Difference between revisions of "Lone Pilot Loop Hike"
From Oregon Hikers Field Guide
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[[Category:Southern Oregon]] | [[Category:Southern Oregon]] | ||
| − | [[Category: | + | [[Category:Bureau of Land Management]] |
| + | [[Category:National Parks]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Soda Mountain Wilderness]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Wilderness Hikes]] | ||
[[Category:Wildflower Hikes]] | [[Category:Wildflower Hikes]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Backpackable Hikes]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Viewpoint Hikes]] | ||
| + | [[Category:Difficult Hikes]] | ||
[[Category:Loop Hikes]] | [[Category:Loop Hikes]] | ||
[[Category:Hikes]] | [[Category:Hikes]] | ||
| − | [[Image: | + | [[Image:LonePilot2.jpg|thumb|400px|View of Pilot Rock from the Lone Pilot Trail ''(B. Hope)'']] |
| − | [[Image: | + | [[Image:LonePilot1.jpg|thumb|250px|Trail sign at the Pacific Crest Trail ''(B. Hope)'']] |
| − | [[Image:LonePilot3.jpg|thumb| | + | [[Image:LonePilot3.jpg|thumb|250px|Old stock tank pond along the road ''(B. Hope)'']] |
| − | [[Image:LonePilot4.jpg|thumb| | + | [[Image:LonePilot4.jpg|thumb|160px|Stand of ponderosa pines along the trail ''(B. Hope)'']] |
| + | [[Image:LonePilotMap.JPG|thumb|400px|Track of the loop ''(B. Hope)'']] | ||
| − | + | {{Start point|Pilot Rock Trailhead}} | |
| − | * | + | * End point: [[Scotch Creek Crossing]] |
| − | + | * Hike type: Loop | |
| − | * Hike | + | {{Distance|17.8 miles}} |
| − | {{Distance|17 miles}} | + | {{Elevation gain|2,900 feet}} |
| − | {{Elevation gain| | + | * High point: 5,300 feet |
| − | * High | + | {{Difficulty|Difficult}} |
| − | {{Difficulty| | + | * Seasons: Late spring; early fall |
| − | * Seasons: Late spring; | + | |
* Family Friendly: No | * Family Friendly: No | ||
* Backpackable: Yes | * Backpackable: Yes | ||
* Crowded: No | * Crowded: No | ||
| + | {{Hazards|s=y}} | ||
=== Hike Description === | === Hike Description === | ||
| − | The | + | The 53,000 acre Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was designated in 2000 to protect the extraordinary biological diversity at the confluence of the Siskiyou and Cascade Mountains in southern Oregon and northern California. The 24,707 acre Soda Mountain Wilderness within the national monument was created by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. All of this wilderness is located in Oregon and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Wilderness designation did not, however, seem to bring with it the resources needed to build trails into this new wilderness. Fortunately, the Siskiyou Mountain Club (SMC) in Ashland, Oregon, stepped up and converted an abandoned road into the Lone Pilot Trail which gives hikers and backpackers ready access to the deepest recesses of the wilderness. The SMC has cleared and groomed this road to make it easy to follow and, although it's not a pure "trail", it is the very best way to visit the interior of this wilderness. Summers are hot here, so the best times to hike this long loop are in spring and fall. |
| − | + | From the [[Pilot Rock Trailhead]], walk up the trail (a restored old road) to its junction with the [[Pacific Crest-Pilot Rock Trail West Junction|Pacific Crest Trail (PCT)]]. To do the loop counter-clockwise, continue south across the PCT and you'll come to an abandoned road, the course of the Lone Pilot Loop. Stay straight south and, at the next obvious junction, turn south again, getting views of [[Mount Shasta] and passing a small stock pond. At the next major junction after that, near the head of the west fork of Hutton Creek, turn east. Just stay on this obvious road as it heads east, getting views of [[Pilot Rock]] on the skyline and ducking in and out of canyons and gullies. You'll notice that each canyon is a unique microclimate - allowing you to go, for example, from stands of towering ponderosa pines to open meadows in the space of a 500 feet or less. | |
| − | + | Continue east, across the heads of Slide Creek and the East Fork of Hutton Creek, before descending to a crossing of an unnamed creek. Then you'll climb to [[Scotch Creek Crossing|Scotch Creek]], a possible campsite if this is done as an overnight backpack. The East Fork of Hutton Creek and Scotch Creek are the only perennial water sources along this route - usually available in the spring but likely absent in the fall. (From the creek crossing, an old road bed, now a user trail, leads about 1.75 miles up the creek to join the Pacific Crest Trail if you're feeling adventurous and want to hike a shorter loop.) From [[Scotch Creek Crossing|Scotch Creek]], you continue climbing while views appear north to [[Pilot Rock]] and [[Mount Ashland]] and south to [[Mount Shasta]] and Mount Eddy. | |
