This Fish Lake (not to be confused with the larger, better-known reservoir near Mt. McLoughlin) won its name in 1889 when a group of explorers caught 70 trout in an hour using venison for bait.  Fish still jump in this forest-rimmed, half-mile-long natural lake near the South Umpqua River’s headwaters, but you’ll find other wildlife too: ducks, eagles, and a cute family of river otters.  If the stroll down to the lake seems too easy, you can continue on a moderate loop past two smaller lakes, or take a longer loop along Rocky Ridge past dramatic cliffs with views across the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness.

To start, drive Interstate 5 . . .

This chapter is an excerpt from 100 Hikes: Southern Oregon