Grayback Mountain

October 6, 2018

Grayback Mountain is one of the best hikes in Oregon's Siskiyous. At 7048 feet it provides an expansive view of the area. This hike is described in William Sullivan's 100 Hikes in Oregon book. To the summit it is 6.2 miles roundtrip. For more information about Grayback Mountain see here.

I followed Sullivan's directions to the Upper Trailhead by O'Brien Creek. The road had sharp rocks so I decided to park a little before the trailhead and hike in on the road. There is also a lower trailhead if you want to avoid rocky road and hike a mile extra each way.

Upper O'Brien Creek Trailhead

O'Brien Creek

There was lovely trail through the forest.

It was a strenuous climb. From the Upper Trailhead at 4600 feet to the summit at over 7000 feet, there is about 2400 feet of elevation gain in 3.1 miles.

There were some large trees.

The views started to open up.

There were fall colors beside the trail.

I reached some beautiful meadows with awesome views.

I came to a trail junction with the Boundary Trail which would be a great trail to backpack sometime. I turned left.

Panorama from Grayback Meadows

The route to the summit is 0.7 miles off-trail.

It was steep.

There was a distant view as I reached the summit ridge.

The clouds came in and the views decreased.

I found a summit survey marker.

Grayback Mountain Summit

I hoped the clouds would move so I could see the views.

There was a glimpse of blue sky through the clouds.

Panorama from Grayback Mountain summit

I found the summit register box and was one of the first people to sign in in a while.

As I began the descent, the clouds began to move.

Such beautiful scenery!

I could see a rainbow down below.

I was careful to return the right way to the trail.

Grayback Meadows

I didn't have time to stop at a historic cabin on the trail on the way back.  The descent was quicker and soon I was back on the road.

This is definitely another of my favorite hikes in Southern Oregon. Hopefully sometime I will be able to return and see the views on a clearer day, but this was still an awesome hike even with the clouds at the summit. There are many opportunities for backpacking in this are area with connections to the Boundary Trail and Oregon Caves.