Days: 4
Level: Moderate
Mileage: 42 ave - 169 total
Start/Finish: Portland, OR
Price: $650

 

Meals: All included except Dinner in Ashland
Restaurants: Choice of restaurant in Ashland
Motels: Motel in Wolf Creek and the Lithia Springs Inn in Ashland
Events & Activities: Optional Shakespeare play or Britt Festival Concert


This tour gives the rider a good introduction to the mid Rogue River Valley. Different characters of he Rogue River are seen as we ride along three very different stretches of the river. This is an easy weekend ride. There is only one significant hill to climb and we are riding an average of 42 miles per day. We also ride through the Applegate Valley and have the opportunity to take in a Shakespeare play in Ashland or a concert at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville.

We require an early Thursday afternoon departure to allow us time to drive south to Wolf Creek. We will be staying in a motel Thursday night due to our late arrival time.

On Friday morning we ride out of Wolf Creek to the west to catch up with the Rogue River at Graves Creek. This is where the rafters put in for their trips through the Wild and Scenic stretch of the river. The river flows through a rugged valley along here and we follow it upstream to Indian Mary Campground where we stop for lunch. Our afternoon ride continues along the river as the river valley opens up to a slower flowing Rogue River. We will be camping at a campground along the river just outside of Merlin, Oregon.

On Saturday we ride up through the Applegate Valley. This is an easy ride up a fairly flat valley floor climbing at a 2% grade. As we ride along we pass by ranches and farms of every size and kind. It is beautiful valley that is good for growing everything from hay to grapes. The Applegate Valley now boasts it's own AVA distinction and there are some truly good vineyards in the hills along our route. We finish up our ride at the county park that we will be camping in for the night.


Sunday morning greets us with the one significant climb of the tour. To cross back over from the Applegate Valley to the Rogue Valley we must climb an 800 foot hill. It's a slow climb up the Jacksonville Highway so we cut off there and take the back way in to Jacksonville. We stop in Jacksonville for a break because it is such an nice "old" town. The shops and old Jacksonville Inn take you back in time a 100 years. We ride north to catch up again with the Rogue River. This stretch of river is a flatter meandering river than what we saw before. After a stop for lunch we head back across the valley to Medford where we ride through the old main street of town.

On Sunday night we will be staying at the Lithia Springs Inn to give you a chance to "recharge" and catch a play or a concert. The Inn has a nice country ambiance with beautiful gardens. Our rooms have large soaking tubs in them so that you can soak in the spring fed mineral waters. After a wine tasting at the Inn our bus shuttles the group to dinner and a play in Ashland or dinner and a concert in Jacksonville.

Monday's ride takes us along the foothills between Ashland and Medford before we head due north towards Crater Lake. We ride though ranch and farm land as ride into Eagle Point. We turn to the west to meet up again with the Rogue River. This time the river is more like a mountain river as it flows down into the valley. We cross over the river and then ride the Sams Valley Highway into Gold Hill. We get cleaned up here and head back to Portland.

Tour details may change without notice. Although you'll have an up-to-date itinerary prior to departure,
changes due to unforeseen circumstances may occur at any time.