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Difference between revisions of "Wagner Butte Hike"

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

 
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[[Category:Southern Oregon]]
 
[[Category:Southern Oregon]]
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[[Category:Rogue River National Forest]]
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[[Category:Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest]]
 
[[Category:Moderate Hikes]]
 
[[Category:Moderate Hikes]]
 
[[Category:Wildflower Hikes]]
 
[[Category:Wildflower Hikes]]
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[[Category:Hikes]]
 
[[Category:Hikes]]
  
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[[Image:Mule Mtn Loop 1.jpeg|thumb|200px|Trail head sign at USFS property boundary ''(B. Hope)'']]
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[[Image:WB Wagner Glade Gap.JPG|thumb|400px|Just below Wagner Glade Gap at 6600' ''(B. Hope)'']]
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[[Image:MuleMtnLoop5.jpeg|thumb|250px|Stand of old madrone trees along trail ''(B. Hope)'']]
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[[Image:WB winter.jpg|thumb|400px|Approaching the summit in winter''(B. Hope)'']]
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[[Image:MuleMtnLoop6.jpeg|thumb|400px|View west from high point; trail climbs ridge on right ''(B. Hope)'']]
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[[Image:WB summit.JPG|thumb|400px|View from the summit '' (B. Hope)'']]
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[[Image:MuleMtnLoop4.jpeg|thumb|400px|Map of Mule Mountain Loop hike ''(B. Hope)'']]
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[[Image:WB map.JPG|thumb|400px|Map of Wagner Butte hike (red track) ''(B. Hope)'']]
  
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{{Start point|Mule Mountain Trailhead}}  
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{{Start point|Wagner Butte Trailhead}}  
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* End point: [[Mule Mountain Trailhead]]
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* End point: [[Wagner Butte Trailhead]]
 
* Trail Log:  
 
* Trail Log:  
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* Hike Type: Loop
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* Hike Type: Out-and-back
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{{Distance|10.6 miles}}
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{{Distance|10.4 miles}}
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{{Elevation gain|2,800 feet}}
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{{Elevation gain|2,200 feet}}
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* High Point: 4,300 feet
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* High Point: 7,140 feet
 
{{Difficulty|Moderate}}
 
{{Difficulty|Moderate}}
 
* Seasons: All year
 
* Seasons: All year
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* Family Friendly: No
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* Family Friendly: Yes
 
* Backpackable: No
 
* Backpackable: No
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* Crowded: No
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* Crowded: No (can be on weekends in Summer)
  
 
=== Hike Description ===
 
=== Hike Description ===
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This is the most readily accessible of the hikes starting in or near the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon. Barring an unusual snow event, it’s open year-round.  In the spring (April - June), there are wildflowers in the south-facing meadows (called "balds") crossed by the trail.  In the summer, an early start allows you to climb the arid south-facing balds and twisted oak woodlands in the cool of the morning and then descend among the lush, cool maple and fir forests along Mule Creek Canyon as the day heats up.
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Wagner Butte was the site of a former Forest Service Lookout originally built in the 1920s and replaced with a cupola style Lookout in the 1960s. The lookout was intentionally burned by smokejumpers in 1972, as airplane surveillance became a more efficient way to locate forest fires. The mountain is named after an early settler, Jacob Wagner, who lived in the Talent area and operated the flour mill near the Ashland plaza.
  
