Every August, about 200 runners from across the country scramble up 13 miles of watershed trails from Lithia Park to the top of Southern Oregon’s 7,500-foot Mount Ashland. It takes only two or three hours, compared with two days by mule and horseback in the early days.
The official Mt. Ashland Hillclimb [cq] Run began in 2002, but it has been an informal event in the local running community since the 1970s. This year’s run will be on Aug. 9.
One hundred years ago, the climb by mule or horseback followed Ashland Creek from what is today Reeder Reservoir up steep switchbacks to the “Rabbit Ears” formation. They often camped midway near the east fork of Ashland Creek. What was then known as the Mount Ashland Trail is called the “Time Warp” today.
Organizers say the Mount Ashland run has an elevation gain of more than 5,600 feet, second only to the Pikes Peak Ascent in Colorado.
All of the proceeds from the race go to the Ashland Watershed Trails Association, a local volunteer group that maintains new and historic trails in the watershed.
