Ashland, OR, Worth a Longer Stay

Last year we arrived in Ashland, OR in the middle of October and caught the magnificent fall foliage in full swing. This year, three weeks earlier, the towns centerpiece, Lithia Park, is still mostly green but is no less enchanting. You can read about our 2012 Ashland stay here and here.

Once again we are settled into a wonderful site at Emigrant Lake County Park. Site 19 has expansive and unobstructed views of the lake and only one close neighboring site that is behind you. Our giant window and outdoor sitting area looked out on the view below.

Site 19.

Emigrant Lake is used for irrigation during the summer so every year it goes from full in the spring to very low by the end of summer...right now it is at 20% capacity. The low water level did not detract from the beauty of our surroundings. From our site we could observe the comings and goings of the local rowing teams, as well as fishermen, SUP, kayakers, kites, flocks of geese, and wonderful cloud displays flowing over the mountains all around us.

We enjoyed this site so much we extended for an extra day. We've heard this place is crazy busy during summer weekends and holidays, but fall is a very peaceful time to stay here, the park was never more than half full. The best sites do reserve well in advance, but almost every site has a very good view of the lake and hills.

The RV park seen from across the cove. There we are just right of center foreground.

There are plenty of deer hiding around the park, you'll see them wandering around early or late in the day, but on a mid afternoon walk we spied them resting among the oaks, those big ears always give them away!

One day we needed to do some shopping in Medford, just 15 miles North of Ashland, so of course we included time for a hike. Upper Table Rock is a short trail to an interesting geologic area with excellent views of the Medford valley.

The shiny brick red of this manzanita really stood out against the gray sky and silvery green lichen and leaves.

Table Rock is a large lava plateau standing several hundred feet above the valley.
The rock formations along the edge are amazing!

Fog still blankets much of the valley below as we ponder the enormous rock formation we stand upon.

Puffy clouds line the horizon, rivers of golden grass cross the lava studded plateau. 

Walking the South edge of the plateau above the clouds.

We hiked Grizzly Peak once again, this time on a cloudy morning. The trail took us above the clouds for a different kind of view.

Looking South from Grizzly Peak trail, Mt Shasta is somewhere off in the distance.

Last year we enjoyed the wide flat trails through the center of Lithia Park, this year we discovered the single track trails traversing the South hillside of Lithia Park.

The main trail through Lithia Park is a lovely green oasis.

Oaks provided a bit of fall color along the hillside trails.

We also discovered a myriad of trails in the hills immediately West of Lithia Park as well as some trails on the South edge of town in the Oredson-Todd Woods. These trail systems are fairly well signed and do connect so you can hike for many miles if you so desire. Be prepared to hike some steep terrain through well managed mixed forest. Though the trails are steep in spots, there are some well engineered switchbacks to keep you moving and some very nicely situated benches to catch your breath.

All of the trails around town had signs warning of both bear and cougar sightings within the last month. You can bet we were on high alert for critter sightings, but all we saw were a few deer and some big fluffy gray squirrels.

I should also mention some of these trails are popular mountain biking trails, in fact the BTI trail is for bikes only. Personally I found these trails way too steep for biking, some of the downhills were so steep and on decomposed granite, that you would be braking and sliding constantly...no fun in my opinion...but I am no daredevil on the bike, either! We only hiked these trails on weekdays, weekends may be very busy due to the close proximity to town.

Oredson-Todd Woods

One of several wonderful rest stops on the hillsides overlooking Ashland.

Emigrant Lake is a wonderful place to stay when visiting Ashland, especially if you can get site 21 or 19. Next time we come through we'll probably stay for a week or two. This town has a lot to offer in the way of interesting shops and restaurants as well as the local trails we spent so much time on.

Sunset glow over our site.

Tomorrow we head a little South and East to Tionesta, CA where we'll spend a few days exploring Lava Beds National Monument. Then on down the 395 corridor...