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?

North Fork - Happy Valley Trail & Tumalo Falls

May 19, 2018

The second hike while camping at Tumalo State Park combined Tumalo Falls and the Happy Valley trail.  One might think that Tumalo Falls would be at Tumalo State Park, but it is about a 17 mile drive from the state park.  So once again we headed out early, especially since the parking lot at the falls/trailhead is small.

When we arrived we took one of the last two spots still available in the parking lot (holds about 12 cars) and then hiked across the lot to the first viewpoint of Tumalo Falls.  Wow!!.

Tumalo Falls from lower viewpoint.  Upper viewpoint is just to left at top of falls -- see the wall?

Vertical view of all 90 feet of waterfall

After oooooing and ahhhhhing at the falls, we began hiking the North Fork trail up to the top of the falls where there was another viewpoint.  Most people hike this short quarter mile portion of the trail so they can see the falls closeup.  Only a few days earlier crews had repaired the platform since there was a crack found in it, so we proceeded with caution.

View from the upper viewing area

Looking over the top of Tumalo Falls

Having read about Tumalo Falls, statistics show that about 75% of people only view the falls and/or  hike this short trail portion to the top of the falls and then leave.  Only 1 out of every 4 people continue hiking the North Fork/Happy Valley trail which is another 3.75 miles one way from the top of the falls to Happy Valley.  If one does not have a dog along, there is an actual loop hike you can do that is about 8 miles long.  Either way, if you visit Tumalo Falls and are able, be sure to at least hike out to Happy Valley - you will be amazed.

Onward we go past Tumalo Falls

So we continued on the North Fork - Happy Valley trail which follows Tumalo Creek and came upon waterfall after waterfall that were roaring due to the snow melt.  It was amazing and beautiful.....we can't even begin to describe how incredible it was seeing all these waterfalls.  We probably saw at least a dozen waterfalls along our hike so here are a few pictures for your viewing.

Eventually we crossed the creek on a one-sided plank bridge (a first for us and Katie)  and began hitting patches of snow.  Yes, the frozen white stuff.  It wasn't too long after the bridge that we finally had to stop hiking and turn around since the trail was completely covered, but we got about 3 miles along on the trail.

Across the one-sided plank bridge we go

Snow across the trail close to where we turned around.

As we returned we got to view all the waterfalls again and began to run into a lot of hikers and backpackers.  We began to think that maybe those statistics were wrong, maybe a lot of people do hike this trail past the falls.  But then when we got to the parking lot we found that there were cars parked along the gravel road past the parking lot for about a half mile and more coming.  Being early paid off again and so did going the extra miles along the North Fork - Happy Valley trail as we were treated to some beautiful and incredible scenery that we won't soon forget.

Trekking Together
Glenn  & Carol

Jacksonville Forest Park Update

March 25, 2017

The town of Jacksonville here in Southern Oregon has 2 trail systems. The Jacksonville Woodlands trails cover around 16 miles and are located within blocks of downtown.  The Jacksonville Forest trails are about 2 miles from downtown and now have over 30 miles of multi-use trails.  Since we typically hike the Woodland trails more often, we decided to visit the Forest Park and hike for a couple hours.  What we found was that the Forest Park has made numerous improvements and upgrades and has many new trails either completed or in the works!

Time for some hiking!

For our hike today we trekked along the Rail, Ponderosa Snag, Norling, Canyon Falls, Boulder and Ol' Miners trails to cover around 5 miles.  We didn't know anything about the new trails, but while hiking the Ponderosa trail we saw a trailhead sign for the Siskiyou trail which we had never seen before.

What?  A new trail????

Not knowing where this trail led or how long it was in length, we continued on the familiar trails we noted enjoying the Fawn Lilies, Houndstongue and even a few Trillium wildflowers that had made their Spring appearance.

Our first Trillium sighting

Our favorite trail of the day was the Canyon Falls trail and one we would recommend you hike before summer gets here and the creek is down to a trickle.  Even though the trail is less than a mile long, you hike along Jackson Creek and are treated to many small but beautiful waterfalls that beg to have their picture taken.

One of the many small waterfalls along Canyon Falls trail

View of Jackson Creek from Canyon Falls trail

A small waterfall squeezes between rocks in an effort to be seen.

We did have a few trees to clear along our hike, so here is the largest one that we encountered.  No problem for Katie, but us humans aren't so agile and it took us a little longer to get by.

Wind and rain have taken their toll on trees this year

When our hike was over and we arrived at our parking area, we visited the kiosk and picked up one of the new map/brochures on the park. These list each trail, it's length, difficulty and notes new trails recently finished and/or in progress.  We counted 6 new trails added or being added since we hiked this time last year. There are also 7 parking areas located at various trail junctions throughout the park.  Each parking area has loop cards that correspond with various colored diamonds that mark trail loops within the park and you are encouraged to take these cards with you on your hike - just return them when you are done. They've also added shelters and overlooks on some trails and have a list of Points of Interest within the park.  So stay tune for some more Jacksonville Forest postings as we plan to go back and do a couple of new hikes this year.  Better yet, get out and hike there yourself if you live in the Southern Oregon area.

Trekking Together
Glenn and Carol