Holly's Horse Tales and Trails: Pederson Sno Park, Rye Spur Horse Camp and Great Meadow Sno Park, Oregon

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Pederson Sno Park, Rye Spur Horse Camp and Great Meadow Sno Park, Oregon

October usually has at least one week of good weather, which makes it easy to fit in a final camping trip for the season, so I decided to do a few rides in Southern Oregon, between Medford and Klamath Falls.

Rye Spur Horse Camp

Sadly, I started having a flare up of an injury I sustained back in July, so the rides were not as long as I normally do, or as enjoyable. But I started at Pederson Sno Park on Dead Indian Memorial Road, which is a PCT trailhead. Unlike a lot of sno parks this one is quite small, parking could be tight in the summer, but it was empty while I was there. It had become drizzly and misty, so the ride south along the PCT was a little chilly. Most of this section is forested anyway, but there was one open area where I had a brief view through the fog.

On the PCT from Pederson Sno Park.

A foggy, drizzly day on the PCT.

A brief view through the fog, on the PCT.

After the ride I drove over to Fourmile Lake Road and found Rye Spur Horse Camp. There is a trailhead just off of Highway 140 with the same name, but the horse camp is on a spur road about 3.5 miles up Fourmile Lake Road. There is no signage for the camp at all, until you actually get to it, and although I had the number of the spur road, it also had no signage, so I sincerely hoped I was going the right way. Once there, it opens right up into a rock quarry type of area, complete with a pond. There is a bathroom and a set of three steel corrals, but otherwise you can just camp anywhere in the large gravel lot. There is one picnic table near the pond, some home made fire rings, cell service that comes and goes, no manure bin, and it is free to camp.

The only sign is right by the camp.

Rye Spur Horse Camp.

No one else was there, I was wondering if hunters might use it, but apparently not, and the weather cleared right up for the next couple of days.

The following day I rode the Rye Spur Trail that leaves from camp. I knew it headed back down to the highway, but I found out it can be done as a loop. Not too far along, there is a nice viewpoint all way over to Klamath Lake.

Looking down onto Klamath Lake from the Rye Spur Trail.

On the Rye Spur Trail.

A great viewpoint over to Klamath Lake.

I rode to the trailhead at the highway first, then I doubled back and did the South Ridge Trail back to camp. For a lengthy stretch, this trail turns into a road, and from there I got some nice views of nearby Mt. McLaughlin.

The junction with the South Ridge Trail.

On the South Ridge Trail.

The South Ridge Trail becomes a road for awhile.

Mt. McLoughlin views.

The obvious other ride to do from this camp is over to Fourmile Lake, but because I had camped previously at Fourmile Lake Horse Camp in 2015, I did not go over there on this trip. To read about my previous trip, click here: Fourmile. Had I been feeling better I might have done it anyway, but instead, after my second night, I drove back down to Highway 140 and stopped in at Great Meadow Sno Park for my final ride.

Great Meadow.

I knew I could go up into the Mountain Lakes Wilderness from there, but since I have already ridden into that area in the past, I started following the High Lakes Trail, that skirts the meadow.

After awhile I started passing some campgrounds, that were closed for the season, and eventually made it over to Lake of the Woods. I was somewhat surprised that horses would be allowed on this trail, just because this can be a very busy spot in the summer. After riding for about two hours I got to the Brown Mt. Trailhead and suddenly there was a sign from that point on, saying no horses allowed.... AND also pointing back the way I had just come....there is no way to know this as you leave the sno park. I even passed a Lake of the Woods employee, who said nothing to me. Being a very quiet October weekday, I'm guessing nobody cared.