Collings Mountain Trail Hiking - Bigfoot Trap
Afterward, check out our page Largest Coast Redwoods & Tallest. The image below, is the only Bigfoot trap of it's kind in the United States.
Dimensions of the Bigfoot trap - The sides were constructed of heavy 2" x 12" lumber. The gate is welded steel. The latch mechanism has been disabled. Measurements below from February 25, 2007 by Mario Vaden, Oregon Arborist.
Height |
Width |
Length |
Gate Height |
Gate Width |
Posts |
8' - 4" |
9' - 8" |
10' |
7' |
3' - 6" |
6" |
Most of what you see in this image remains as original. It has been disabled - no longer functional for trapping. This trap is almost in view of the old miner's cabin.
#943 Trailhead GPS
N 42° 03.073'
W 123° 07.903'Bigfoot trap GPS
N 42° 03.394'
W 123° 08.234'Collings Mountain Trail is near Jacksonville and Medford in Southern Oregon, just a few miles from the Oregon and California border. This is in the Rogue River National Forest. The lake scenery and local mountains provide a nice adventure hiking tour when you couple this trail with local places of interest.
Click one of these for visual:
42°03'23.65"N,123°08'14.03"WCollings Mountain trail views the Siskiyou Crest, Applegate Lake, a large Bigfoot trap and some mine adits. The trail was named for 2 brothers who mined near there in the 1850’s and 1860’s. There is an old collapsed cabin by the main trail. Don't confuse it with the Bigfoot trap, which is almost within sight of it. Look up on the hillside. Disabled, the gate won't shut now. Check Youtube for mdvaden Bigfoot Trap video, to see if it is still posted there.
A couple of photos are in the Southern Oregon or Rogue River National Forest photos linked from the bottom of the page. The Bigfoot trap was built in 1974 with a special use permit. About 2005, a large falling pine just missed crushing it. The Sasquatch trap with fort-like strength never caught a Bigfoot, but has caught curiosity hikers. A great appeal of this trail and others nearby, is exceptional solitude. If you just want to use the trail to see the trap, but desire a longer hike, consider Butte Fork trail nearby in Red Buttes Wilderness.
Directions: west of Jacksonville, Oregon, turn off Hy. 238 onto Upper Applegate Rd. and proceed to Applegate Lake. As you drive by the lake, look for the Collings Mountain trail sign on your right. Or park in the park.
From the roadside, the trail drops to Grouse Creek. Soon after, is a collapsed cabin and the Bigfoot trap about 3/4 mile in. The Bigfoot trap is a few hundred feet up an offshoot path. Next, this trail climbs 1000' steeply for one mile to a ridge and follows the west slope of Collings Mountain. There are several old mine adits along the way. Excellent views of Applegate Lake and the Siskiyou Crest. This is an okay trail, but I like others better. I generally walk to the trap for a short hike on this one.
If you don't know what poison-oak looks like, visit my page: Poison Oak. There are photos and tips for winter identification too. This will be a good hike if you plan to be in southern Oregon. Unless you have the itch to see the Bigfoot trap (the excitement is short lived), this trail alone is not worth a drive all the way across the state.
A few photos of the Oregon area
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