Sucker Creek Road Guide, Oregon

Sucker Creek watershed looking toward Cave Junction from the Red Buttes Wilderness, Oregon The Sucker Creek Road Guide follows a gravel surfaced road takes you to the boundary of Red Buttes Wilderness through a region that helped launch the Oregon gold rush of 1851. This route includes the region used for the 1914 Siskiyou Nature Man Experiment and was the site of the legendary Wounded Buck Mine gold discovery in the early 1900s.

The total distance from Highway 46 to the boundary of the Red Buttes Wilderness is 15 miles with the first two miles paved and the rest a gravel surfaced road. The gravel section of the road is well maintained except for the last five miles, which becomes a little more rough but is still passable for the average passenger car. Be certain the tires on your vehicle are appropriate for travel on gravel surfaced roads.

The road ends at the boundary of the Red Buttes Wilderness about 15 miles from Highway 46. The end of the road has a very narrow area to turn-around so people who are towing horse trailers are recommended to use the much larger parking area at the trailhead for the Sucker Creek Trail at mile 13.5.

If you are considering doing some recreational gold panning, be aware that some parts of Sucker Creek are privately owned and there are many mining claims throughout the watershed. Be certain to obtain permission to enter private land or do gold panning on existing mining claims.

The nearest gas stations and stores are in Cave Junction, located about 28 miles from the end of Sucker Creek Road.

Directions
Follow Oregon Caves Highway 46 and drive 13.3 miles from Cave Junction to Sucker Creek Road (USFS 4612). This road is located at a sharp switch back in Highway 46. Use the road guide below to help minimize confusion at the many intersections on this route.

0.0 Highway 46

0.4 Cave Creek Bridge

0.6 Road 011 right -continue straight ahead

1.2 Road 013 right - continue straight ahead

2.0 Road 4614 left. Pavement ends. Continue straight ahead.

__ China Garden

Sucker Creek Road, a gravel surfaced route to the Red Buttes Wilderness, Oregon-California. 5.9 Creek crossing

6.0 Quarry

6.6 Creek crossing

6.9 Road forks - GO LEFT

7.2 View of Bolan Creek Canyon to the south. The main source of gold that touched off the gold rush of 1851 was believed to be from a gold vein in the Bolan Creek drainage.

8.0 Road to the left. Continue straight ahead.

8.3 Limestone Creek. This creek begins near the boundary of Oregon Caves located along the ridge above the road to the left. The same outcrop of marble at Oregon Caves National Monument is also found on this side of the mountain. An early prospector probably mistook this to be limestone and named the creek after this rock.

8.4 Sucker Creek Bridge: After crossing the bridge you will enter into an outcrop of diorite, a granite-like rock that represents the crystallized roots of ancient volcanic activity. You can see what this rock looks like at mile 8.8.

8.8 Diorite in road cut

Roy Briggs with a pan of gold nuggets from the Wounded Buck Mine, Red Buttes Wilderness, Oregon-California 9.0 Marble rock in road cut. Exposures of marble can be found in several places throughout this region. The road cuts through one of these at this point.

9.4 Marble ends

9.9 Road 4703 to Browntown on right. Continue STRAIGHT AHEAD.
NOTE: At this intersection, the road you have been following, USFS 4612, changes its name to USFS 098. This is the road you will be following for the rest of the tour. It is more narrow and rough than 4612.

11.1 Bridge over Sucker Creek:
This is the approximate location of the Briggs Family Cabin, where young Roy Briggs was living when he made an accidental gold discovery in the early 1900s. The claim became known as the Wounded Buck Mine. This strike was made near the top of Fahley Gulch east of the Tannen Lakes.

Joseph Knowles, the Siskiyou Nature Man of 1914. Red Buttes Wilderness, Cave Junction, Oregon. 12.4 Wide area on right - camping

13.4 Road 540 left

13.5 Trailhead right for Sucker Creek Trail and Sucker Creek Gap.
This was the approximate area where, in August of 1914, a highly publicized nature "experiment" was conducted. The idea of this experiment was for a man to strip off all his clothes and go into the forest naked to survive for two months with nothing but his bare hands. The person who did the experiment was Joseph Knowles who had performed the stunt in Maine for two months in the previous year. The picture on the right shows him after he had come back out of the forest. Every thing he is wearing was made from what ever he could obtain in the forest. He was given the nickname of Siskiyou Nature Man.

15.1 End of road. Trailhead to Sucker Creek Trail and Sucker Creek Gap.

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Disclaimer: All information in Highway199.org is accurate to the best knowledge of the author. However, conditions in outdoor settings can change dramatically after storms or fires. For this reason, travelers are advised to check current road conditions before traveling through the area, drive responsibly and take measures to understand safety issues in the region. When participating in outdoor activities, always plan and prepare for safe hiking, swimming or any other activities mentioned in the Highway 199 website. More on disclaimer and copyright...