-
6580 Hits
-
74.01% Score
-
4 Votes
Page Type:
|
Route |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
|
42.35450°N / 122.7857°W |
Route Type:
|
Hiking |
Season:
|
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
|
Time Required:
|
Half a day |
|
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
The Madrone/Manzanita Trail is muddier than the Ponderosa Trail and may not be appreciated until summer. The Madrone Trail starts on the road near the second gate. To get to the Madrone Trail, 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.
The Madrone Trail is on your right within 300 yards of the second gate. This trail is steep all the time but it is muddy, and slimy in the winter. It is a short trail at only.25 mile but it gains about 230ft. Stay to your right at the fork near the top, and soon you reach the Roxy Ann Loop Rd. Cross the road and the Manzanita Trail starts on the other side.
The first part of the Manzanita Trail is not too bad except that it is muddy. Follow it as it traverses on the south side of Roxy Ann and then turns back to the northwest and joins an old roadbed used by utility crews to service the power poles going to the summit. Follow this road up and then stay to the right at a fork. Follow this roadbed up to a switchback that heads back to your left. Follow the worn path as it ascends and goes through three more switchbacks before it meets the summit road near the summit. Total distance on this trail is 1.33miles and gains 710ft.
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.
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 turn right on the main road and follow it all the way around Roxy Ann Peak and back to the Madrone Trail. On the east side of Roxy Ann you get a great view of Mt. McLoughlin.