Rogue RIver Trail @ Lost Creek Lake

 September 27,  2020

Over the last couple of months our hikes have consisted of shorter and more local hikes mainly due to the heat, smoke from fires, and some family issues.  Now that Autumn has arrived, we are hoping that those issues will fade like the leaves on the trees and we can get out to some new and old hikes that we enjoy.

Time for some Autumn hiking!

 

Lost Creek Lake from the trail

Some unique Autumn color

So today we made a couple of stops and then arrived at the Rogue River TH at the Takelma Boat Launch area of Lost Creek Lake.  Even though it was mid-morning by the time we started, we still trekked out a ways past the Lost Creek TH for a total hike of 10.2 miles.

 

Looking across an inlet at where we would be in an hour or so.

One of the 10 bridges we crossed

We enjoyed the views of Lost Creek Lake (levels are very low), the smell of the woods, and especially the shady parts of the trail as we crossed 10 bridges - no water under the bridge at this time of year.

A little note along the trail.

One last look at Lost Creek Lake

After a nice quiet break at our turnaround spot, we  trekked back to our car and even saw a few colors of Autumn.  Hopefully cooler weather and some rain will come soon so that those Autumn colors will become even more common and beautiful.

Trekking Together

Glenn & Carol

Joseph H Stewart State Recreation Area

January 21 ,2019

Since it has rained almost 4 straight days here in Southern Oregon and today was a holiday, it seemed that the only logical thing to do since the sun came out was to hike.  Since most trails in the area were either under water or now consisting of mud, we headed up to Joseph H Stewart State Recreational Area where we knew a paved hiking path and views of Lost Creek Lake awaited us.

It seems that each year we hike at Stewart in January or February, which may be due to the paved hiking path as mentioned,  but also because the various waterfalls along the trail actually have water at this time of year and the campground area has very few (if any) folks in it which make for a nice scenic quiet hike through woods and along the lake shore.

Trail heading through a forested area near Peyton Bridge

View from trail of large meadows within the park

One of several waterfalls along or near the trail

We started at the day use area and followed various bike and hiking paths for a counter clockwise loop hike of 6.3 miles.  We had a mix of sun and clouds which provided numerous picture opportunities and although not completely full, the lake was beautiful and we even spotted a couple of boats out today.  There was also a dusting of snow on one of the nearby mountain tops as a background to the lake.

Clouds made for some great pictures throughout our hike today.

A light dusting of snow on the mountains around the lake.

Lost Creek Lake

If you are looking for a paved hike this time of year, Joseph H Stewart State Recreation Area is a great place to try out and it is only about 40 minutes from Medford.  There are numerous ways to hike or bike along the various paths and trails, so you can create your own route and length.  Although we did not stay after our hike, there are also picnic areas along the lake shore which provide a great place to eat, talk or just relax before or after some time outdoors.  Plus the day use area is free.  What a deal!

Trekking Together
Glenn & Carol

Lunch with a view?

Rogue River Trail @ Lost Creek Lake - Takelma TH

March 18, 2018

The trail around Lost Creek Lake is called the Rogue River Trail, which may seem a little confusing.  However, when one realizes that the Rogue River is before and after Lost Creek Lake and that the lake is only here due to a dam, one can understand how the trail got it's name.  There are many trailheads on which one can access this trail and we have started at all of them except one - the Takelma TH.

Time for another new hike for us.

So with some sunshine between rain storms we took Katie and headed up to Lost Creek Lake and started our hike at the Takelma TH.  Since we were not familiar with this segment, we actually parked at the Day Use Area and had to hike on the road to get to the TH which is better accessed from the Boat Launch Area.

Into the forest we go....

Great trail signs along this segment

Most of the segment hikes we have done around the lake are pretty exposed and out in the sunshine which makes hiking them a non-summer option.  This segment, as we quickly found out, stays in forested areas most of the time, but still provided many opportunities for viewing the lake and of course, picture taking.

Taking in the views of Lost Creek Lake......

and more views......

and more views.

The shaded trail also allowed for lots of moss, ferns and our small wildflower friend Snow Queen, to abound as we progressed on the nicely kept trails.  As temperatures begin to warm up, we are sure there will be even more wildflowers to enjoy on this hike.

