Mt. Bolivar - Coos Co. High Point

Oregon County HP: #16
Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️ (on a scale of 5)
Summit Elevation: 4,319 feet
Mountain Range: Klamath Mountains
Ancestral Lands: Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Cow Creek Umpqua, Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, and Confederated Tribes of the Siletz

PLANNING DETAILS

Location: Mt. Bolivar is located in Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest approximately 55 miles northwest of Grants Pass, Oregon. The closest small town with limited services is Glendale, Oregon.

When to Visit: Early summer to fall. Visiting Mt. Bolivar requires a long drive down forest roads in the Rogue Wilderness. These access roads are remote and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) may close gates to them when it unsafe to travel on them (e.g., during inclement weather, wildfires, rockslides).

Fees/Permits Required: None. However, this trail is located in the Wild Rogue Wilderness and is open to foot travel only.

Getting There: The Mt. Bolivar trailhead is most easily accessed from the east (near Glendale, OR) using Dutch Henry Road and NF-32-9-3.

Directions from Grants Pass:

Drive north on Interstate-5 to exit 80 (Glendale), and then head west on Glendale Valley Road for 2.4 miles.
Just before entering downtown Glendale, turn right on Azalea-Glen Rd and drive north for 0.2 miles.
Turn left onto Rueben Road and drive west for 12 miles (this road will automatically change names to Cow Creek Road after 4.5 miles).
Make a slight left onto Dutch Henry Road and continue driving west for 14 miles on Dutch Henry Road which becomes Kelsey Mule Road.
At the junction with Lower Mule Road, veer to the right onto BLM Road 32-9-3 and drive west for another 7 miles to the Mt. Bolivar Trailhead. A BLM sign for Mt. Bolivar sits at the entrance to the small parking area.

Directions from the Oregon Coast:

Head inland to the town of Powers, Oregon, then drive south on County Highway 219 toward Agness. This paved road will eventually become NF-33.
Approximately 16 miles south of Powers, you will reach Island Campground. Continue south on NF-33 another 0.7 miles past the campground until you reach the road junction with NF-3348.
Turn left onto NF-3348 (toward Eden Valley) and drive east on this narrow, paved road for 18.5 miles.
Veer to the right onto BLM Road 32-9-3 and continue uphill for 1 mile until you reach the Mt. Bolivar Trailhead. A BLM sign for Mt. Bolivar sits at the entrance to the small parking area.

Parking: A dirt parking area is co-located with the trailhead with room for 3-4 cars. However, there are no services at this trailhead (no toilets, potable water, or trash cans).

Pets Allowed: Yes.

Kid Friendly: This trail is best suited for children age 10 or older due to the length of the trail and its steeper grade.

Hiking Distance: 2.8 miles round-trip

The Summit: At the summit, visitors will find four concrete footings from the old fire lookout that previously stood on this peak from 1928 and 1958. One of these blocks is now covered with a bronze plaque with a quote from Simon Bolivar that was gifted from the country of Venezuela to the state of Oregon in 1984. A three-foot tall rock pile also sits near the center the summit with a jar containing a small summit register.

TRIP SUMMARY

Date Visited: June 12, 2024

Route Used: Mt. Bolivar Trail – 2.8 miles (round-trip)

Yesterday’s visit to Brandy Peak was only 13 miles directly to the south of Mt. Bolivar, but it would take us several hours of slow driving on forest roads to get between the two peaks. Consequently, my niece and I decided to break up our highpointing trip into two days and spend the night closest public campground near Mt. Bolivar so we could get an early start on the peak today.

The Eden Valley Campground, in the quiet of the Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest was her first camping experience, and this was about as rustic as it gets for car camping. No water. A vault toilet. And no other campers other than us.

It’s close proximity to Mt. Bolivar did, however, allow us to make quick time to the trailhead this morning. And it wasn’t a big surprise to see that we were the only ones there on this gray and overcast morning. It was a bit disappointing that the clouds had rolled in after such a clear, blue day yesterday. It was windier today too, and the low clouds had me even worried about a bit of rain.

On the positive side, the Mt. Bolivar Trail was much easier to find than the Brandy Peak Trail had been. There was an actual trailhead here. With signs and a dedicated parking area even. What an upgrade from yesterday’s high point.

The trail itself was definitely more defined too, leading us west into the forest at an almost flat angle before heading uphill into the clouds. It had clearly seen much more activity than yesterday’s adventure on the opposite side of the Rogue River.

