A perfect fall hike near Ashland

It's no secret that the Scoop is enamored with Southern Oregon. Though there are many wonderful aspects to living here, natural beauty is high on the list. This 5.5-mile loop is a 20-minute (or so) drive from Ashland, and about 35 from Medford (from the south freeway entrance). Here are some good directions to the Grizzly Peak Hike.

The Scoop started in the late morning, apparently after a pretty rad storm the night before. Everything was caked in snow and ice, but from the horizontal direction of the ice, it looked like the wind was blowing pretty good all night.

The trail winds up through gigantic pines about a mile and a quarter, then around a loop that offers gorgeous views of the valley to the most anti-climatic summit ever, then back down the way you came. It's a nice, clear path. A little way into the loop, you'll come to an area that was pretty well scorched by a fire a few years back. The fog mixed with patchy blue sky made this a rather surreal experience.

A few recommendations:

1. If you go after there's been weather (as they say back east) wear some water-resistant pants. There's a little trekking through wet grasses involved. Not enough to be really annoying, but enough to get your pants nice and wet.

2. Bring a snack. The hike's not very strenuous, but there are several beautiful places to take a break and enjoy the views.

3. Watch out for cow pies. And cows. It's open range up there.

4. Layers, layers, layers. It's nearly 6,000 feet, and it's a bit cooler at that elevation than down below.

5. The road isn't terrible, but if you have a car with 4/AWD, you might want it. The gravel road is kind of rutted and not great for a little compact car.