LENGTH: 9.3 MILE LOOP

DIFFICULTY: MODERATE TO DIFFICULT

Since I started hiking in my late twenties I had the huge goal of hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, I mean really if you are a hiker and you live on the west coast who doesn’t want to hike the PCT?!  Soon after that I got pregnant with my first child and now here I am in my forties, two kids later, and I still have those big goals.  With life and work, it’s not really easy to get three months off to fulfill a lifelong dream, but lucky for me I live in Oregon!  We only live one hour away from one of the prettiest parts of the PCT at Mt. Ashland.

I’ve done it five times and each time I’m overwhelmed with its beauty.  We just went the second weekend in July and the wildflowers were abloom, the meadows were vibrant green, and the views of Mt. Shasta were stunning. 

The trail is a gradual climb and then you start getting into the area where the meadows open up and bursts into white, orange and purple.   The trail is pretty flat for a while until you get to the Grouse Gap trailhead and then you will continue on the Pacific Crest Trail to start heading up to the peak at Meridian Overlook.  From there you will take the road back down (instead of the trail, back to the Grouse Gap trailhead where you will jump back on the Pacific Crest Trail, the way you came, to finish your ten mile hike.

To start we parked at the Mt. Ashland Ski parking lot and headed west on the main road to the junction with fire road 40S15, where it intersects with the Pacific Crest Trail. Our route I described is actually the route for the Siskiyou Out Back run for the 15k, so if you want to hike it see all of the details HERE.

You can also shorten this hike if you start at Ashland forest road 40S15 and hike up to Meridian Overlook. It's a six mile out and back.  You will actually park at the Pacific Crest Trail: as you approach Mt. Ashland Ski Area keep going and when you get to the fork head to the left down forest road 40S15 about ½ a mile down you will see the PCT on your left AND right.  You will take the route on the right after you park.  If you take the left trail it will take you down the mountain and then eventually to Callahan’s.

What’s awesome is that you can break up the 2650 miles into small trips that you can take anytime you can fit a hike in and that is exactly what I intend to do! See more from this hike in our full gallery HERE.

Keep up on our most recent adventures and more by following us on  Facebook and Instagram!