As we started hiking toward Mt. Bolivar, the trail led us between shoulder-high Coast Rhodies. We’d seen lots of them during the short drive between the campground and trailhead, but now got a nice close-up of their soft pink blooms. A shroud of white clouds still clung to the forest, and I was certain we wouldn’t have any good views from the summit like we had yesterday.

The hike itself was moderately steep, gaining 1,400 feet of elevation over the next 1.4 miles, but it didn’t do so in equal or proportional amounts. The first mile took us up long switchbacks on the east side of Mt. Bolivar past a burn area.

Through the burn area and into the clouds

And then, once we made it roughly 500 feet in elevation above the trailhead, we suddenly found ourselves emerging from the clouds. With each switchback, more blue skies seemed to greet us, while tall stalks of white blooming beargrass lined the trail.

One mile in our hike, the trail curved around to the north side of Mt. Bolivar, sending us away from the blue skies and into the shade of tall trees. But this shift to the far side of the mountain also provided us with a reprieve from the climbing. The trail leveled out for the next quarter-mile allowing us to catch our breath as we meandered along at 4,000 feet elevation.

During this short stretch of easy hiking, the trail took us around the peak’s northern side until we could see the rocky outline of the Mt. Bolivar’s summit above us. The sun now seemed to be shining directly overhead, and it was about as opposite of a hike as I could have imagined from our start.

As we began the final ascent above the trees, small vibrant wildflowers dotted the hillside, including cat’s ear with its fuzzy petals and the candy-cane striped looking Siskiyou lewisia.

This last 0.2 miles of trail was the steepest part yet. The soil underfoot was looser and rockier. Yet we were close enough to the summit that it didn’t seemed to matter. In a matter of minutes, we’d crest the rounded hilltop and take in what we’d come here to see – the top of Coos County!

In the center of Mt. Bolivar’s summit I spotted a three-foot tall rock pile with a small summit register tucked into a jar near its base.

Safety tucked at the base of the rock pile

Meanwhile, four concrete blocks with metal protruding from them stood at the corners of the peak. There had clearly been a tower secured here once upon a time. But now, all that remained were the rudimentary bits of its base that were still resting on the mountain.

On one of these concrete blocks had a bronze plaque with a quote from Simon Bolivar now affixed to it. A fitting spot for words from this 19th century soldier and statesmen. And despite my earlier prediction about the weather, we actually had clear blue skies and views for miles and miles from the summit.

After a few photos, we set off back down the mountain once again. It seemed like a completely different hike on our return, with fewer gloomy clouds remaining as the wind pushed them out. I spotted some movement on the descent that turned out to be a small lizard scurrying across the trail.

Before long, we were dropping in elevation so quickly that I almost forgot to turn around and look behind me. The views of Mt. Bolivar that evaded us on the ascent were now on full display, and I was able to capture a fair shot of the mountain from its eastern side.

All told, this was actually a lovely county high point. The hike required some effort, but the wildflowers were fantastic in mid-June. The weather worked in our favor, with a cool start and a warm mid-morning finish. And the views were top-notch!

I now have my 16th Oregon CoHP under my belt, and the highpointing season in Oregon seems to be finally open for 2024. My current objective for this year is to: (a) hike county high points all four corners of Oregon of the state, and (b) increase my completion list by 10 counties. I seemed to be on track to make that happen too:

Last month, I’d drove all the way up to the NORTHWEST corner of the state to nab Saddle Mountain and Long Mountain.
This week, I traveled down to the SOUTHWEST corner of Oregon to get Brandy Peak and Mt. Bolivar.
Once the snow melts out in July, I’m hoping to get over to the far SOUTHEAST corner of the state to see Steens Mountain .
And if my plans hold, I’ll head out to the far NORTHEAST corner of the state at the end of summer to the backpack a loop in the Wallowas and bag the three CoHPs out there (Sacajawea Peak, Eagle Cap, and Red Mountain).

Looking forward to lots more highpointing in Oregon

BONUS MATERIAL

Camping Nearby:

Eden Valley Campground is a rustic USFS campground located 5.5 miles west of the Mt. Bolivar Trailhead on NF-3348. This campground offers 11 campsites on a first-come, first-serve basis. Each campsite has a fire ring and picnic table, and the campground has 2 vault toilets. There is no drinking water or trash available. Cost: Free.
Skull Creek Campground is a small BLM campground located 11 miles west of Glendale, OR . This rustic campground offers 5 campsites on a first-come, first-serve basis. Each campsite has a fire ring and picnic table. There is also one vault toilet and bear-proof trash cans, but no drinking water. Cost: Free

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