Tuesday, September 30, 2014

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...

27 comments:

  1. We haven't been to Ashland yet but it's on our list. You didn't mention breweries? Look forward to your post on Lava Beds as we haven't made it there, either.

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    1. They have FIVE breweries in town...but we did not visit any of them believe it or not! I guess we're saving that for the next time!

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  2. Love the pondering pic, and the grass river through the lava, and oh yeah, the between the clouds shot......okay, ALL of them are awesome! So glad you're going to Lava Beds! My oldest son's sixth grade class went there for three days, and it is truly wonderful (I'm sure it must still be so after about 18 years). The catacombs are terrific, and the tubes are fun for those with less "closeness" issues than moi :-)

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    1. We've had a few recommendations for Lava Beds so we're really looking forward to it!

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    2. Yep - we were there last year - pretty darn interesting...

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  3. Boy that site is a real beauty, its view and its sunset. You must have booked way ahead to get that. Love your manzanita and above the clouds photographs.

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    1. We did book several months ahead of time, end of July in fact. We LOVED this site!

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  4. Beautiful pics and descriptions. The deer made me smile.

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  5. Wonderful hikes as always. The picture of you above the clouds is so cool Lisa!
    I can certainly see why you would choose to stay longer...what a site!

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    1. Amazing site, and such a peaceful place to be...with the great town and hikes just a few miles away...perfection!

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  6. It looks warm enough up there…but the clock is ticking :))

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  7. Looks like a lovely stay Lisa! Love the "above the clouds" pic!

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  8. Wow - Clearly, we need to put this on our list.

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    1. It's a wonderful area Rick, I think you two would love it.

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  9. So happy that you enjoyed your time in our hometown! For almost 20 years I've hiked every day in Ashland -- as you've discovered, the trails are abundant and beautiful. You've discovered some of our favorite spots, even Table Rocks in Medford. So sorry that we're not making it back in time to meet up with you. We're on our way right now, and are missing you by only a day! Hope we can meet up elsewhere this winter. Seeing your photos makes me realize again just how beautiful Ashland is.

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    1. I know I would enjoy living here! Consider yourself fortunate! :-)

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  10. Oh, my! What fantastic hiking photos and how nice to see one of you for a change (not that we don't love Hans!) That photo of you above the clouds is amazing. How gorgeous!

    That is a beautiful manzanita tree. The bark is so red.

    I can see why you would book ahead to have that view. How peaceful especially with your own private guards in the weeds:)

    Great sunset:)

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    1. Hans took that awesome photo with the clouds, I love it!

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  11. Emigrant looks ideal. You sure are great at locating those hikes. What resources do you use to find them?

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    1. Just keyword search on Google: Ashland OR hiking
      Then drill deeper into results that look promising.

      Or, if we're lucky a visitor center! Tomorrow we visit Lava Beds Nat'l Monument.

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  12. Never been to Ashland, just breeze through there and if we go there for sure this RV park will be our destination. Lovely place, Love your pic above the fog! And that red manzanita is stunning!
    We did a few hikes at Lava Beds in addition to our cave hopping. And yes do drive to Glass Mountain!

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  13. Sorry can't contain my excitement that you are exploring Lava Beds Natil Park. I have three post in the area in case you are looking for ideas :) and of course there is hiking involve.
    http://lowestravels.com/2012/10/16/into-the-abyss-cave-hopping-at-lava-beds-national-monument/

    http://lowestravels.com/2012/10/19/a-turbulent-past-lava-beds-national-monument-part-2/

    http://lowestravels.com/2012/10/22/its-a-rocky-situation-at-glass-mountain/
    Enjoy!

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  14. Thanks Mona Liza...we stopped here specifically because you mentioned it in a comment to us some months ago! I've checked out your posts.

    BTW, we really like Eagles Nest RV Park, it is so peaceful here!

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  15. I am just now catching up on my reading and I am so glad that I started here! We have been wanting to visit Ashland for some time. Thanks so much for the lovely introduction. I love the photos of you two hiking in the clouds and that sunset shot is fabulous. :)

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