The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/all/20061025003743/http://www.roguerivertrips.info:80/activities/oregon_horseback_riding.asp

Oregon Horseback Riding Trails

Southern Oregon Horseback Riding Trails

 Running Y Ranch Resort /

Rogue Country has thousands of square miles of secluded deciduous and old growth forests with hundreds of miles of trail system. Much is high country, however coastal and ocean beach trails are also numerous. Abundant native forest plants and wildlife will keep you company while traveling along the hidden trails. Choose to horseback ride in high mountain old growth forest trails with ice cold bubbling springs and streams, jewel like mountain lakes, moss and fern covered canyon bottoms or Pacific Ocean vistas with their secluded beaches. And we don't want to forget the traveled roads if you are looking for a horseback ride along Hwy. 101 or maybe through the back roads.

Map by the National Wilderness Preservation System

Wilderness Areas / Rogue Country offer much to the horseback traveler who chooses a different path, one less traveled. Here-in we will give you the information needed to plan your back to nature hiking, biking or horseback trail information. Depending on the time of year there may be snow in the higher elevations. It is always best to map out your plan before you go. Check references with the agency that controls the forest you will be traveling in for travel info; such as rules, regulation, fees, etc. Be sure to leave your traveling itinerary with someone, if you don't show up on time, people will know where to start looking.

There are many choices for the horseback rider, taking your own horses on one of many trails from U.S. Forest Service and BLM riding trails is a great choice, there are many options. There are rules in place to protect Back Country areas from noxious weeds;  if you plan to bring your horses please review the rules found in the Horseback Riding links listed.


Trail Links: Horseback Riding


Upper Rogue River

Coast Rogue River National Forest, which is the managing agency for much of the mountain forest lands of the Upper region.
Rogue River National Forest

The Cascade Siskiyou National Monument is managed by the BLM. A visit to their web site will explain the diverse area encompassed in the area, including recreational opportunities.

Upper Rogue River BLM
Crater Lake National Park recreational information
Prospect Ranger District / National Forest
47201 Highway 62
Prospect, Or. 97536-9724
(541) 560-3400

Sky Lakes Wilderness Area
Rogue Umpqua Divide Wilderness Area

Other public Horseback Riding information:

Oregon Public Land Horseback Riding
Southern Oregon Horseback Riding

Middle Rogue Region: Horseback Riding


Trails in the Middle Rogue will be accessed from one of the links below. This area is especially strong in botanical and geological assets.

Illinois Wilderness Area
Siskiyou National Forest Recreation
Red Buttes Wilderness Area
Siskiyou National Forest Horseback Riding Trails Wildernet Horseback Riding


Lower Rogue Region: Oregon Horseback Riding


The Rogue River Trail continues into the Lower Rogue region and as it does it changes federal managing agencies going from BLM to US Forrest Service. A great hike. There is also the Illinois Trail which follows the Illinois River through the Illinois  Wilderness from the Illinois Valley near Selma to the Oak Flat Trail head 2.5 miles from Agness.

Lower Rogue River Trail information Foster Bar to Lobster Creek:

Siskiyou National Forest
P.O. Box 440
Grants Pass, Or. 97526 
541-471-6500
Siskiyou National Forest
Illinois Wilderness Area


Wild Rivers Coast Region: Oregon Coast Horseback Riding


Grassy Knob Wilderness Area Located in the Elk River Drainage

Covered in a tangled rain forest of coniferous evergreens thick with an ankle-grabbing under-story, Grassy Knob Wilderness lies rugged and steep. Elevations vary from almost sea level to more than 2,000 feet on summits that include Grassy Knob, at 2,342 feet, on the western boundary.

Coast

This Wilderness nurtures the fragrant Port Orford cedar, drooping with its characteristic twisting limbs in rare stands of old growth with some trunks exceeding six feet in diameter. The primary drainage of misnamed Dry Creek provides habitat for a remarkable population of spawning salmon. Many small, turbulent, and virtually pure streams tumble for short distances

over emerald waterfalls and through ravines cool with shade during typically sunny summers. The red of vine maple brightens moss-laden glens come autumn, while winter brings an average of 130 inches of chilly rain born in the nearby Pacific. Weather changes may be remarkable and rapid.

Siskiyou National Forest Grassy Knob Trail
Chetco Ranger District Trails
Powers Ranger District Trails
Siskiyou National Park Horseback Riding


Umpqua River Region: Horseback Riding


Ranging in elevation from 3,200 to 6,878 feet, the 33,000 acre Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness separates the drainages for the famed Rogue and Umpqua rivers. The wilderness is located 80 miles southeast of Roseburg.

This is a mysterious and beautiful area of high mountain meadows and hill-hugging mists. During the spring, abundant wildflowers welcome the season. In the fall, vivid colors mark the changing season. This is a land of deep forests and sub-alpine meadows. For those who want to experience large old-growth forests, Acker Divide and Cripple Camp trails fit the bill. Nearly all the trails in the Rogue-Umpqua Divide pass through sub-alpine meadows. These beautiful meadows change with the seasons. In the spring, they are a pallet of lush green grass, wildflowers, and trees in bud. In the summer, the smell of horsemint fills the air as hummingbirds dart from flower to flower.

The range of several conifers meet in this wilderness creating a diverse pallet including sugar pine, grand fir, mountain hemlock, western white pine, incense cedar, sub alpine fir, western red cedar, white fir, ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, Alaska-cedar, Shasta red fir, Lodgepole pine, pacific silver fir, western hemlock, and Whitebark pine.

Numerous trails throughout the wilderness take visitors to many lakes, meadows, and breathtaking vistas. Early local resident O.C. Brown described the area around Fish Lake "on all sides the mountains clad in dense, evergreen forest, rise like a wall and are crowned by massive peaks of frowning rocks, that stand like feudal castles and for countless ages have mirrored their bold outlines in the sylvan lake".

Tiller Ranger District / Umpqua National Forest
Douglas County Hiking Trails

Mt. Thielsen Wilderness

At 55,100 acres, the Mt. Thielsen Wilderness Area is the largest wilderness on the Umpqua National Forest. Located 80 miles east of Roseburg, it runs along the crest of the Cascades. Born of the same volcanic activity that created Crater Lake, this is the land of fire and ice. The Pacific Crest Trail passes through the middle of the wilderness area.  

Running Y Ranch Resort / Klamath Lake / Camping / Campgrounds

For a more serene wilderness adventure, hike into Lake Lucille or Maidu Lake. The trail passes over deep pumice that was deposited when Mt. Mazama erupted to form Crater Lake. The famed North Umpqua River begins at Maidu on its long trek to the Pacific Ocean.

For the more experienced, the climb to the top of 9,182-foot Mt. Thielsen is in order. Sitting at the top of the sharp volcanic pinnacle, it is easy to see why Thielsen has been called "the lightning rod of the Cascades.  

Mt. Thielsen Wilderness Area
Diamond Lake District Umpqua National Forest
P.O. Box 1008
Roseburg, Or. 97470

Boulder Creek Wilderness Area

Small waterfalls and rapids connect the series of quiet pools (suitable for summer swimming) that make up Boulder Creek, a tributary of the North Umpqua River. The rapids run south and west, channeling through the heart of the Wilderness. Numerous streams feed into Boulder Creek, quenching the thirst of the old-growth timber that towers over its banks. Ponderosa pines flourish on Pine Bench, near the lower end of the Wilderness, and are thought to be the largest such stand this far northwest of the crest of the Cascade Mountains.
 


 
  Contact Rogue River Country