Beautiful Fall Colors in The Rogue Valley

October 3rd, 2020

Fall is here in the Rogue Valley!

Looking for something safe to do that will get you or your family outdoors? Take a visit to some of these locations in the Rogue Valley to see the beautiful fall colors and weather. October is also the time for peak fall colors.

Cathedral Hills Trails

Cathedral Hills has a great trail system and is located just outside of Grants Pass. Here, you’ll find recreation activities like hiking, mountain biking, and even trails for horseback riding enthusiasts. Although spring is a popular time to visit because of the wildflowers, fall is also a gorgeous time to hike through the park’s 400 acres of Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine forest. Hiking the trails here, you can also see two trees on the Oregon Big Tree Registry – 117-foot-tall knobcone pine and a 25-foot-tall whiteleaf manzanita.

Click here for driving directions and map.

Roxy Ann Peak Trail

If you like a moderate hiking challenge with beautiful views, Roxy Ann Peak Trail is a 4.9 mile loop trail. Located near Medford, OR the trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round.

More information, photos, and directions can be found on the All Trails website.

Scenic Car Ride

If hiking isn’t your thing, a drive along Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway, might be the hot ticket. You can start your journey just east of Grants Pass in the town of Gold Hill where you’ll take the 234 north east. Here you’ll see lava formations known as table rocks that were formed when lava filled the canyons of the Rogue over seven million years ago. Continue on 234 until it joins with

You can start your trip in Roseburg, OR as you travel along the 138 towards the beautiful Diamond Lake. The road follows the Umpqua River for a large part of the drive. In total, there are 15 waterfalls along the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway including the dramatic Watson Falls just west of Diamond Lake in Douglas County. Watson falls cascades down a majestic 294 foot drop over a basalt lava flow. The picnic area offers a nice spot for a lunch break before heading back on the road. At the southern end of Diamond Lake, 138 will curve east and you’ll want to continue on the Rogue-Umpqua Scenic Byway on 230. Look out for the Crater Rim Viewpoint where you can see unobstructed views of around Crater Lake, which is all that remains from the ancient Volcano Mt. Mazama that erupted approximately 7700 years ago. Heading south on 230, you’ll enjoy scenic views of the Rogue River as you head towards Route 62 and the historic town of Union Creek. The Rogue Gorge and Natural Bridge interpretive sites are worth the stops for views of the Rogue as it rushes by. In Gold Hill, you’ll get to see table rocks, which are formations from when lava filled the canyons nearly 7 million years ago.

Taking the biway from Roseburg to Gold Hill is an all day drive, so we recommend starting in the morning. Gold Hill is just a short drive from Grants Pass.

Click here for more details and driving directions.