| − | + | Eventually, you'll reach the top of Lone Pine Ridge and follow the old road along it north - including one big descending switchback and climb back up - to its junction with the [[Pacific Crest-Lone Pilot Loop Trail Junction|Pacific Crest Trail]]. You then follow the PCT west, getting good views to [[Mount McLoughlin]] and then [[Pilot Rock]] as you approach it. You'll pass [[Pacific Crest-Pilot Rock Trail East Junction|the junction]] with the short trail leading up to [[Pilot Rock]] itself and reach [[Pacific Crest-Pilot Rock Trail West Junction|a second junction]], where you'll turn right to return to the [[Pilot Rock Trailhead]]. | |
| + | |||
| + | Although hiking on the trail/old road is straightforward and without any navigational challenges, it is a long hike (17.8 miles) and there are enough elevation changes (almost 3,000 feet) to make it a challenging hike. | ||
=== Maps === | === Maps === | ||
| − | {{Hikemaps|latitude=42. | + | {{Hikemaps|latitude=42.0269|longitude=-122.5437}} |
| + | * [https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/ncls-orwa-csnm-visitor-map.pdf Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (Bureau of Land Management)] | ||
| + | * Siskiyou Mountain Club: ''Cascade Siskiyou National Monument'' | ||
| + | * Pacific Northwest Recreation Map Series: ''Upper Rogue Basin'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | === Fees, Facilities, etc. === | ||
| + | * Restrooms at trailhead | ||
| + | * Information kiosk | ||
| + | * Road 40-2E-33 is rough and rocky. It is passable for low-clearance cars as long as you drive carefully. | ||
{{TripReports|{{PAGENAME}}}} | {{TripReports|{{PAGENAME}}}} | ||
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=== Guidebooks that cover this destination === | === Guidebooks that cover this destination === | ||
| − | * ''100 Hikes | + | * ''100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Southern Oregon & Northern California'' by William L. Sullivan |
=== More Links === | === More Links === | ||
| − | * [ | + | * [https://siskiyoumountainclub.org/may2lonepilot/ Trip Report: Rotating landscape defines Lone Pilot Trail (Siskiyou Mountain Club)] |
| − | * [ | + | * [https://vanmarmot.org/2015/02/12/lone-pilot-trail-soda-mtn-wilderness-12-feb-2015/ Lone Pilot Trail (Soda Mtn. Wilderness) 12-Feb-2015 (Boots on the Trail)] |
| − | * [ | + | * [https://vanmarmot.org/2016/04/09/scotch-creek-loop-08-apr-2016/ Scotch Creek Loop 08-Apr-2016 (Boots on the Trail)] |
| + | * [https://www.hikingproject.com/trail/7044593/lone-pilot-loop Lone Pilot Loop (Hiking Project)] | ||
| + | * [https://wild.pcta.org/hike-from-wild/cascade-siskiyou-national-monument-near-ashland-oregon/ Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Oregon (Pacific Crest Trail Association)] | ||
| + | * [https://www.blm.gov/visit/soda-mountain-wilderness Soda Mountain Wilderness (Bureau of Land Management)] | ||
| + | * [https://www.blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/national-monuments/oregon-washington/cascade-siskiyou Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (Bureau of Land Management)] | ||
| + | * [https://siskiyoumountainclub.org/ Siskiyou Mountain Club] | ||
| + | |||
=== Page Contributors === | === Page Contributors === | ||
* [[User:VanMarmot|VanMarmot]] (creator) | * [[User:VanMarmot|VanMarmot]] (creator) | ||
Latest revision as of 19:47, 5 August 2023
- Start point: Pilot Rock Trailhead
- End point: Scotch Creek Crossing
- Hike type: Loop
- Distance: 17.8 miles
- Elevation gain: 2,900 feet
- High point: 5,300 feet
- Difficulty: Difficult
- Seasons: Late spring; early fall
- Family Friendly: No
- Backpackable: Yes
- Crowded: No
|
Contents |
Hike Description
The 53,000 acre Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument was designated in 2000 to protect the extraordinary biological diversity at the confluence of the Siskiyou and Cascade Mountains in southern Oregon and northern California. The 24,707 acre Soda Mountain Wilderness within the national monument was created by the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. All of this wilderness is located in Oregon and is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Wilderness designation did not, however, seem to bring with it the resources needed to build trails into this new wilderness. Fortunately, the Siskiyou Mountain Club (SMC) in Ashland, Oregon, stepped up and converted an abandoned road into the Lone Pilot Trail which gives hikers and backpackers ready access to the deepest recesses of the wilderness. The SMC has cleared and groomed this road to make it easy to follow and, although it's not a pure "trail", it is the very best way to visit the interior of this wilderness. Summers are hot here, so the best times to hike this long loop are in spring and fall.
