it to Francie.

After lunch, our return was a rolling descent back down the Darkside Trail, with a short connection to the upper end of the Rat Pack Trail—bringing us to our meetup with the Sasquatch Trail. What a great photo opportunity for a first-time group photo with a Sasquatch! Once again, the trail opened to wide views, with frequent switchbacks to ease the descent, eventually reconnecting with the Rat Pack Trail all the way back to the parking lot. With temperatures in the mid-60s and full sun, the warmth of the day had us all hiking in our shirt sleeves.

In review of this first-time hike on Mountain of the Rogue, the trails were well-maintained, offering an easy grade both ascending and descending, and miles of open views. Although the trails are multi-use, we didn’t encounter any mountain bikers. The only downside was the presence of traffic noise, which was most noticeable during the first two miles of the ascent and the last two miles of the return.

Nanci