Buck Rock Tunnel

The Buck Rock Tunnel was started on both sides at the same time but never finished all in the same year of 1884. The route to the east side is 2 miles and the west entrance is 1 1/2. Hit them both for an easy/moderate 6 mile loop. Again, “never finished” means you don’t go through the tunnel. It’s a cool loop over the top of the hill they were trying to dig through.

Driving 

– It’s a 25 minute drive from Ashland. About 13 miles. Start off toward Emigrant Lake heading south on Siskiyou toward SOU. Take Ashland Street left toward Interstate 5, cross the freeway, sweep 90 degrees to the right and you are now on Green Springs Highway. Pass Emigrant Lake on your left and just as you cross over Emigrant Creek you will turn right on Buckhorn Springs Rd. A quarter mile to your right is a dirt road (39-2E-34) that heads uphill into the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument lands.

Rattle your brains on this bumpy dirt road for 2 1/2 miles and voila!

Parking

– A posted, gravel, well-maintained lot to your left with room for a dozen cars and an official Buck Rock sign.

The Adventure

-From the parking, cross the road and head around the yellow pipe gate. This is mostly overgrown fire road so tamp down your “quaint trail through the pines” expectations. The first half mile is uphill and reaches a definite ‘Y’. To the left is the east tunnel entrance so lets do that first.

This 1 1/2 mile section of fire road has a number of fallen trees to navigate and some areas are more overgrown than others. Some clearings provide nice views, and there is evidence of some pretty heavy equestrian traffic so watch your step. That goes for “hoof holes” and poop.  You will reach a clearing that feels like an ending but to your right, the fire road continues straight uphill. Don’t take that, walk up the shrubby draw just to the left. The tunnel has been mostly covered but if you climb up the slag pile at the end, the entrance is as the top. You can go on in if you brought your torch, garlic, crucifix, and silver bullets.

Now back to that first ‘Y’. Take that to the right and in less than 1/2 mile there will be another ‘Y’. Left is uphill to the summit of Buck Rock, so let’s take the right and about 1/2 mile later there will be a small trail to the left. This is the trickiest part. You have just dropped down from an open oak ridge and are down into a conifer section. The trail runs up to the left 50 yards through a clear area and then uphill to the left into the pines. This “hill” is the old slag pile from the tunnel. The wide trench out from the mouth of the tunnel is brushy but noticeably unnatural. Another 100 yards and behold… The Tunnel!

It’s pretty awesome. Now get out of there before the giant trolls return!