From the Pilot Rock Trailhead, walk up the trail (a restored old road) to its junction with the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). To do the loop counter-clockwise, continue south across the PCT and you'll come to an abandoned road, the course of the Lone Pilot Loop. Stay straight south and, at the next obvious junction, turn south again, getting views of [[Mount Shasta] and passing a small stock pond. At the next major junction after that, near the head of the west fork of Hutton Creek, turn east. Just stay on this obvious road as it heads east, getting views of Pilot Rock on the skyline and ducking in and out of canyons and gullies. You'll notice that each canyon is a unique microclimate - allowing you to go, for example, from stands of towering ponderosa pines to open meadows in the space of a 500 feet or less.
Continue east, across the heads of Slide Creek and the East Fork of Hutton Creek, before descending to a crossing of an unnamed creek. Then you'll climb to Scotch Creek, a possible campsite if this is done as an overnight backpack. The East Fork of Hutton Creek and Scotch Creek are the only perennial water sources along this route - usually available in the spring but likely absent in the fall. (From the creek crossing, an old road bed, now a user trail, leads about 1.75 miles up the creek to join the Pacific Crest Trail if you're feeling adventurous and want to hike a shorter loop.) From Scotch Creek, you continue climbing while views appear north to Pilot Rock and Mount Ashland and south to Mount Shasta and Mount Eddy.
Eventually, you'll reach the top of Lone Pine Ridge and follow the old road along it north - including one big descending switchback and climb back up - to its junction with the Pacific Crest Trail. You then follow the PCT west, getting good views to Mount McLoughlin and then Pilot Rock as you approach it. You'll pass the junction with the short trail leading up to Pilot Rock itself and reach a second junction, where you'll turn right to return to the Pilot Rock Trailhead.
Although hiking on the trail/old road is straightforward and without any navigational challenges, it is a long hike (17.8 miles) and there are enough elevation changes (almost 3,000 feet) to make it a challenging hike.
Maps
- Maps: Hike Finder
- Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (Bureau of Land Management)
- Siskiyou Mountain Club: Cascade Siskiyou National Monument
- Pacific Northwest Recreation Map Series: Upper Rogue Basin
Fees, Facilities, etc.
- Restrooms at trailhead
- Information kiosk
- Road 40-2E-33 is rough and rocky. It is passable for low-clearance cars as long as you drive carefully.
Trip Reports
- Search Trip Reports for Lone Pilot Loop Hike
Related Discussions / Q&A
- Search Trail Q&A for Lone Pilot Loop Hike
Guidebooks that cover this destination
- 100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Southern Oregon & Northern California by William L. Sullivan
More Links
- Trip Report: Rotating landscape defines Lone Pilot Trail (Siskiyou Mountain Club)
- Lone Pilot Trail (Soda Mtn. Wilderness) 12-Feb-2015 (Boots on the Trail)
- Scotch Creek Loop 08-Apr-2016 (Boots on the Trail)
- Lone Pilot Loop (Hiking Project)
- Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, Oregon (Pacific Crest Trail Association)
- Soda Mountain Wilderness (Bureau of Land Management)
- Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (Bureau of Land Management)
- Siskiyou Mountain Club
Page Contributors
- VanMarmot (creator)