Ponderosa Trail on Roxy

Getting There

Finding Roxy Ann Peak is easy. It is the volcano you can see on the east side of the City of Medford. Interstate 5 bisects Medford. Take either exit from I-5 and follow one of the options below.

Option 1: Take the north I-5 exit (exit 30) and head north towards Crater Lake National Park on Hwy 62. At the second signal (about 1 mile from I-5) turn right on Delta Waters Rd. Roxy Ann Peak is straight ahead at this point. Stay on Delta Waters until it ends (about 1.8 mile) at Foothill Rd and turn right. Go 1.3 miles to East McAndrews Road, go under the bridge and turn right on the clover leaf to go east on McAndrews.

Option 2: Take the south I-5 exit (exit 27) and head east on Barnett Rd. Stay on Barnett, pass the Rogue Valley Hospital, and at the signal at the intersection with Foothill Rd, turn left (about 2.0 miles from I-5). Go 2.0 miles to East McAndrews Road, turn left before the bridge onto the clover leaf that will take you east on McAndrews Road.

Once you are on East McAndrews Rd heading east towards Roxy Ann Peak, go 1.6 miles to where McAndrews ends and Hillcrest continues up the hill. Go another 1.0 miles and turn left on Roxy Ann Rd.

Route Description

This is my favorite trail because it is not as muddy as the others. Ponderosa Trail starts at the Roxy Ann Picnic Area. To get to the Roxy Ann Picnic Area, start at the bottom of Roxy Ann Rd by parking along the road here, elevation 2,090 ft, and begin hiking up the road. It is .4 mile to the first gate and the paved road turns to a nice gravel road along here. The gate is closed and locked at 5:00PM in the winter and 9:00PM in the summer. You can walk around the gate at any time. If the gate is closed you can park here and start your hike at this spot also.

Continue up the road for another mile to the second gate, elevation 2,570 ft. This gate is always locked and if you drove this far, you have to park here and walk from this gate to the summit. Allow yourself enough time to get back down and through the first gate before they lock it for the evening.

Now that you are hiking, stay on the road. Pass the Madrone Trail on your right within 200 yards of the second gate. There are other game trails and “shortcut” trails heading off the road, but just ignore these and follow the road. In anther 1.0 mile you will come to an intersection, elevation 2,860 ft. Go left around the third gate and stay on the road for another .4 mile to the Roxy Ann Picnic Area. On the right just past this picnic area is the Ponderosa Trail.

Hop the drainage ditch and get on the trail. You may notice a little sign for the Oak Trail branching off to the right, just ignore it and stay on the main trail. The Ponderosa Trail has 3 main switchbacks and climbs 600 ft in 1.0 mile before intersecting the summit road near the summit. Either go down to the road at this point or follow the use trail to your right that parallels the road. As you reach the summit on this road you will see a little cinder block building on your right. Follow the crude drive path over towards this building. Ahead, you will see a pile of rocks that are about 20 ft high. This is the summit. If you are on the path still, just follow it up to this pile of rocks that you can see ahead.

For better views of Medford, go back to the road and follow it across the summit to where it ends. There are 2 brown cinder block buildings here and there is a trail that goes right between them. Follow this trail about 100 ft out onto a ledge with great views. On a clear day you can see Mt. Shasta from here.

Go back to your trailhead the way you came, or descend the summit road, and then continue on the main road all the way around Roxy Ann Peak and back to the third gate. On the east side of Roxy Ann you get a great view of Mt. McLoughlin.

Essential Gear

The 10 essentials should be carried. Water is important because it can be terribly hot in the summer. There are puddles and drainage ditches with water in the winter, but these are usually used by the many dogs that enjoy this hike. Bring your own water on the hike.

Images

View Ponderosa Trail on Roxy Image Gallery - 2 Images