Bigfoot Trap Collins Mountain Trail Oregon

Collins Mountain Trail is located in the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest about 27 miles southwest of Medford Oregon near the California border. The Lake was created in the 1980s with a damn built along the Applegate River. The lake is named after Lindsay Applegate, a pioneer who played a crucial role in the Oregon Trail’s development, making it a historically significant site.

There is a scenic viewpoint along Applegate Road that overlooks the lake. If you spend some time here you will probably see bald eagles in the distance, so I recommend bringing your binoculars. There is also a parking area near the damn, and you can get out and walk the lake and damn viewing area and get a great look at the lake.

The lake has various opportunities available for visitors to explore, including mountain biking, road biking, motorized boating, stand-up paddleboarding, canoeing, fishing, and hiking the various trails near the lake. Applegate Lake is home to numerous birds and other wildlife species, amazing fisheries, and a wide variety of diverse plant life for those seeking spring and early-summer wildflower viewing. There are also large populations of trout, landlocked Chinook salmon, smallmouth and largemouth bass, and crappie. It is stocked each year with approximately 120,000 rainbow trout and 50,000 young Chinook.

Not too far from Applegate Damn is the Collins Mountain Trail. You can park at the Hart-tish Park parking lot and hike from here. The trail is open all year but the services in the area are not. During the winter months, everything is closed and there are no parking signs all over the area so there is no place to park. I ran into this situation when I arrived at Hart-tish Park.

Because I wanted to hike the Collins Mountain Trail to see the Bigfoot Trap, I went to the local Forest Service (Ranger) Station to get permission to park near the gate to enter Hart-tish Park. Permission was granted. Back into the Jeep and back to the trail.

This trail features views of the Siskiyou Crest and Applegate Lake and passes an inactive Bigfoot Trap and several mine tunnels. The trail is named for two brothers who mined in this vicinity during the 1850s and 1860s. It is about 7.5 miles out and back and takes about 4 hours to complete. I didn't do the entire trail because I was here to see the Bigfoot Trap.

In 1974, a serious-sounding organization called the North American Wildlife Research Team responded to a miner’s report of 18-inch human-like footprints near Grouse Creek by building a substantial trap designed to lure in Bigfoot. The trap was baited for six years but only caught a couple of hungry bears. By 1980, with the completion of the Applegate Dam and the formation of Applegate Lake, the area was no longer remote, and the project was abandoned.

The Forest Service repaired the trap in 2006, but it’s not the only attraction on this loop. Up Grouse Creek, you’ll also pass a miner’s tunnel.

The trail descends to a junction, and you will hike up a couple of switchbacks to cross Grouse Creek, which may only be a trickle depending on the time of the year you hike here. Note there is poison oak everywhere along the trail so stay on the trail. During early spring there are reports of snakes and insects including ticks. After crossing a small creek, you’ll come to an unmarked junction. Take the left trail to head up a short distance to the Bigfoot Trap, passing the pile of timbers that was once the caretaker’s cabin. The Bigfoot trap is about a 3/4 of a mile hike to get there.

The restored Bigfoot Trap is an impressively solid structure, framed by telephone poles and solidly planked. It’s about 10 feet by 10 feet square and 8 ½ feet high. A heavy metal door, seven feet tall, is locked partially open and attached to the bait cable. Unfortunately, the trap is also covered in graffiti along with the carved and painted signatures of those visitors just seeking to destroy something.

During the summer months, this is a well-traveled trail. You can encounter hikers, mountain bikers, or even horses. If you are going to the Bigfoot Trap and no further, then this is a family-friendly hike. After the Bigfoot Trap, the trail ascends steadily for two miles and may be too steep for the little ones. Dogs are welcome but MUST be on a leash. Please obey this so the horses don't get spooked and cause problems that can be avoided.

It is best to carry water on this trip. Also beware of the potential hazards I mentioned earlier including, poison oak, ticks, and snakes. 

To Get Here:

From Jacksonville, OR travel south 6.5 miles on Highway 238 to Ruch, OR, and turn left onto Upper Applegate Road (County Road 859). Continue 16 miles to Hart-tish Park which is about 0.5 miles past the south dam. Hart-tish park will be on your left and there are plenty of signs to show you where to park.