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A scenic trail that connects both ends of the Sterling Mine Ditch Trail.


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Map Key

8.5

Miles

13.6

KM

88%

Runnable

4,968' 1,514 m

High

2,556' 779 m

Low

485' 148 m

Up

2,654' 809 m

Down

7%

Avg Grade (4°)

28%

Max Grade (15°)

Dogs Off-leash

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

The trail is open year-round but can get muddy or snowy in places during the winter and can be very hot in the summer months.

The trail is used by runners, mountain bikers, and equestrians so please observe proper trail etiquette.

There is no potable water along the trail, so bring plenty with you.

The trailheads have limited parking and none have amenities.

Need to Know

Some parts of the trail pass through private land. Respect the owner's rights and stay on the trail. If you have a dog, please keep it leashed in these sections to avoid any conflicts with the landowner's animals.

Description

The Siskiyou Upland Trails Association (SUTA) develops and maintains a non-motorized community trail system focused on the ridges between Jacksonville and Ashland—including Bald Mountain, Point Mountain, and Anderson Butte. The Jack-Ash (Jacksonville-Ashland) Trail will eventually connect existing trail systems between Jacksonville and Ashland, Oregon, including the Applegate Ridge Trail system. Phase 1 of the Jack-Ash (completed in 2017) connects both ends of the Sterling Mine Ditch Trail using new trails and existing dirt roads, all located on federal lands managed by the Medford Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

You can run this trail in either direction, but parking is easier if you start from the Little Applegate Recreation Site. From there, it's 4 miles uphill on the old dirt Rush Creek Road to a junction with gravel Anderson Butte Road (BLM Road 38-2-24) at Section Line Gap. Turn left (west) here and follow the wide gravel road for 2.3 miles to the signed Anderson Ridge Trailhead. On a clear day, you'll have excellent views out across the Little Applegate River Valley.

Leave the road here and follow the singletrack trail for 3.2 miles around the west side of Anderson Butte and down through several switchbacks to the Greenstone Trailhead on the gravel Deming-Armstrong Road (BLM Road 39-2-8). Turn right (north) here and follow the gravel road for a mile to the Griffin Gap Trailhead.

Leave the road here, and follow the singletrack trail down for 2.1 miles to the Grub Gulch Trailhead on BLM Road 38-2-26, where there's a kiosk and a gate. Pass the gate and follow the road (which is the upper end of the Grub Gulch Access Trail) down for 0.3 miles to a signed junction—the Jack-Ash goes right here and the Grub Gulch Access Trail goes left.

Turn right and follow the dirt road down for 1 mile to where a singletrack trail goes up to the right (north). Follow the singletrack for 0.7 miles down, through private land, to the end of the trail on Griffin Lane.

Flora & Fauna

Watch out for ticks in the spring, rattlesnakes (rare) during the summer months, and poison oak all year-round.

Contacts

Shared By:

BK Hope

Trail Ratings

  4.0 from 4 votes

#11676

Overall
  4.0 from 4 votes
5 Star
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Trail Rankings

#359

in Oregon

#11,676

Overall
15 Views Last Month
1,795 Since Sep 4, 2018
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Photos

Open slopes above the Grub Gulch Trailhead
Sep 4, 2018 near Talent, OR
Through the forest near trail's end
Sep 4, 2018 near Jackson…, OR
The Jack-Ash is an old road near its west end
Sep 4, 2018 near Jackson…, OR
The unsigned west end of the Jack-Ash Trail
Sep 4, 2018 near Jackson…, OR
Where the Jack-Ash leaves the old road for a singletrack
Sep 4, 2018 near Jackson…, OR
Grub Gulch Trailhead on BLM Road 38-2-26
Nov 23, 2017 near Talent, OR

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