Did this hike for the first time today Oct 27 2019. Its located in southern oregon near Applegate. The hike to the summit is approx 6.5 miles round trip with approx 2200 feet of gain. The trail is pretty steep most of the way up for sure. There are a few good springs along the way and just before the bushwack to summit. Yes, you must bushwack to the summit. The trail doesn’t go all the way to the summit. If you follow the trail correctly and start the bushwack in the correct area its not to bad. I unfortunately missed a switchback in the trail and starting bushwacking much to early, causing me to go further than necessary. On the day I went it was very windy at the summit and a little cold. There’s a trail registry at the summit in a green army style container.
With the exception of going the wrong way, this was a great hike. I would rate it as difficult for sure. If you’re not in good shape I’d skip it for sure. There’s several other trails that connect to this trail also so you could make this a much longer hike if you wanted. There’s a small cabin close to the start of the trail also. Its open to use for free.
The road to trail head is a little ruff towards the end, so make sure you have a vehicle that’s in good shape. I’d recommend a four wheel drive pick-up especially if its wet or snowy out.
