A grueling climb from the Ashland’s historic plaza (elevation 1900’) to the parking lot of Mt. Ashland ski area (elevation 6500’), this race pits hairly legged mountain bikers against lycra wearing roadies. The roadies head out of town towards Emigrant Lake to climb the Old Siskiyou Highway while the mountain bikers climb the forest service road. The race courses converge two miles from the finish line for a dramatic finish. This year the Mt. Ashland Hill Climb Bike Race will be held on Sunday, September 18^th with a starting time of 9am.

 

Want to be the first one to hold the title of Mt Ashland king or queen? Then you’ll need the best combined time of the hill climb bike race AND the Mt Ashland Hill climb run. We look forward to seeing you out there! Sincerely, The Ashland Woodlands and Trails Association

Ashland Mountain Adventures is the premier shuttle service to any location in the Siskiyou Mountains. We specialize in linking you up with the best mountain bike trails according to your proficiency. Our 14 passenger shuttles allow your group of riders to enjoy the trails together, will pick you up at the bottom, and take you right back to the top. We also do mid-mountain shuttles for shorter runs! For the hikers, we will drop you off at the trailhead of choice and pick you up when requested. The top of Mt. Ashland hosts the Pacific Crest Trail and many other beautiful trails that make for a hikers paradise! Skiers and snowboarders, we’re here for you also starting winter of 2008, to safely get you and your gear to the ski resort and back. We look forward to serving you, whoever or whatever your mountain adventure need. - Bill and Sue

Recently, I spent the day working with the owners of Ashland Mountain Adventures and a group of local, and not so local, downhillers working on existing trails in the area. What a great group of guys and an enjoyable day! I am a cross country rider and trail runner, but I plan to take a ride to the top with this company one of these days.

Ashland, Oregon is truly a mecca for biking, hiking, and trail-running. The acres upon acres of watershed and hundreds of miles of trails that make up Ashland’s back yard are vascular in nature and number, reaching all the way to Mt. Ashland, the Pacific Crest Trail, and the watersheds of Northern California and the Red Butte Wilderness.  Oredson-Todd Woods offers direct access to this system in the Ashland and Rogue Valley watershed. 

The trails within Oredson-Todd are moderately easy (relative to the steep and technical nature of most of the surrounding trails), wide, well maintained, and easily accessed. Oredson-Todd can be reached via several different routes; however, the main trail head is at the turnaround atop Lupine Drive in Ashland, Oregon.  Healthy, mature, forest boasting broad-leafed deciduous and evergreen conifers (cone-bearing) protect the easy going trail that heads inward.  Oredson-Todd is considered the gateway wilderness: It behaves as both the access point for the rest of the woods as well as a great starting place for those who just want a taste.  

Oredson-Todd also provides impressive birding opportunities because of the riparian zone, open fields, and Manzanita fields.  It’s no rarity to find Pileated Wood Peckers, Winter Wrens, American Dippers, Cedar Wax Wings, Varied Thrush, Nashville Warblers, Mourning Doves and White Breasted Nut Hatches.  In addition, during the spring months in the Manzanita fields, one will find Rufus Hummingbird amidst their courtship flight.  The male will zoom up 20 or 30 feet in the air near a female and chirp, then zoom down and hover a moment before doing it again and again, higher and higher each time. It’s quite a sight to watch this tiny dance amidst the commanding vista of the hills to the east and south. 

Oredson-Todd Woods is perfect for a holiday stroll with the family, a lazy Sunday walk, bird-watching, or preparing for further exploration within the maze of trails beyond.

Ashland, Oregon is a lot closer to the coast than it seems. In fact, as the crow flies it’s only about 80 miles. If you’re wings are in the shop however, getting to Crescent City, CA is a lovely 2 hour and 40 minute drive that flirts among the National Forests of Six Rivers, the Rogue River, and the Klamath River. The latter part of the drive catches up to the Smith River: a clean, cool, blue-green oasis that offers a splendid break. Once in Crescent City, you are greeted by superb surfing opportunities, cozy lodging, and tasty restaurants.

South Beach in Crescent City spans 3.25 flat miles of soft sand that is perfect for beach-running, dog walking, family playing, kite flying, and surf spectating. With some of the best and most consistent surfing around, there are always a few surfers to be seen, though typical California crowding doesn’t seem to be a problem. Surfing South Beach is my preference, next to the tropical southern waters of Mexico and Costa Rica. The swell varies depending on what part of the beach you choose. Some waves are small and beginner friendly, some are larger and offer a more exciting ride. All waves are soft and merciful and break over sand so rocks are not an obstacle. As is always recommended, watch for about 20 minutes to decide which wave is calling your name.

Even in late October, a group of friends decided to grab a beach house for the weekend to exercise our surfing skills. After a five-minute search on TripAdvisor.com, we had a request submitted for a house close to the beach that slept six and would only be $55 per person, including the cleaning fee – another perk of northern California beaches: lodging is relatively easy and affordable.

The surf was excellent and we found some tasty and cheap eats: Perlita’s is a family run, authentic Mexican restaurant on Hwy 101 not too far from South Beach. Perlita’s has four stars on Yelp.com. Good Harvest Café is relatively new and offers healthier options than your run-of-the-mill clam chowder and fries and even has a vegetarian menu. We also opted to save money by buying groceries and cooking in the homey kitchen in our rented beach house.

Growing up in Ashland, I always considered the beach a vacation destination; however, my mind has been changed. Now when I have a day off, I often wake up early, pack the car, hit the waves, and am home in time for dinner.

There are some great trails in the Ashland Watershed for mountain biking, jogging, or just hiking. They all ultimately connect to the Pacific Coast Trail (PCT) further up the mountain.  I take my dog Lucy, to hike the trails a couple of times a week. Our favorite trail is Caterpillar. It starts at the top of the White Rabbit trail at Forest Road 2080, and goes until Lamb Saddle. It has a few switchbacks and moderate climbs. The best part about it is that you can loop back to the parking area on the Forest Road. It takes me about an hour and 20 minutes to do the entire loop.
Forest Road 2080 can be accessed by driving up Morton Street and turning left onto Ashland Loop Road. You will drive onto a one lane gravel road for about a mile until you come to a parking area, which is is the beginning of the hike.