Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest

About Us

Photo of Rogue River from Lower Rogue Trail

CLIMATE

Climate on the Rogue River National Forest changes with elevation. Much of the precipitation comes from October to April in the form of rain at the low elevations and as snow in the higher elevations where very cold temperatures are possible. Although snow is possible in the lowest elevations, it is infrequent. Late spring, summer and early autumn tend to bring clear, sunny days with moderate temperatures.

On the Siskiyou National Forest, the Coast Range is a temperate rain forest covers the coastal area; annual rainfall ranges from 60 inches to over 100 inches at higher elevations. Annual rainfall drops to about 30 inches on the eastern edge of the Forest, near Grants Pass. Rainfall occurs mostly from October through June. The coastal climate is affected strongly by the Pacific Ocean. Temperatures near the coast seldom exceed 75 degrees in the summer and snow is rare in the winter. Inland, the ocean influence diminishes and summer temperatures frequently reach the 80s and 90s, and snowfall is common in the higher elevations in the winter.

LOCATION & DRIVING DIRECTIONS

The Rogue River National Forest area surrounds much of the Rogue Valley in southwestern Oregon. The Forest, which includes about 53,800 acres in California, is easily reached from Medford, Oregon and nearby communities along Interstate 5.

The Siskiyou National Forest area is located in the Klamath Mountains and the Coast Ranges of Southwestern Oregon, with a small segment of the Forest extending into Northwestern California. The towns of Port Orford, Gold Beach and Brookings are located to the west of the Forest, along Highway 101. Cave Junction is on Highway 199 to the coast, and Grants Pass is to the east of the Forest along Interstate 5.

CASCADE MOUNTAINS

East of Interstate 5, the Forest contains the upper reaches of the Rogue River, located along the slopes of the younger, volcanic Cascade Range. [link to map] Although the southern Cascades tend to have fairly gentle relief, several deep canyons, such as the Middle Fork of the Rogue and the South Fork of Little Butte Creek, are located in this part of the Forest. The highest point (9,495) is the top of Mount McLoughlin, one of the major volcanic cones in the Oregon Cascades. The area's extensive forest of Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine and other conifers is enlivened by occasional meadows, lakes and meandering streams.

Cascasde Mountains Photo Gallery

SISKIYOU MOUNTAINS

West of Interstate 5, the Forest includes the headwaters of the Applegate River, within the ancient and complex geology of the Siskiyou Mountains. [link to map] This is a country of narrow canyons and high, steep ridges. Elevations range from almost sea level near the coast, to 1,600 feet above sea level on the Applegate River, to 7,533 feet at the summit of Mount Ashland (the highest point in Oregon west of the Cascades). The variety of environments includes open oak woodlands, dense conifer forests, and barren, rocky ridgetops.

Siskiyou Mountains Photo Gallery

BOTANICAL RESOURCES

During his studies here in 1950, Dr. Robert Whittaker found that only the Great Smokey Mountains rival the Siskiyou Mountains in plant diversity. The old and complex geology, the global position and transverse orientation of the Siskiyou Mountain Range, which connects the Cascade and Coast Ranges, are responsible for creating this myriad of species. Geologic parent rocks range in age from 200 million years old to the recent ice-age alluviums that are about 50,000 years old. The rocks vary in composition from granitics to the metamorphosed peridotites (serpentine) that support the habitat for many of the sensitive species of plants. By contrast, much of the Cascade Range (a mere 60 million years old) is composed of relatively recent igneous rocks, and the Coastal Ranges are dominated by sedimentary rocks.

Together the varied geological substrate and the climatic extremes of the Siskiyou Mountains provide a range of niches for a rich reservoir of genetic material. There are 28 different coniferous species, 20 of which are used commercially. Of the approximately 400 sensitive plants in the region, about 100 are found in the Siskiyous. The area has been sectioned into 15 plant series that can be divided into 92 plant associations, each of which vary in potential and react to management activities differently. The Siskiyou Mountains biologically challenging to manage.