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After parking, walk back down the road to the sign and the start of the Mule Mountain (#919) trail.  The first 0.3 mile or so is through private land, so please stay on the trail. You will reach another trail sign once you cross on to USFS land.  About 0.5 mile beyond this second sign, you will come to a trail junction. Turn left here (the trail to the right is Trail #920 and your return route). After another 3.4 miles, you will reach your high point, a grassy ridge on the side of Baldy Peak and a junction with the Baldy Peak (#918) trail.  Here you have the option of turning north for a 0.8 mile round-trip climb up the ridge to the summit of the peak and some views of the Applegate Valley and Mount Ashland. You can also climb Mule Mountain itself by ascending cross-country from the trail; however, the view from Baldy Peak is better and the ascent easier (no brush!).
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This is a plesant hike that allows you to reach a 7,140 foot summit on an evident and moderately-graded trail.  On clear days, the views from the summit are spectacular, with panoramic views of the Rogue and Little Applegate Valleys and surrounding mountain peaks. These great views may even be available when winter inversions shroud the Rogue Valley below in a low cloud deck.  Displays of wildflowers may be seen in late spring and early summer. In winter, snow conditions permitting, you may be able to access the trailhead snow-free but still have a fun snow hike or snowshoe to the summit.
 +
 
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Beginning on Forest Road 22, the trail crosses a small timber sale unit before following an abandoned roadbed for 1.2 miles to the edge of the massive 1983 Sheep Creek Slide. After crossing the slide, the old road gives way to a trail that climbs steeply for about two miles to Wagner Glade Gap, passing through old growth stands of Douglas, Noble and white fir. Deer and bear are frequently sighted within the glade area. From Wagner Glade the trail turns sharply to the left (a trail also continues straight ahead into the Ashland Watershed and another trail goes right to Split Rock - these are not the trails you want) and gradually ascends the western flank of Wagner Butte for two miles, ending at a rock outcrop that used to support a fire lookout. A very faded hard-to-read sign relates the history of this spot. NOTE: At the summit some minor scrambling is required to get up and over the rocks.
  
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To continue with the loop, turn south on the Baldy Peak trail (not signed but there's a small cairn).  It's faint at first but the tread soon becomes clear as it runs south below the ridge for 1.5 miles to an old forest road (FR 300).  Head straight (south) along the road for about 300' to an obvious trail on the right (west) side.  This is the Mule Canyon Trail (#920) that will take you back to that first trail junction you encountered on your way up.  This trail starts off strong and obvious (the sign marking the start of this trail may be missing or vandalized) but has a few faint stretches once it reaches the canyon bottom - but it's not hard to follow if you pay attention.  There are some huge old-growth firs in the upper reaches of this canyon which alone are worth a visit.
 
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After 3.4 miles, the Mule Creek trail starts climbing out of the canyon (simply continuing down the canyon is not possible because of private property) and in 0.7 mile reaches its junction with the Mule Mountain (#919) trail, which you then take back to the trailhead.
 
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=== Maps ===
 
=== Maps ===
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{{Hikemaps|latitude=42.09089|longitude=-123.09666}}
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{{Hikemaps|latitude=42.11431|longitude=-122.80069}}
  
 
{{TripReports|{{PAGENAME}}}}
 
{{TripReports|{{PAGENAME}}}}
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* [http://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20674 Mule Mountain Loop 23-Dec-2014]
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* [http://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=20802 Wagner Butte (winter) 15-Jan-2015]
 +
* [http://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=21876  Ashland Vacation 01-Jun-15]
 +
* [http://www.oregonhikers.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=21970  Wagner Butte (summer) 16-Jun-2015]
  
 
{{RelatedDiscussions|{{PAGENAME}}}}
 
{{RelatedDiscussions|{{PAGENAME}}}}
  
 
=== Guidebooks that cover this destination ===   
 
=== Guidebooks that cover this destination ===   
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* ''The Siskiyou Crest: Hikes, History & Ecology'' by Luke Ruediger (pages 116-118)
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* ''Hiking Southern Oregon'' by Art Bernstein and Zach Urness (2014 edition, Hike #62)
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* ''100 Hikes in Southern Oregon'' by William L. Sullivan (Third Edition, Hike #63)
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* ''100 Hikes in Southern Oregon'' by William L. Sullivan (Third Edition, Hike #60)
 
* Rogue River National Forest (Oregon) Location map (very useful for making sense of the forest roads)
 
* Rogue River National Forest (Oregon) Location map (very useful for making sense of the forest roads)
  
