What%26#39;s the best way to get from Gold beach to Shady Cove near Medford? I%26#39;ve mapquested it and it says to go all the way down 101 into California and then double back on 199 to 5. That seems awfully far out of the way.
I%26#39;m looking at this route: Turn LEFT onto US-101/ OREGON COAST HWY. 0.4 mi
3: Turn LEFT onto CR-595/ JERRYS FLAT RD. 9.8 mi
4: CR-595/ JERRYS FLAT RD becomes NF-33/ AGNESS RD. 18.9 mi
5: Turn RIGHT onto NF-23 (Portions may be closed seasonally). 24.3 mi
6: NF-23 becomes BLM-34-8-36 (Portions may be closed seasonally). 12.3 mi
7: Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto GALICE RD. 11.4 mi
8: Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto MERLIN RD. 3.3 mi
9: Turn RIGHT onto MONUMENT DR. 0.3 mi
10: Merge onto I-5 S.
This takes us through the Siskiyou National Forest and over what appears to be a lot of rather treacherous mountain roads...what do you all think?
Which way is better?
Drive from Gold Beach to Shady Cove -- best route?
In our effort to keep our friends alive we are constantly warning people about taking the route you are suggesting. The reason you should take the #199 route is because it is safe. The route you outlined is, first of all, not even open during the winter. The forest and BLM roads are for 4-wheel drive vehicles in the best of times.
Check this recent thread on the subject:
tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g51887-i1610-k2747鈥?/a>
If this link doesn%26#39;t work, cut and paste or search for postings by ';Skit';
Drive from Gold Beach to Shady Cove -- best route?
If you asked a Gold Beach local, s/he would likely advise the same route as Mapquest. It is a bit out of the way, but probably less than a half hour. And it%26#39;s a whole lot more safe.
%26gt;%26gt;This takes us through the Siskiyou National Forest and over what appears to be a lot of rather treacherous mountain roads...%26lt;%26lt;
Thankfully, you have asked ahead of time! You are right, that is a miserable, partly gravel road. No services, no cell phone, few road signs. Very long and *slow*.
Quite frankly, I am amazed that mapquest or google or whichever ones recommend that route have not been sued for zillions of dollars!
Take Hwy 101 south (40 minutes), use the cutoff over to Hwy 199, then it%26#39;s less than two hours to Grants Pass and maybe 20 minutes to Shady Cove.
In this instance, half-Brit, Mapquest gave him the #199 route, not the forest road. lonestarali is the one wondering why he got such a recommendation.
Hopefully, now he knows.
This keeps coming up. I have driven or been on route described through Siskiyou NF several times, better knowbn as Bear Camp Rd. I would drive it again, but then I grew up near Oregon forests and worked for Forest Service for 30 plus years. that road is good for me, but if you have lived your life in/near LA, forget that route.
Some time ago a guy from Montana asked that question. he owned 4wheelers, drove mountain roads in Montana. I told him he should be ok on that road. but for sure not a flatlander road.
If I had the right vehicle, proper equipment and clothing, extra food/water and lots of time, I%26#39;d probably enjoy driving the road...stopping often to take in the environment. (After the snow is gone, of course, and the weather is bacl to ';normal.';) That would be fun for me, especially if I had along one or two like minded friends.
Just to get from point A to point B and thinking it%26#39;s a quicker route than 199...uh, uh. That%26#39;s just asking for trouble to happen. If you%26#39;re not prepared to safely spend the night while search teams look for you...you shouldn%26#39;t be venturing alone into our mountains.
We drive a *lot* of gravel roads. We take either our big 4x4 truck or small 4x4 SUV. Both vehicles always have an assortment of jackets, blankets, water bottles, granola bars (probably stale!), fire extinguisher, flashlights. We have Forest Service maps and cell phones, which of course might not work. We leave civilization with a full tank of fuel in the morning.
We have yet to have any trouble, short of a flat tire on the little car once. We did get lost once, but came out okay. We only do this late spring, summer and fall, not winter.
We have driven Bear Camp Rd; the last time was about 5-6 years ago I think.
Unfortunately the Forest Service (sorry phirl!) has been systematically closing roads in some areas, and is also renumbering roads. The closing roads bother us. In the event of a big forest fire, equipment could not get in to fight it with no roads.
WOW. I am SO glad I asked! It seemed a little sketchy but I had no idea it would be so bad. We%26#39;ll definitely take the other route.
Thank you all so much for your advice!
PS - Mapquest didn%26#39;t recommend that Siskiyou route first - it recommended the other way. I could just see that there was another route that appeared to be more direct so I mapped it out. Clearly it%26#39;s not. Thanks!
Oh, and one more question - you all keep saying, ';winter'; - we%26#39;re going next week. Does winter last until May in Oregon?
Still looking forward to our drive down the coast and over to Shady Cove.
Staying warm in Nevada...
lonestarali
%26gt;%26gt;Does winter last until May in Oregon?%26lt;%26lt;
Yes.
In some parts it lasts until mid June . . . Crater Lake still has some snow in July . . .
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