Camp Oregon Caves Trail

This is a great trail for people traveling to or from Oregon Caves National Monument and want to take an easy stroll through the woods where you can enjoy the sound of the stream and forest as well as see the site of the Camp Oregon Caves, a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) facility where more than 200 youth were stationed and assigned to work on projects in Siskiyou National Forest and at Oregon Caves National Forest during the Great Depression. The rock work around the historic Oregon Caves Lodge and walkway to the cave entrance are examples of work done by these crews. See the story about Camp Oregon Caves for more information on this Civilian Conservation Corps facility.

The Camp Oregon Caves Heritage Tree is located near the trailhead.

The Grayback Guard Station is a designated historic site and was constructed around 1934 by Civilian Conservation Corps crews. It is classified as being a Cascadian Cedar design and is one of six such buildings surviving in western Oregon. The Store Gulch Ranger Station is one of these six buildings and can be seen on the Wild and Scenic Illinois River Road Guide near Selma, Oregon.

Location

The trail is located about eleven and a half miles from Cave Junction and about one fourth of a mile past Grayback Campground. Watch for the historic Grayback  Ranger Station on the left, a small, cabin sized structure with bark siding. Park on the shoulder of the road and follow the generalized map below to find the loop trail.

Trail Description

Map showing the loop trail at Camp Oregon Caves, Cave Junction, Oregon

Camp Oregon Caves Loop Trail

The loop is about one mile in length including the walk from Highway 46 (Oregon Caves Highway) and is a relatively level, nonstrenuous stroll through the woods. A portion of the hike follows a historic water ditch through a Douglas-fir and madrone forest that gives away to a forest composed of alder, maple and hazlenut and a small section dominated by Port Orford cedar. Grayback Creek is visible along one section of the trail where migrating salmon may be seen during the spawning season in late October and early November. Fall colors typically peak around this same time.

 
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