Upper Rogue River Trail #1034

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Features Fall Colors · River/Creek · Swimming · Waterfall · Wildflowers

The Upper Rogue River Trail (USFS #1034) mostly parallels the Rogue River for about 47 miles from near the river’s headwaters at Boundary Springs in Crater Lake National Park to its diversion by the North Fork Dam outside Prospect, Oregon. The #1034 can be thru-hiked but is more often done in sections, each of which is readily accessible from State Highways 62 or 230.

Both the #1034 and the Boundary Springs Trail (#1057) start at the Crater Rim Viewpoint on Highway 230. It’s worth taking the USFS #1057 to see the headwaters of the Rogue River—the river really does start by shooting right out of the ground! In August 2015, this trail was burned by the National Creek Complex Fire. Check the trail's current status with the High Cascades Ranger District in Prospect, Oregon.

Highlights along the 10.5-mile section from Crater Rim Viewpoint to Hamaker Campground include No Name and Rough Rider Falls. The National Creek Complex Fire burned part of this section too, so check its current status with the High Cascades Ranger District.

Along the 10-mile section between Hamaker Campground and Foster Creek, you’ll pass several unnamed rapids, a small waterfall, and large pumice/ash cliffs, before arriving at remarkably large Hamaker Meadows.

The 7-mile section from Foster Creek (ford) to the Big Bend Trailhead was, as of May 2016, in poor condition, making for slow, route-finding hiking. This section is worth doing because of the unique views it offers of the high ash/pumice bluffs that are cut through by the river.

In the 7.5 miles between the Big Bend Trailhead to Natural Bridge Viewpoint, you’ll ford Flat Creek, pace the Rogue River as it rushes through a collapsed lava tube, and see the Natural Bridge formed by a lava tube.

It is 8.0 miles from Natural Bridge Viewpoint to River Bridge Campground. This is the most popular section of the #1034 mainly because the Takelma Gorge, where the river makes an abrupt 90-degree turn, is a justifiably amazing thing to see.

The last 6-mile section, from River Bridge Campground to North Fork Dam briefly parallels the river (swimming access here), then climbs a bluff above and away from it to bypass private land, and finally rejoins the river at the dam, about a 0.5 miles west of Highway 62.