Applegater Winter 2021
Grayback Mountain
Trail traverses important
wildlife corridor
21
Map by Ann Gunter
BY EVELYN ROETHER
Grayback Mountain Trail
Difficulty: Loop - Moderately difficult
To Boundary Trail - Difficult
Distance: Loop - 3.5 miles
To Boundary Trail - 8 miles
Elevation gain: 2,055 feet (trailhead
to Boundary Trail)
Access: Loop - year-round
To Boundary Trail - June-October
Map: Williams USGS quad
Directions
In Williams, turn left at the Williams
Elementary School onto East Fork Road.
Continue for three miles. Turn right onto
Rock Creek Road (39-5-14). Proceed
two miles to the parking area and signed
trailhead on the right.
The trail starts at the lower end of the
parking area, following an old roadbed
for the first half mile. Shortly before the
roadbed ends, a single-track trail heads
uphill to the left, into mixed evergreen
forest including Douglas fir, incense cedar,
sugar pine, ponderosa pine, white fir,
golden chinquapin, canyon live oak, and
madrone. The shrub layer is predominantly
dwarf Oregon grape,
The Grayback Mountain Trail passes through salal, and an occasional
diverse evergreen forests. Photo: Evelyn Roether. baldhip or wood rose.
About a mile and a
half from the trailhead,
the trail makes a jaunt
east and comes within
yards of the upper part
of Rock Creek Road
(39-5-14). At the
signed trail junction,
a short spur to the left
will take you to the
road. To complete the
shorter 3.5 mile loop,
turn left and continue
down the road about
a mile, past the yellow
gate, back to the
trailhead parking area.
To continue on
the main trail stay
right at the junction
and traverse the
southeastern slope
through solid stands
The Grayback Mountain Trail is
a pleasure any time of year, but the
upper reaches generally remain snow-
covered from November through May.
For the winter months, the loop trail is a
better option.
The whole of the trail passes through
diverse evergreen forests, much of which
is comprised of large old-growth trees.
These semi-intact wildlands provide an
important wildlife corridor link between
the lowlands of the Applegate Valley and
the high Siskiyou Mountains. This area
is habitat for the federally threatened
Northern spotted owl, red tree voles, Del
Norte salamanders, goshawks, and at least
five species of bats.
A long-term cooperative project
between the Bureau of Land Management
and the Williams community, the Grayback
Mountain Trail was finally completed in
2006 after 17 years of construction. The
end of this long, steep trail is atop Big
Sugarloaf Peak, the northern terminus of
the Boundary Trail. There is no water along
this long, steep trail, so come prepared!
of chinquapin and madrone, past some
immense ponderosa and sugar pine
trees. After a steady climb you’ll reach the
ridge between Little and Big Sugarloaf
peaks, which separates the east and west
forks of Williams Creek. The ascent then
steepens once again, with switchbacks
and views of the Williams Valley to
distract you.
At these higher elevations, true fir and
hemlock forests emerge, interspersed with
mini sub-alpine meadows carpeted with
arnica and other wild forbs. The trail skirts
the edge of the Grayback Glades (which
form the snowy “7” seen on the mountain
above Williams) then finally pops over the
east ridge onto Big Sugarloaf Peak, where
stunning views of distant snow-covered
peaks await you. The Grayback Mountain
out-and-back-trail ends at a simple rock
cairn, where the northern end of the
Boundary Trail begins. Head back the
way you came.
Hiking Trails of the Lower Applegate,
a trail guide describing 20 trails in the
Lower Applegate area, is available at the
Williams General Store and Takubeh
Natural Market in Williams, Provolt
Store and Whistling Duck Farm and
Store in Provolt, Rebel Heart Books in
Jacksonville, Oregon Books and Games in
Grants Pass, and Northwest Nature Shop
and Bloomsbury Books in Ashland. Trail
guides can also be purchased directly from
the author at lowerapplegatetrails@gmail.
com. Happy hiking!
Evelyn Roether
evelynkr@gmail.com
Serving Josephine &
Jackson Counties