The Applegate Lake area, located south of Medford, Oregon, ought to be a wonderful place to ride. It offers scenic views, beautiful wildflowers, artifacts from historic mining activity, and – no kidding – a Bigfoot trap.
However, the horseback riding at Applegate Lake isn’t for everyone. The terrain is steep, the trails traverse many steep side slopes, and the trails are shared with mountain bikes and/or motorcycles.
If decide to give the challenging trails at Applegate Lake a try, April definitely is the time to go. The lake (a reservoir built by the Corps of Engineers) is full, the wildflowers are blooming, and until the end of April, horses are allowed on the Da-Ku-Be-Te-De Trail, one leg of an interesting loop ride along the lake and over Collings Mountain.
The Riding
The 3.5-mile (one way) Da-Ku-Be-Te-De Trail (pronounced dah-coo-beh-TEE-dee) runs along the shore of Applegate Lake. Open to horses only from November through the end of April, the trail is popular with mountain bike riders, so keep an eye out. The trail offers good views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. The Da-Ku-Be-Te-De Trail connects with the Collings Mountain Trail, so when the trail is open to horses, you can ride a 10.4-mile loop that includes both trails.
The 6.9-mile (one-way) Collings Mountain Trail runs – you guessed it — across the top of Collings Mountain. Along the way, you’ll have great views of Applegate Lake below you, and you’ll see several prospectors’ adits, short tunnels used to check for ore, dug into the hillside. This trail gains 1,500 feet of elevation and is shared with mountain bikes.
The 10.5-mile Stein Butte Loop takes you to the summit of its namesake butte, with a short spur trail to an old lookout site with panoramic mountain views. Along the trail, you’ll see evidence of mining activity dating back to the gold rush days. This loop gains 2,400 feet of elevation, features steep side slopes, and is shared with motorcycles and mountain bikes.
The Camping
The horse camping situation at Applegate Lake is just plain weird. Equestrians are allowed to camp at Stringtown Trailhead, a level parking area with no toilet, no picnic tables, no fire rings, no corrals, no water, and no horse trails! The Payette Trail runs past this trailhead, but it is only open to bikes and hikers. Equestrians must haul their horses to the trailheads at Watkins Campground, Hart-tish Park, and Seattle Bar to reach the equestrian trails.
More Information
The riding at Applegate Lake is described in Riding Southern Oregon Horse Trails, by Kim McCarrel, available at NWHorseTrails.com.
