| About Umpqua National Forest |
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| Rogue-Umpqua Divide Trail (Tiller Ranger District) |
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Difficulty:
Moderate
Elevation Gain:
720 Feet
High Point:
6,020 Feet
Length:
22.4 Miles
Low Point:
5,300 Feet
Trail Number:
1,470
Usage:
Light
Reservation:
No
Season:
Spring - Fall
From Tiller, Travel northeast on County Road #46 to Jackson Creek Road #29. Follow Road #29 to Road #68, just past Cover Camp Campground. Follow Road #68 to the top of the Rogue-Umpqua Divide to the trailhead, approximately 31 miles from Tiller.
Location Information
This National Recreation Trail is the primary route through the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness and offers exceptional views both east and west as it weaves across the crest of the divide. To the west, lies the irregular and deeply dissected terrain of the Umpqua Drainage; while to the east the traveler sees the broad, open Rogue Basin, with the peaks of the high Cascades rising above. In addition to the fine vistas, the divide features a spectacular display of wildflowers in its many meadows from mid-June until mid-August.The trail begins at the southern end of the wilderness and in places parallels the old CCC road to Abbott Butte. Due to a steep and narrow section of trail, horse users are advised to take the old road at one point and loop back into the trail, avoiding a potential hazard. The trail passes below Abbott Butte Lookout and descends to a small pond below a rock cliff called Elephants Head. The old lookout is standing, but it is unsafe to climb up into the building. Traveling east, the trail is joined by the Golden Stairs Trail #1092, three miles beyond Abbott. This steep trail leads to the Rogue River National Forest Road #6800-550. One mile past this junction, the trail enters Yellow Jacket Camp. From here, the trail follows an old skid road for half a mile. A live creek crosses the trail just beyond the road. The trail then climbs the south slope of Anderson Mountain and opens to a gigantic subalpine meadow. Here, Sandstone Trail #1436, joins the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Trail from the Umpqua side. From the Rogue side of the divide, Anderson Camp Trail #1075 reaches the ridgetop and joins the Divide Trail. From Anderson Mountain, the Divide Trail travels northerly on the crest of a rocky ridge, offering fine views of Crater Lake Rim and Mount McLoughlin to the east; Highrock Mountain to the west, and Abbott Butte to the southwest. Pup Prairie Trail #1434 intersects the Divide Trail just before the trail meets Road #6515-530 at its junction with Road #6515. Here, a spring can be found in the meadow, south of this junction. Road #6515-530 becomes the route for the Divide Trail for about one and a half miles from this junction to the junction of Road #6515-530 and Acker Divide Trail #1437. At this intersection the road leads another 1/2 mile to Hershberger Lookout. The Divide Trail, however, continues north at this junction along a route formerly known as the Log Pile Trail. Fish Lake Trail #1570 intersects the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Trail 3/4 of a mile down this section of trail. Approximately a quarter mile farther, the Rocky Rim Trail #1572 intersects to the west. The Rogue-Umpqua Divide Trail then passes through a saddle onto the eastern face of Weaver Mountain, where again vistas open to the north and east. The trail then descends to the edge of an ancient shallow glacial lake, now a marshy meadow called "Hole-in-the-ground". After passing along the southeast edge of the meadow, the trail forks. The Divide Trail continues on the northerly fork, crossing the meadow to Hole-in-the-Ground Camp. Here Alkali Trail #1046 intersects and the Divide Trail heads north for a rather strenuous one-mile climb to Road #3700-870. This road, at the end of Fish Creek Valley, serves as a connecting route between segments of the Divide Trail. To return to the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Trail, follow this road for about one mile to Happy Camp. One tenth of a mile further down the road, the trail continues off to the left of the road. Take this trail to its intersection with the Whitehorse Meadows Trail #1477, and proceed northeast on this trail down the valley. About 3/4 of a mile down the valley, the Whitehorse Meadows Trail turns right and climbs out of the valley. The Divide Trail continues down the valley. This segment of the trail is about one and one half miles before it climbs out of the valley and crosses road #3700-870. The Divide Trail continues up the ridge with some steep stretches, and then down the east slope, across Road #37, and on to Buck Camp. Clear Camp lies about one mile further down the trail, and the Rogue-Umpqua Divide National Recreation Trail terminates at Three Lakes Camp, eight miles west of Diamond Lake.
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