Snow Queen

Hiking on the edge.  Do not  try hiking this segment at night!

The trail eventually comes out of the woods and heads through an Oak Savannah area before joining with a dirt road for a bit to continue to the next trailhead, the Lost Creek Lake TH.  We made the road our turnaround point for a nice 6 mile round trip.

Large rock formation across the lake from the trail

View of lake from Oak Savannah area.

We got to enjoy the views of the lake once again and took time to look at the various rock formations around some parts of the lakes and take in the views of the surrounding mountains, some with a dusting of snow, others still completely covered.  By the way, the trail also has many benches where you can pause and take in the views and goes through a primitive campground which has many picnic tables.  Vault toilets are available at the Day Use Area and at the primitive campground.

We really enjoyed this segment of the Rogue River Trail and highly recommend you give it a try when in the area.

Trekking Together
Glenn & Carol

Joseph Stewart State Park

January 13, 2018

The day started out cloudy and cool, but once the sun came out, we took Katie and headed up to Joseph Stewart State Park and Lost Creek Lake to get in a hike.

Time for another hike at Stewart State Park

Parking in the day use area is free, so we started there and hiked the paved Rogue River Trail towards the marina and campground.  Most of this trail segment is through thickly wooded areas with moss covered portions of trail, but we did have some nice views of Lost Creek Lake as well.  With the lack of rain and snow, water levels are lower than they were last year.

One of many beautiful views of Lost Creek Lake along the Rogue River trail

The 3 amigos - can you guess who is who?

We crossed numerous small creeks and runoffs via bridges, some having water and some already dry due to the lack of rain and snow.

One of numerous waterfalls/runoffs that we came across.

View along wooded Rogue River trail

We took a break near Peyton Bridge after 3.3 miles, then transitioned onto the bike path and hiked through the state park back to the day use area for a total of 6.1 miles.  This segment featured views of the large meadows and old oak trees in the park.

Meadow area of Stewart SP

One of many large barren oak trees in the meadow

Felt great to get out and enjoy blue sky and sunshine!  Plus the wooded areas of our hike had that fresh woods smell!

Trekking Together
Glenn & Carol

Stewart State Park

March 28, 2017

Since it was Spring Break week here in Southern Oregon, we made a break for Stewart State Park (officially it is called Joseph H Stewart State Recreational Area) for our first 10+ mile hike of the year.

Even the slugs were out for a Spring Break hike!

We began our hike at the day use parking lot and following the bike path for about 2.5 miles through woods which included many large Madrones and along open grassy fields with some very old oak trees. We got to see (and smelled) a few Yellow Skunk Cabbage flowers while passing a creek in route to Peyton Bridge.

The pretty and stinky Yellow Skunk Cabbage flower

Just before Peyton Bridge we made a sharp left turn and continued following the paved pathway which was now the Rogue River Trail.  This portion follows the Lost Creek Lake shoreline most of the time till arriving at the day use area.  It was also our favorite portion of trail during today's hike as it wandered through thickly forested areas, provided viewpoints of the very full Lost Creek Lake, crossed over various bridges, and passed numerous small creeks and waterfalls.  It was in this portion that we also got a good look at a large Pileated Woodpecker and saw Snow Queen, Yellow Violets and Oak Toothwort wildflowers.

Snow Queen

A very full  Lost Creek Lake

A black fungus thingy!?

Hiking and doing the Limbo Dance on the same trail!!

Once we arrived back at the day use area we decided to continue hiking on the Rogue River Trail towards the dam.  We made Upper Rumley Creek falls our turnaround point (just short of the dam) due to time restraints but made sure to take a few minutes to enjoy the falls beauty and sound.  This side of the lake also had the most tree downfall from the winter storms this year, but we were able to navigate the few trees still across the trail.

Upper Rumley Creek Falls

When our hike ended back at the day use area we had covered 10.4 miles in 4 1/2 hours and only had sore feet which was due to most of the trail being paved.  Not bad at our age. As a reward we stopped at the Picnic Basket Deli located in the Fishin' Hole Fly Shop in Shady Cove and picked up Veggie and Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches for dinner to top off a great day and hike.

Trekking Together
Glenn and Carol