Rock Garden Trail, King Mountain

The Rock Garden Trail is located near the top of King Mountain and leads hikers on a short, moderate trail along a ridge of serpentine rock. Plants adapted to the unusual soils produced by serpentine combined with the hardships of cool temperatures in high elevations survive on a rocky ridge overlooking sweeping vistas of the mountainous terrain to the north and west.

If you are interested in getting a little more out of the drive to the Rock Garden Trail, you might consider driving an additional half a mile from the Rock Garden trailhead to a vista point next to the radio towers on King Mountain. The road is rutted and moderately rocky for a short distance immediately after leaving the Rock Garden parking area and, for people with low clearance vehicles, it may be better to consider walking to the vista point. You will encounter one intersection where King Mountain Road goes to the left. continue straight ahead, through the gate and to the towers. The vista looks off to the east where you can easily make out Mount McLoughlin and, to the left of this, the peaks outlining the rim of Crater Lake (Hillman and Watchman Peaks on the left and Garfield, Dutton and Scott Peaks on the right). The top of Mount Shasta can be seen to the right of Mount McLoughlin.

The majority of the drive to the Rock Garden Trail is on steep, gravel surfaced roads maintained by the Forest Service. Be prepared for emergencies, carry a Forest Service map to help you navigate through the many intersections and assure you are riding on tires suitable for gravel surfaced roads. Snow may close this road in the winter.

Directions

From Grants Pass, you can follow the scenic Rogue River Loop to Wolf Creek and get on Coyote Creek Road to Golden, or you can drive 20 miles north of Grants Pass and take the Wolf Creek Exit (Exit 76). At the end of the off ramp, set your odometer to zero, turn right and follow Coyote Creek Road for four miles to the historic town of Golden where you can take a short optional walk on the Golden Wetlands Loop Trail and visit the historic Golden church. Continue following the paved road past Golden. The pavement ends at mile 6.0 and becomes Forest Service road 33-5-21. This road forks at mile 6.7. Follow the left fork and drive to the intersection at mile 9. Continue straight ahead on 33-5-21 to the intersection at mile 10.2. Turn left on Forest Service road 33-5-26 and follow this to the Rock Garden trailhead parking area (mile 12.3).

The road network depicted on the map below is generalized from field notes. The approximate distance from the trail to the radio towers is about half a mile.

Rock Garden Trail near King Mountain. Rogue River Scenic Loop Drive, Grants Pass, southwest Oregon Siskiyou Mountains

________________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: All information in Highway199.org is accurate to the best knowledge of the author. However, conditions in outdoor settings can change dramatically after storms or fires. For this reason, travelers are advised to check current road conditions before traveling through the area, drive responsibly and take measures to understand safety issues in the region. When participating in outdoor activities, always plan and prepare for safe hiking, swimming or any other activities mentioned in the Highway 199 website. More on disclaimer and copyright...