Alice Re-Route 2023

Alice 2023

The Alice in Wonderland Trail 2023 Re-Route is a 1/2 mile pedestrians only connector from the top-ish of Alice in Wonderland to the middle of the Gryphon Trail. Take Gryphon up to Bandersnatch and that up to the end of Alice again.

Driving

– It’s a 20 minute drive from Interstate 5. From the north Ashland Exit #19 turn west (it’s towards Ashland) on Valley View Road. Hit the 99 or North Main or Siskiyou Drive (it has an annoying number of names) and turn left towards Ashland. Drive through Ashland and at the end of downtown turn right, before the library, on Gresham. Take this uphill until you dead end on Holly. Right on Holly. Dead end into Terrace. Left on Terrace.

Terrace kind of tops out at the Ashland Loop Road intersection where you will turn left at the underground water tank. (It’s underground but you’ll see it. Just trust me) You are now on the windy windy Ashland Loop Road and there will be an intersection with Morton Street. The isolationist in Ashland will not give you a sign here. Super rude. There is a large privacy fence in front of you and Morton is downhill to the left but you?… You turn right and quickly you will see a rutted dirt road with very small, vague signage. This is the continuation of Ashland Loop Road.

Take this for 1 mile. It’s a single lane dirt road so rural country road etiquette applies. Wave and pull over when you see oncoming traffic. You dead end into a dirt lot

Parking

– You dead end into the decent sized dirt parking lot with about 12 spots. On beautiful days this lot can fill up, so try to get up here when it’s cold and wet.

Hiking

– From the parking lot at the top of Ashland Loop Road, the Alice in Wonderland trail USED TO just run along the ridgeline slightly down hill parallel to Ashland Loop Road for barely a mile where it would hit the Bandersnatch Trail and that was the end. However now – 2024 and beyond – you head down from the parking lot and within 1/4 mile to your left you will see a new sign for the new trail with a destination of the Gryphon Trail. 

Turn left on that and ramble downhill unaccosted by mountain bikes or horses for half a mile. You will dead end into the Gryphon Trail and can now turn left on the Gryphon Trail down to the Red Queen Trail or turn right up to the Bandersnatch Trail. This is definitely a “gateway trail.” It just leads you to more trails and the next thing you know, you’re hooked!