- Oregon County HP: #15
- Difficulty: ⭐️⭐️ (on a scale of 5)
- Summit Elevation: 5,302 feet
- Mountain Range: Klamath Mountains
- Ancestral Lands: Cayuse, Umatilla and Walla Walla, Cow Creek Umpqua, Tolowa Dee-ni, Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, and Confederated Tribes of the Siletz
PLANNING DETAILS
Location: Brandy Peak is located in Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest approximately 45 miles west of Grants Pass.
When to Visit: Summer and early fall. Brandy Peak is only accessible using the Bear Camp Coastal Route (NF-23) which parallels the Wild and Scenic Rogue River between Galice and Agness. The USFS closes this access road from November 1 to May 31 due to hazardous snow and ice.
Fees/Permits Required: None. However, this trail is located in the Wild Rogue Wilderness and is open to foot travel only.
Getting There: The trail to Brandy Peak’s summit is most easily accessed using an unmarked trailhead located 3.5 miles south of the junction of the Bear Camp Coastal Route (NF-23) and Burnt Ridge Road (NF-2308).
Directions from Grants Pass:
- Drive north on Interstate-5 toward Merlin (exit 61)
- After departing I-5, head west on Merlin Road for 14.5 miles. This road changes names to Galice Road after the first 3 miles when you pass through the town of Merlin.
- Approximately 0.3 miles before the Galice Resort, turn left onto the Bear Camp Road (NF-23) and follow the Bear Camp Coastal Route west for 20 miles. (Note: This narrow road is paved, but visitors should be alert for fast-moving trucks transporting river rafts as you navigate the curves.)
- After 20 miles on the Bear Camp Coastal Route, turn left onto NF-2308 and follow this dirt road south along Burnt Ridge.
- After approximately 3.5 miles, you will encounter a small vehicle pull-out large enough for two cars to park on the road’s right side of NF-2308. This is the start of the route to Brandy Peak.
Parking: There is no designated trailhead or parking area for this county high point. However, there is a vehicle pull-out alongside NF-2308 that gets visitors within a mile from the summit. There are no services nearby (no toilets, potable water, or trash cans).
Pets Allowed: Yes.
Kid Friendly: This trail is best for children over the age of 10. The trail is not maintained by the USFS and it can be difficult to follow in places, causing younger hikers to easily lose their way.
Hiking Distance: ~1.7 miles round-trip
The Summit: A small jar containing a small visitor log is located near the bronze plaque on the rocky summit.
TRIP SUMMARY
Date Visited: June 11, 2024
Route Used: Brandy Peak Trail – roughly 1.7 miles (round-trip)
This was my niece’s first backcountry outing since she move to Oregon this past January. So as soon as the summer weather rolled around, I felt it was time to show some of the state’s fantastic diversity. So we set out for Southern Oregon with the intention of bagging the two of the county high points along the Rogue River – Curry Co. and the Coos Co. – with an overnight camping trip in Eden Valley.
This plan meant we set out for Brandy Peak first, approaching from the east side (Grants Pass and I-5) and headed out the west side (toward Agness) before continuing up to Mt. Bolivar on the Rogue River’s north side.
The drive out to Brandy Peak was pretty straight forward and easy. We left Grants Pass after filling up on lunch and drove west toward Galice. Just before the Galice Resort, I spotted the left turn with the BLM sign pointing us west toward Bear Camp Road. The gate was open, so we turned onto the Bear Camp Coastal Route and set out toward Agness.
This paved road was curvy and narrow, so it was hard to drive much faster than 30 mph. It was even slower when you took into account the occasional need to pull aside so I could let the pickup trucks pass as they came barreling down toward me with their trailers loaded with whitewater river rafts.
I used this long drive to share a bunch of trivia about the Rogue River, including:
- Details about where the river starts in Crater Lake National Park;
- How the river got it’s name;
- A discussion about the Rogue River National Scenic Trail;
- The fact that Oregon’s only dinosaur fragments were found at the mouth of the Rogue; and
- All about the USPS postal route that still operates on the river.
Twenty miles into our drive down the Bear Camp Coastal Route, we finally made it to our turn onto NF-2308. This dirt and gravel road that ran along Burnt Ridge as it headed south toward Brandy Peak. And even though the Forest Service only opened these roads about a week and a half ago, they were honestly in great condition. The temperature at this elevation was a full 10 degrees cooler than it had been in Grants Pass, but there wasn’t even a hint of the snow lining our route!