 
=== More Links ===
 
=== More Links ===
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* [http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/rogue-siskiyou/recreation/recarea/?recid=70152 USFS Trail #918]
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* [http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/rogue-siskiyou/recarea/?recid=70402  USFS Wagner Butte Trailhead]
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* [http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/rogue-siskiyou/recreation/recarea/?recid=70292&actid=24 USFS Trail #919]
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* [http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/rogue-siskiyou/recreation/recarea/?recid=70400 USFS #1011 Wagner Butte Trail]
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* [http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/rogue-siskiyou/recreation/recarea/?recid=70288 USFS Trail #920]
+
  
 
=== Page Contributors ===
 
=== Page Contributors ===
 
* [[User:VanMarmot|VanMarmot]] (creator)
 
* [[User:VanMarmot|VanMarmot]] (creator)

Revision as of 14:17, 10 July 2018

Just below Wagner Glade Gap at 6600' (B. Hope)
Approaching the summit in winter(B. Hope)
View from the summit (B. Hope)
Map of Wagner Butte hike (red track) (B. Hope)
  • Start point: Wagner Butte TrailheadRoad.JPG
  • End point: Wagner Butte Trailhead
  • Trail Log:
  • Hike Type: Out-and-back
  • Distance: 10.4 miles
  • Elevation gain: 2,200 feet
  • High Point: 7,140 feet
  • Difficulty: Moderate
  • Seasons: All year
  • Family Friendly: Yes
  • Backpackable: No
  • Crowded: No (can be on weekends in Summer)

Contents

Hike Description

Wagner Butte was the site of a former Forest Service Lookout originally built in the 1920s and replaced with a cupola style Lookout in the 1960s. The lookout was intentionally burned by smokejumpers in 1972, as airplane surveillance became a more efficient way to locate forest fires. The mountain is named after an early settler, Jacob Wagner, who lived in the Talent area and operated the flour mill near the Ashland plaza.

This is a plesant hike that allows you to reach a 7,140 foot summit on an evident and moderately-graded trail. On clear days, the views from the summit are spectacular, with panoramic views of the Rogue and Little Applegate Valleys and surrounding mountain peaks. These great views may even be available when winter inversions shroud the Rogue Valley below in a low cloud deck. Displays of wildflowers may be seen in late spring and early summer. In winter, snow conditions permitting, you may be able to access the trailhead snow-free but still have a fun snow hike or snowshoe to the summit.

Beginning on Forest Road 22, the trail crosses a small timber sale unit before following an abandoned roadbed for 1.2 miles to the edge of the massive 1983 Sheep Creek Slide. After crossing the slide, the old road gives way to a trail that climbs steeply for about two miles to Wagner Glade Gap, passing through old growth stands of Douglas, Noble and white fir. Deer and bear are frequently sighted within the glade area. From Wagner Glade the trail turns sharply to the left (a trail also continues straight ahead into the Ashland Watershed and another trail goes right to Split Rock - these are not the trails you want) and gradually ascends the western flank of Wagner Butte for two miles, ending at a rock outcrop that used to support a fire lookout. A very faded hard-to-read sign relates the history of this spot. NOTE: At the summit some minor scrambling is required to get up and over the rocks.


Maps

Trip Reports

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this destination

  • Hiking Southern Oregon by Art Bernstein and Zach Urness (2014 edition, Hike #62)
  • 100 Hikes in Southern Oregon by William L. Sullivan (Third Edition, Hike #60)
  • Rogue River National Forest (Oregon) Location map (very useful for making sense of the forest roads)

More Links

Page Contributors

Retrieved from "https://www.oregonhikers.org/w/index.php?title=Wagner_Butte_Hike&oldid=79422"
Oregon Hikers Field Guide is built as a collaborative effort by its user community. While we make every effort to fact-check, information found here should be considered anecdotal. You should cross-check against other references before planning a hike. Trail routing and conditions are subject to change. Please contact us if you notice errors on this page.

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