Upper Rogue River
Easy (to No Name Falls) 3.4 miles round-trip 200 feet elevation gain Open mid-May to mid-November Moderate (to Rough Rider Falls) 7.8 miles round-trip 650 feet elevation gain Moderate (Highway 230 to Road 6530) 8.6 miles one-way 1200 feet elevation loss Open June to mid-November
Above: Rough Rider Falls.
Near its headwaters the Rogue River churns through a rarely visited canyon of waterfalls. For an easy hike, take a nearly level stroll through the woods to an unnamed 40-foot S-shaped falls. For a longer hike, continue upstream to roaring, 50-foot Rough Rider Falls. Better yet, arrange a car shuttle and hike this entire 8.3-mile stretch of the Upper Rogue River Trail one way.
If a car shuttle isn’t in the cards, start at the lower trailhead. From Medford, take Highway 62 east...
The upper 4.2 miles of this trail is often within earshot of the highway, but follows the scenic rim of a 200-foot-deep canyon. The Rogue carved this chasm out of the vast ash layer deposited when Crater Lake’s Mt. Mazama erupted 7700 years ago.
Other Hiking Options
Backpackers and equestrians can ...
This chapter taken from the book 100 Hikes in Southern Oregon.