Lake Creek to Butte Falls and Back, the Hard Way

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Lake Creek, OR, US

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Route Overview

5&9 Crazy Mofos

Unpaved route R&D in Southern Oregon and beyond

52 mi.

6,253 ft.

An extended gravel tour in the Big Butte Creek watershed, this route has it all: mountain views, dry creekbeds, plenty of forest, all kinds of gravel, and even a long paved descent at the end.

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Route Details

This route is based on a ride we hosted in 2016, titled the Summer Swing. Fourteen brave souls came out, endured 90-degree temperatures, and explored some of the timberlands between Highway 140 and Butte Falls in the Big Butte Creek watershed in frequent site of nearby @photo[Mount Mcloughlin](3375504). The climbs are long and tough, the gravel is downright punishing at times, but the views and the final long (paved!) descent make it all worthwhile.

The stats on this ride may not look significant, but it is a challenging route with a variety of surfaces, little cell service, and occasionally limited vehicle access. Please make sure you bring spares, tools, adequate food and water, and anything else you might need to adequately self-support.

The watershed features a lot of logging roads of various qualities. All are open year-round to nonmotorized use. Be aware that many roads are not marked on maps, and it may be easy to get lost out there without proper navigational wherewithal.

# Getting there
From Medford, take Crater Lake Highway north to White City. Turn right on Highway 140 and continue until you see the little sign for Lake Creek Road on the right. Turn, proceed a mile or two, and find yourself in one of the region's smaller historical towns, complete with a @photo[bucolic creek](3375562).  The route @point[starts and ends](d,23.83) at the now-closed Lake Creek general store (a shame; they used to have amazing milkshakes), but you can also park at the Pioneer Hall on the other side of the bridge.

## Pavement: the easy part
From Lake Creek, you'll ride back out to Highway 140, and have @slice[an easy spin along the wide-shouldered road](d,2878.81,9132.69) before turning right onto the first gravel of the day: @slice[Obenchain Road](d,9244.88,12048.63). Now the fun begins!

## 1. Obenchain Road to Butte Falls Rail Grade

Obenchain takes you up a @photo[few gentle ascents](3375395) before forking into two smaller roads. Take the left fork to continue through an unlocked ODFW gate onto BLM land. From here, the road turns into a @photo[rough doubletrack](3375397). Watch for sharp rocks. After an interval, the path further devolves into an @photo[old creekbed](3375398). Hike-a-bike is almost totally necessary here, but the going is quick.

Pretty soon, you're back on @photo[rough doubletrack ascending a ridge](3375400). The path will continue to improve before eventually emerging onto the north side of Obenchain Road, which is a mixture of pavement and hardpacked gravel. Continuing north on the road brings a few rollers and a final descent, leading to a right turn onto an @photo[old rail grade road](3375401) labeled Butte Falls Road.

## 2. Butte Falls Rail Grade to First Climb

Proceed on the @slice[rail grade](d,24482.2,26978.65), enjoying the fast, straight lines and chunky but packed gravel it offers. The road eventually comes to a fairly obvious intersection, where you'll make a right turn to begin the @slice[first main climb of the day](d,26978.65,33494.68). Proceeding up the @photo[road](3375402), you'll travel good gravel and pass in and out of various swaths of forest and clearcut, before wrapping around the side of the mountain and arriving at the @photo[final stretch](3375501) where some @photo[nice views](3375492) can be found. A bit further up and you've reached the @photo[top of the climb](3375500) while the road wraps counterclockwise around the mountain.

## 3. Rolling Along

Continue on the road as it descends, then climbs back up a bit. The gravel gives way to rutty dirt in a @point[few spots](d,34146.19) here. More @photo[nice](3375497) @photo[views](3375498) along here, and there's a @photo[stock pond](3375499) for picnic stops and photo ops. You'll eventually begin a longer descent down the other side of the ridge you just wrapped around, which will lead you to **two possible bail-out options**: @point[here](d,37427.81) and @point[here](d,38458.11). Either of those turnoffs will take you to the paved descent of Salt Creek Road and back to the start. But, you'll miss some fun stuff if you do that!

## 4. Along the Ridge

A left turn onto @point[Gepper Butte Road](d,37430.12) leads quickly to a sharp left onto @point[35-2E-13](d,38482.58). This @slice[stretch of the route](d,38481.69,48493.04) features some moderate ascents and descents, more @photo[nice views](3375502) and will take you further clockwise toward the @photo[east side](3375503) of the ridge.

## 5. Two Options

Following the route southbound, you'll reach a fork in the road. You can continue left, as outlined on the route, and go along a @photo[decommissioned road](3375505) which is in reasonably good shape (as of this writing), or take a right turn and make your way up to the same spot with a slightly better road. Either way is fine, but keep in mind that most maps do not show **any** roads on this particular section of land, so proceed with common sense and caution if you choose to go off-route.

Also important, route-modification-wise: the road lines show a possible shortcut via 35-3E-31.1 to 35-3E-29.0, and while it's possible, those roads have been out of commission for a long time and you'll have a lot of hike-a-biking to do.

Either way, you'll find yourself on a @slice[long descent](d,50020.21,55027.09), with a right turn onto Bowen Creek Road.

## 6. The Final Climb and Descent

The @slice[last big climb of the day](d,55031.24,63410) takes you up a moderately-forested, east-facing mountainside with @photo[nice gravel](3375557) and @photo[more](3375558) @photo[vistas](3375504) of Mount Mcloughlin and Willow Lake. Near the top, the road thins to a wide, hardpacked @photo[doubletrack](3375506). You'll encounter several unmarked intersections; continue on the main road, which should be obvious in all cases. Once reaching the top, you'll descend a bit to arrive on @photo[Salt Creek Road](3375510), which is part of the day's reward: a long, paved descent that is reasonably smooth. Watch for potholes and cracks but enjoy it.

Near Highway 140, the road turns back into gravel, oddly enough. After emerging onto the highway, cross over to the nearly-adjacent Lake Creek Road turnoff and head back to bustling downtown Lake Creek.

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Lake Creek to Butte Falls and Back, the Hard Way

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