Rough and Ready Botanical Wayside
Day use only, sunrise to sunset, no fee (Bureau of Land Management, checked November 2026).
A free BLM stop on US 199 with a flat 0.3-mile trail through serpentine plants to a creek overlook. It has picnic tables and a portable toilet but no water.
- Address: US 199, about 4.5 miles south of Cave Junction (west side)
- Phone: (541) 618-2200
- Website: blm.gov/visit/rough-and-ready-botanical-wayside
- Area: O'Brien
From our Lakes and Mountains page
Rough and Ready Botanical Wayside shows you serpentine plants without a long drive. It's about 4.5 miles south of Cave Junction on the west side of US 199, on the way to O'Brien. A flat 0.3-mile trail runs from a picnic shelter, past signs about the plants and rocks, to an overlook of Rough and Ready Creek. There's an accessible picnic table and a portable toilet, but no water. Entry is free, from sunrise to sunset.
The Illinois Valley Garden Club began working to protect this flat in 1937. In 1994, the Bureau of Land Management set aside 1,164 acres around the creek as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern. Many rare plants here grow only on the serpentine soils of the Siskiyous, so stay on the trail.
Read the whole Lakes and Mountains page.
Nearby
- Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum, 0.6 miles away in a straight line
- O'Brien Country Store, 2.2 miles away in a straight line
- Waldo Cemetery (old Waldo townsite), 3.2 miles away in a straight line
- Great Cats World Park, 3.4 miles away in a straight line
- Fort Briggs historical marker, 4.5 miles away in a straight line
Every place in the valley is on the places page.