Our program manager Trevor Meyer has been busy organizing and leading volunteer trips and saw classes, but one project in particular has taken front and center this past month: the Upper Rogue River Trail.
The popular backpacking route and national recreation trail has been the site of Daybreak Racing’s Rogue Gorge race series. In the past, the event has featured distances from 12k to 50k, and takes runners on an autumnal tour of shaded riverside bluffs along the Rogue River.
This year, the race organizers intend to add a 50-mile distance. But this is contingent upon trail conditions.
The route has experienced significant damage from blowdown and wildfire, and many sections have been neglected for years. Many groups, including volunteers from Daybreak Racing, employees from the Forest Service, and members of the surrounding community have worked together on these most dilapidated areas. Siskiyou Mountain Club has joined in this collaborative effort since 2021. In particular, we have worked annually on a section of trail between Hamaker Campground and Crater Rim.
This month year, we have ramped up our efforts with three volunteer trips just this past month.
At the end of May, Trevor led a crew to perform tread restoration work in the middle of the section between Hamaker and Crater Rim. After shoveling dirt all day, “the crew was a bit tired,” Trevor says, so “we cut out about 100 trees working from that middle point of the trail up towards Crater Rim.
He returned two weeks later, this time partnering with Daybreak racing on a section between the County Line Trailhead and Hamaker Meadows. On that 8-mile portion, the SMC volunteers worked north, and the Daybreak volunteers worked south in the opposite direction. “We tied in and had a golden-spike moment,” Trevor remembers. “And that was a good time.”
Trevor’s third and final trip was just one week later. He and a group of volunteers cut 55 trees working south from Crater Rim in an attempt to tie in work completed at the beginning of the month.
The planned 50-mile race begins from Crater Rim, so Trevor and the crew also removed brush and raked the trail. “We were rolling out the red carpet!” he says.
So, what’s the state of the trail now? After volunteer efforts from Daybreak, SMC, and others, Trevor estimates that “we’re at about 85-95% of the trail maintained … this is the time to get out there.”
Want to help us get out and wrap up maintenance on the very last section of the Upper Rogue River Trail? Let Trevor know. Send him a message at trevor@siskiyoumountainclub.org.
It’s not too late to get in on the fun and sign up for a volunteer trip this summer. Here’s some highlights of the opportunities coming up, but check out the full list here for yourself, and see what fits in your schedule.
Get out on the Tincup Trail:
In July (11-13) we need volunteers to help move supplies and food for our Wilderness Corps crew. This trip won’t involve any trail work, but participants must be able to cover long distances, at times carrying heavy packs.
Head out to the Mountain Lakes Wilderness:
This Wilderness Area (fun fact - the only perfectly square-shaped one in the country!) is new territory for us.
On Thursday, July 17th, we’re leading a trip to this area to clear the way for our intern hitch in August. We’ll access the Varney Creek Trailhead and work towards Lake Harriet.
Explore more of this Wilderness from August 17-19, when we’ll be bringing in treats and support for our intern crew, as well as completing some supplemental trail work.
To sign up for any of these trips or inquire about details, email Trevor at trevor@siskiyoumountainclub.org
Photos in this blog post were provided by Trevor Meyer and Steve Meyer. Race photos courtesy of Daybreak Racing.