Ashland & Southern Oregon - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 675

Shady Cove

Although the real action is far downriver most people find more peaceful adventures in
the gentle waters north of scrappy Shady Cove, which has plenty of services. For general
information visit the McGregor Park Visitors Center ( 541-878-3800; 100 Cole M Rivers
Dr; 10am-5pm Memorial Day-Labor Day) ; it's near the Cole M Rivers Fish Hatchery.
For raft rental options, check out Raft the Rogue ( 800-797-7238;

www.rafttherogue.com ; 21171 Hwy 62) .
About 12 miles north of Shady Cove is McGregor Park , a popular raft put-in and pic-
nic spot. Up by the dam is the large Cole M Rivers Fish Hatchery , where you can feed
the fish for $0.25.
Area campgrounds include the expansive, well-serviced Joseph Stewart State Park (
800-452-5687, 541-560-3334; www.oregonstateparks.org ; tent/RV sites $17/20) and the more
rustic Rogue Elk Campground ( 541-774-8183; 27766 Hwy 62; campsites $20-24) . For
more comfort there's the decent Royal Coachman Motel ( 541-878-2481;

www.royalcoachmanmotel.com ; 21906 Hwy 62; d $59-79; ) and the much fancier Edgewater

Inn (

888-811-3171; www.edgewaterinns.com ; 7800 Rogue River Dr; d from $110; ) .

Prospect & Union Creek

Past Shady Cove, about 17 miles north, the valley walls close in, and the silvery river
quickens and channels a gorge through thick lava flows. Dense forests robe the steep
mountainsides, surrounding sparsely populated Prospect and Union Creek with un-
crowded hiking trails, quiet camping and rustic lodging convenient to Crater Lake.
A mile south of Prospect on Mill Creek Dr is the 0.3-mile trail to Mill Creek Falls
(173ft). A side shoot leads to the Avenue of Giant Boulders , where the Rogue River
crashes through rocky boulders (scrambling required).
A good 4.6-mile hike (one way) starts from either the Woodruff Bridge picnic area or
the River Bridge campground; you'll get views of the pretty Takelma Gorge . You can
also hike 3.5 miles (one way) between Natural Bridge , where the Rogue River borrows a
lava tube and goes underground for 200ft, and the magical Rogue River Gorge , where a
narrow, turbulent section of river cuts a sheer-walled cleft into a lava flow.
Mill Creek , River Bridge and Natural Bridge campgrounds are primitive with no wa-
ter (campsites $8 to $10; Natural Bridge is close to a lava tube). Union Creek (campsites
$14) and Farewell Bend (campsites $18) campgrounds do have water; make reservations
for these two through www.roguerec.com .