As we drove the next 3.5 miles south, I was immensely glad I’d had the forethought to mark the trailhead and route on my Gaia app. There were zero signs directing me to my destination. And even when I arrived at the supposed “trailhead” there still wasn’t a thing indicating this where we were supposed to be. No trailhead sign. No parking area. No other visitors. Just a small two-car pull-out on the side on the single lane forest road.
Even after parking, I still wasn’t 100% sure this was where we needed to be for our short hike to the top of Curry Counrty. So I scrambled up the slope beside the dirt road in search of the trail that my map indicated should be here.
I spotted a faint track heading south and uphill. Was this it? It was wider than a game trail, and it seemed to be heading in the correct direction, so I told my niece to follow me. We’d give it a try and hope for the best.
For the next half mile, we followed this vague version of trail as it switchbacked up a slope. It was so lightly trafficked that the route would have been super easy for a novice hiker to miss one of the switchbacks or lost it in places.
It continued to climb at moderately steep rate, which meant we were definitely gaining elevation. And despite a few dead trees to find our way over, I felt fairly confident we were on the right track. After all, the rule of thumb in highpointing is, “if there’s something still above you, you probably aren’t there yet.“
After that initial half mile, the trail seemed to level out as we headed toward the saddle between an unnamed hilltop we’d been climbing up and Brandy Peak. The shade of the forest was nice on this warm afternoon, and then we reached a rocky outcropping at the saddle between the two peaks.
Our trail seemed to continue south toward Brandy Peak, but it was now blocked by overgrown bushes that were as tall as we were. We were only 0.2 miles from the summit, and the rocks to our right seemed to provide an easier and more exposed route, so I guided us in that direction.
In hindsight, I should have pushed through the bushes and followed the trail. My alternate route to the summit was not the easiest one. Yet we slowly picked our way up the ridge line certain we’d see the top of Brandy Peak at any moment.
When we finally arrived at the rocky summit, we were greeted with purple wildflowers and a bronze plaque affixed to one of the boulders. Yet it was the spectacular views of the surrounding forest and mountains that made us both break out in smiles. The sky was a sapphire blue today, and there wasn’t a single cloud blocking the 360-degree panorama.
We could clearly see Mt. McLoughlin’s white-capped peak sitting 80 miles to our east. But it was the green tree-covered rolling peaks that sat closer in that were the most stunning! They looked like crumpled green velvet down below us.
A glass jam jar with a red lid sat near the plaque with a few small rocks holding it in place. So I fished out the small notebook and pen tucked inside to add our names to the register that would record our successful journey up Brandy Peak. This was my 15th Oregon CoHP, but my teenage niece’s very first one.
I’ll admit it was really awesome to see how excited she was about this achievement. The trek up here wasn’t particularly difficult compared to some of Oregon’s other CoHPs. Yet I could see that she felt a real sense of pride in summiting this peak. What’s more, I was really please she got to experience her first high point with wildflowers and epic views – not just a long drive into a forest for a steep hike into dense clouds.
As I looked around the rocks, I felt some minor disappointment that I didn’t find any sort of geodetic survey marker up atop Brandy Peak. I always like taking a picture of my feet atop each high point, and I have dozen of photos with my feet beside the survey markers on state and county high points.
But that was not to be the case on Brandy Peak. So I climbed atop the boulder holding the bronze plaque, and I balanced myself a bit precariously while I took a photo of my feet. This would have to do. And it was still better than many of the other peaks I’d climbed with nothing at all on their summit, not even a view (I’m looking at you, Long Mountain).
As we prepared to return back to the car, I spotted our trail heading back down on the peak’s western side. Rather than backtracking across the ridge like we’d originally hiked up, I decided to give the trail another try. And it turns out, those bushes I’d detoured around 0.2 miles below the summit were barely 10-15 feet deep. I totally should have just pushed my way through on the way up and save myself some effort.
But I have no regrets. We take the journey we were meant to take, and we made it to the summit safely.
BONUS MATERIAL
Camping Nearby:
- Alameda County Park has a campground located on the Rogue River, just 3.5 miles north of Galice, OR. This public park offers 39 reservable tent sites, 1 group site, and 1 yurt right on the river. Drinking water is only available in limited quantities, and there is a vault toilet. Cost: $25/night for tent sites, $5/night for extra vehicles.
- Indian Mary Park campground is located on the Rogue River between Merlin and Galice. This popular county park is open year-round and offers 90 reservable campsites (44 with full-hook-ups), 2 yurts, 1 group site, flush toilets, showers, water, and a boat ramp. Cost: $25-40/night; $5/night for extra vehicles.
Resources:
- Highpointing Brandy Peak (Peakbagger)
- Brandy Peak (SummitPost)
- Brandy Peak Trail (AllTrails)