Mt Ashland Trail Report: Steep Up, Shallow Down

Mt. Ashland is one of those trails that, if you live in the Ashland, Jacksonville, Medford triangle, you're sort of required to hike it. It's up there with Upper and Lower Table Rocks and Roxy Ann. Even if it wasn't, you'd still want to hike up there.

Like many folks, I started this trail at the Mt. Ashland Ski Area, which is good, because from there you can see the iconic "soccer ball" and hints of the views you'll enjoy at the summit. Looking south you can see Mt. Shasta in the distance.  

You can start the trail at a few other points, Mt. Ashland Road, Grouse Gap or Bull Gap trailheads. Those are longer and I'm probably going to do those later in the year. Since this was my first time at Mt. Ashland, the starting point at the ski area was fine.

The sign at the ski area tells you the peak is one mile which seems very doable, but keep in mind that you're going to gain about 1,400 feet in the one mile. The trail starts on that elevation gain just past the ski area buildings.

As you work your way up the trail, you're going to pass several ski lifts, sitting motionless waiting for the winter snows and skiers. Sometimes, like the day I was there, you'll see and hear the folks that maintain the ski runs working on clearing downed trees or cutting trees to make the ski runs wider and safer.

Looking back down the trail, it becomes very clear how quickly you're gaining altitude. The trail up puts you in a northeast facing position, so you have a view Mt. McLoughlin and the range of hills ending at Roxy Ann and the Rogue River Valley below them.

The climb is steep, but you'll keep getting views of the bright white "soccer ball" at the peak to inspire you. Shade is few and far between on the trail up, so a good wide brimmed hat, sunglasses or an umbrella hat is a good idea.

The trail has three switchbacks on the way up to make the ascent a little easier and you'll be crossing several ski runs with some of the names related to Shakespeare plays. It's Mt. Ashland so Shakespeare references are to be expected.

It being July when I did this hike, the spring flowers were all gone but there were a few hardier summer flowers along the way to provide a little colour here and there.

When you reach the topmost ski lift and the "soccer ball", go past the ski lift and look to your right. You'll see two basalt rock outcroppings with a building and a red coloured antennae between them. Head there before making the climb up to the peak.

The outcropping on the right gives you a northeast view of the Rogue River Valley and Medford. The one on the left looks southwest toward Mt. Shasta and the Pacific Coast ranges. I took a break at the outcropping on the left. Mt. Shasta still has snow on it even in July and looking at it reminded me of Mt. Rainier.

Northeast View

Southeast View

Walk back down the road toward the "soccer ball" and up the hill to it. The massive white ball contains microwave relay equipment, radio antennas, and signal routing gear, basically it's a huge telecom hub built to withstand Mt. Ashland's extreme winter snows and winds.

At the ball, turn right up the trail to summit. It's a little steep but not challenging. The view is of course spectacular. Unlike the viewpoint at Roxy Ann, there was no backup of other hikers wanting to enjoy the view, so I stayed there for quite a while soaking in the view.

I also spent some time thinking about the hike back down. The trail would only be a mile long, but the steep decline would be a little hard on the knees and my prosthetic leg doesn't hand steep declines very well. I checked my AllTrails map which showed a small trail that connected the access road going down the other side of Mt. Ashland to the Pacific Crest Trail. The PCT then connected back to the access road at the Mt. Ashland campground and then it was just a short walk back to the Mt. Ashland Ski Area. This looked very inviting, so I started the walk back down along the access road.

The walk down the hill is very exposed. There's no shade whatsoever. However, it is an easy walk, and you have a view of the valley to enjoy.

At the bottom of the access road is where AllTrails showed there was a connecting trail to the PCT. I couldn't find it. I walked up and down the trail a couple of hundred yards, but found nothing that even looked like a bushwhacked social trail. I could have hiked around to the Grouse Gap trailhead and connected to the PCT there, but that was another mile, I was down to my last liter of water, and it was HOT.

So, along the road to the Mt. Ashland campground and the ski area I walked. It's almost flat making it an easy walk. The only problem is the occasional car or truck that goes by. 99% of the folks driving by slow down to minimize the road dust they kick up, but there is that 1% who don't.

The Mt. Ashland campground has nine campsites, bathrooms for men and women and the campsites have steel BBQ grates, a picnic table and just enough room for a two person tent, maybe a 3-4 person in a couple of the larger sites. Looking at them from the perspective of a hammock camper, I saw that the sites would be challenging.

Continuing along the road you'll soon see the ski area and your car waiting for you.

The trail back down isn't as interesting as the hike up and the views at the summit, (which are horizon spanning and awe inspiring), but I recommend doing this as a loop starting up at the ski area anyway to save your knees.

In the end, Mt. Ashland isn’t just another “must‑do” local hike. If you’re a hiker in Southern Oregon, make time for this one. Go slow if you need to. Take breaks. Wander over to the basalt outcroppings. Let the wind hit your face. Let the views remind you how lucky we are to have landscapes like this in our backyard. And when you reach the top, stay a while. Soak it in. Mt. Ashland rewards anyone willing to hike it.

Trail Report List

Upper Table Rock - https://www.amputeeoutdoors.com/post/upper-table-rock-trail-report

Lower Table Rock - https://www.amputeeoutdoors.com/post/lower-table-rock-trail-report

Green Springs Loop Trail - https://www.amputeeoutdoors.com/post/green-springs-mt-loop-trail-report

Lithia Park - https://www.amputeeoutdoors.com/post/lithia-park-ashland-or-trail-report

Roxy Ann Peak - https://www.amputeeoutdoors.com/post/roxy-ann-peak-it-s-all-about-the-views