for the Siskiyou Hiker
photos by Amalie Dieter
Please learn about the Leave No Trace Principles, and practice them diligently for your visit to Oregon’s Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Now pick up the map and go:
09 JULY 2020 | ASHLAND, OR. — In the southwest corner of Oregon is a National Monument unbeknownst to most travelers. It encompasses a full 114,000 acres of distance, including 24,000 acres of remote wilderness. What, with the Pacific Coast, California Redwoods, and Crater Lake National Park all within a half-day drive, it’s no wonder the area is often overlooked.
Get the map
But with its open range, old growth forests, commanding peaks, deep wilderness and plethora of outdoor opportunities, the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument is an American treasure worth your attention. And it’s just minutes from beautiful Ashland, OR. where there are open parks, outdoor dining, and distance-focused vacation housing.
Map also includes nearby Ashland Watershed Trails
This 24×36-inch map includes all of the area’s roads, trails, campgrounds, lakes, and creeks. It was designed in 15-minute resolution with 100-foot contour intervals.
Printed on waterproof, tear-resistant paper.
It also includes the Ashland Watershed Trails.
Lakes and camping
In the northern arm of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument are Hyatt and Howard Praire Lakes with swimming, fishing, boating, and developed campgrounds managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Jackson County Parks.
Discover the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument
There are more lakes within the monument, but they’re less developed and await those hikers hungriest for solitude. And dispersed camping is permitted throughout the 114,000-acres, meaning you can pull off the side of the road and camp where you’d like.
But in that case you won’t find toilets, trash cans, or other services, so you have to plan ahead.
Wherever you might find your lakeshore or your resting spot for the night, make sure to Leave No Trace and stick to local regulations included on our own Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument Map.
Trails and discovery
The well-known Pacific Crest Trail traverses through the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, but all of the lesser-known trails also warrant a visit.
Hike to Boccard Point, heart of the Soda Mountain Wilderness.
Go backpacking into the heart of the 24,000-acre Soda Mountain Wilderness, which is managed for unconfined and primitive recreation. Or set out for an easy morning stroll on the 2.2-mile Greensprings Loop.
Stay for a week and hike somewhere new each day.
Equestrian use is permitted throughout the monument, and the area has lots of wide-open country, wide turnouts for trailers, and plenty of room to roam this slice of the wild west.
Ecologic wonder
The monument is at the scene of a collision of the Great Basin, Wild Siskiyous, and young Cascades. This interface generates some of the most profound biodiversity in North America.
The terrains are stacked up on one another. Mature conifer forest left untouched butt up against open meadows with endemic butterflies and moths. Those meadows run into scrubby oak chaparral that gives way into rugged creek systems with endemic fish.
In the spring, birds along the Klamath Flyway migrate through here as fields of wildflowers explode. For those looking for a natural investigation, there isn’t a better place to visit.
Fishing and hunting
Deer, elk, trout. Fishing and hunting is allowed throughout the monument per Oregon State Fish & Game regulations.
