Boccard Point via the PCT Hike
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
- Start point: Soda Mountain Trailhead
- End Point: Soda Mountain Trailhead
- Trail Log:
- Hike Type: Out-and-Back
- Distance: 10 miles
- Elevation gain: 1,200 feet
- High Point: 5,700 feet
- Difficulty: Moderate
- Seasons: Summer, Fall
- Family Friendly: No
- Backpackable: No
- Crowded: No
Contents |
Hike Description
The Soda Mountain Wilderness is a 24,707 acre wilderness area within the Cascade–Siskiyou National Monument in southwestern Oregon and was created by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The 53,000 acre Monument was designated in 2000 to protect the extraordinary biological diversity in this area. All of this wilderness is located in Oregon and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This wilderness is an ecological mosaic where the state's eastern desert meets towering fir forests. The biodiversity of the area includes fir forests, sunlit oak groves, meadows filled with wildflowers, and steep canyons. The area is home to a spectacular variety of rare species of plants and animals including Roosevelt elk, cougars, black bears, golden and bald eagles, goshawks and falcons.
From the trailhead, go south on the PCT for 2.1 miles to a grassy saddle. From here you can turn right to make a short (0.2 mile) cross-country side trip to the top of Little Pilot Peak. Otherwise, turn left and head downhill for about 0.2 miles until you intersect an old dirt road. Follow this old road for 1.8 miles to a saddle just south of Point 5900. Then head southeast cross-country along the ridge for about 0.3 miles to the top of Boccard Point. There is a use trail evident from the old road out to the point.
ALTERNATE TRAILHEAD: In 2014, the Siskiyou Mountain Club cut a primitive trail bench into an old road from the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) out almost to the Point. To reach this trailhead, drive east from Ashland, Oregon for about 8 miles on State Highway 66, past Emigrant Lake, to a right turn on to gravel Buckhorn Springs Road. About 2 miles from Highway 66, veer up and left on to Tyler Creek Road, then, after about 6.5 miles, turn right (south) on to Baldy Creek Road, and follow it to where, at 10.3 miles, a cut on the left gives access to a small parking lot (no amenities) and the PCT. All of the roads from Highway 66 to here are gravel but easily passable in a carefully driven passenger car.
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Boccard Point via the PCT Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Boccard Point via the PCT Hike
Guidebooks that cover this destination
- 100 Hikes in Southern Oregon by William L. Sullivan (Third Edition, Hike #54)
More Links
- BLM Soda Mountain Wilderness Fact Sheet
- BLM Monument and Wilderness map
- Siskiyou Mountain Club - Boccard Point
Page Contributors
- VanMarmot (creator)