Leave from the CVS (previous Rite Aid) parking lot on Ashland Street at 9:00 AM unless otherwise indicated. Bring water, lunch, hat, sunscreen and rain gear as appropriate. TH = trailhead; EDT = estimated drive time; PCT = Pacific Crest Trail; DIM = Dead Indian Memorial Highway. 100 Hikes = 100 Hikes in Southern Oregon, Second Edition. Hike leader:Francie Skinner, 541-840-4042
Website: https://ashlandhiking.org

December 3: High Lakes Trail (p. 122 in Hiking Southern Oregon)
TH: From CVS take DIM to Highway 140. Left on 140 for 0.9 miles to a left onto NF-3601 at the Brown Mountain Trails sign.  Follow signs 0.6 miles to the Brown Mountain Trails TH and leave a shuttle car. Return to 140 and turn left (west) for 6.4 miles to Highway 37. Left on 37 for 0.5 miles to the North Fork Campground TH parking area on the left.  EDT: 1 hour. Description: Follow the trail along Little Butte Creek (part of the Medford Irrigation District) up to the dam and turn left onto the High Lakes Trail. Follow the High Lakes trail past Fish Lake and across the Brown Mountain Lava flow back to the shuttle car. Distance: 9.3 miles; elevation gain 900'. Weather forecast. RT mileage: 100 miles

December 10: Applegate Lake Loop (p. 147 in 100 Hikes)
TH: Take Highway 238 from Jacksonville to Ruch (8 miles); take Upper Applegate Road 15 miles to Applegate Dam; drive left across the dam to the French Gulch TH (1.2 miles); EDT: 60 minutes. Description: Make a loop on the Applegate Lake Trail system in a clockwise direction so that we get the uphill out of the way before enjoying lunch on Hal's Point. Distance: 7.6 miles; elevation gain: about 1,000 feet. Weather forecast. RT mileage: 80 miles.

DECEMBER 17:  Hike in the Ashland Watershed 
TH: From CVS, head east toward Ashland Street 500 feet. Turn right onto Ashland Street 0.1 mile, turn left onto Tolman Creek Road for 3.9 miles. Start of Toothpick Trail, destination will be on the right. Description: Upper Toothpick TH start on Toothpick to Catwalk turn left, continue to Coggins Saddle. Turn right on FS road 2060. Continue to Caterpillar. Turn slight left to go clockwise around Lewis Loop Gyre.  Come back to Caterpillar to Toothpick and back to the trailhead.  Distance 6.77 miles Elevation gain: 1,300 . Drive Time 13 minutes: Weather forecast. RT mileage: 10 miles.

December 24: Christmas Eve No hike

December 31: Sterling Mine Ditch Trail: Wolf Gap to Deming Gulch (p. 144 in 100 Hikes) 
TH: Up I-5 to Exit 21, Talent. Left into Talent to a right on OR-99 for 0.4 miles to a left onto Colver Road for 2.1 miles to a left onto Pioneer Road. In 2.2 miles turn right to stay on Pioneer and in another 1.3 miles turn left to stay on Pioneer. At the T, turn left on Griffin Creek Road for 0.2 miles to a right on West Griffin Creek Road. In 2.9 miles continue straight onto Poormans Creek Road for 1.1 Miles to the T and go left onto Sterling Creek Road for 2.7 miles to a left onto BLM 39-2-8 (at the small brown sign by the fence corner on the right) for 1.2 miles (bearing left) to drop shuttle car at Deming Gulch TH. Continue on 1.9 miles to the Wolf Gap TH. EDT: 1 hour. Description: The Wolf Gap trail drops 800' in a mile and a half down to the Sterling Mine Ditch Trail across an open meadow with good views of the Little Applegate valley. Once down to the ditch it is a relatively level walk back to the shuttle car with nice views of the valley.  Distance: 9.7 miles; elevation loss: 1,000 feet. Weather forecast. RT mileage: 60 miles.