Near: Medford Oregon
Trip Type: Hike
Distance: 8.5 Miles
Elevation: 5,600 to 9,500 ft
Vegetation: Pine Forest to Moonscape
Last Visit: August 2017
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| Presto lounges at the McLoughlin summit. |
Mt. McLoughlin towers over Medford, Oregon just north of the California boarder. We hiked it as a side trip to break up the drive on the way the 2017 eclipse in the Bend area. It made for an unexpectedly nice hike with a fantastic summit. It's really two very different hikes in one. The first two miles are a gentle 1,000 foot climb in deep forest. The second two miles are an aggressive 3,000 foot ascent first to a prominent ridge, then up an increasingly exposed ridge of crumbling volcanic rock. High up there were some sections of crumbling rock and/or volcanic sands that require sure-footedness. We saw several dogs on the trail, but Presto was the only one we know made the peak. The steepness of some sections together with the rough footing may be a little much for some dogs (and humans). No climbing or scrambling is required, though, it's just a relatively challenging walk-up.
