Rogue Valley Mini Adventure: Hike B Street & SUP Lake Selmac
This past weekend in Grants Pass, OR was foggy, cold, and gray. The whole valley was socked in and it was tempting to snuggle in by our fireplace and spend the whole weekend watching movies, reading, and drinking tea. But we know better- we appreciate relaxing so much more after we work for it, and the fireplace feels exponentially more special when we stumble in the front door after freezing our butts off for a while. To get active and earn our time by the fireplace, we planned two mini adventures for ourselves- one on Saturday and one on Sunday.
Whether you live in southern Oregon or are driving through on I-5, these two activities are doable in a small amount of time. So, you'll still have time to do the grocery shopping, the laundry and other "life stuff" you need to get done on the weekends, while also giving your legs a stretch!
Saturday's Mini-Adventure: Hike the "B Street Trail" in Grants Pass, OR
This hike is a classic Grants Pass walk in the woods. The trailhead is actually on NW Crescent Drive. There is enough parking for about six cars. Check out this map to view the trailhead location and parking. The trail is obvious, but there is no signage marking the trail. The trail meanders up to the top of Dollar Mountain for about a mile. It's a steep trail and provides fantastic views of the Rogue Valley (when it's not foggy, of course). It's a quick and easy way to work your legs and get some time outside! Check out this article and this blog post for more information about this hike.
Sunday's Mini-Adventure: Stand up Paddleboard in Lake Selmac, in Selma, OR
Lake Selmac is about a thirty minute drive from Grants Pass. It's a smaller lake with camping available year round. Check out this map to see where we parked and launched our boards. We drove to a day use fee area on the west side of the lake, managed by Josephine County Parks & Recreation, right in front of a small fishing dock. It was the perfect place to launch our boards. We paddled towards the dam and around the east side of the lake by Lake Selmac Resort. We only saw a few guys fishing and several great blue heron hunkering down in the cold. Feeling like we had the lake to ourselves, we paddled hard around the lake to get a workout in and to keep our toes from freezing off. The quiet, foggy lake and chilly temperature made for the ultimate backcountry vibe without being backcountry at all. We will definitely be trying to get in more "off-season" paddling in our lives this winter.