The most obvious place to visit near Ashland is Jacksonville.  It’s an old gold mining town that was preserved like a fly in amber by being bypassed by the railroad.  We spent a night in the old hotel (Jacksonville Inn) years ago.  The food was excellent then, and probably still is because the restaurant reviews are good.  There are cute shops in the town and some wineries and wine tasting rooms in the area.

River enthusiasts praise rafting trips on the Rogue River. We tried to hike the fabled Rogue River Trail one spring break.  We were going to park our car and start walking at one end and exchange car keys with friends who were supposed to start at the other end.  It’s a 40-mile hike one way and is supposed to take three to five days.  So off we went.  It rained torrents when we got to our end.  The other people had already backed out.  We checked weather reports then drove around to the other end and started out in a light rain.  Your father was stoic.  Mary was not.  Baj, the Siberian Husky seemed to be having fun.  I don’t think Sidney was having fun, but he kept a stiff upper lip.  In places where the trail was sliding into the river I had to take my backpack off and crawl through the slick mud on my hands and knees.  We spent one night on the trail in the rain then turned around and headed back. It’s best to go rafting with an outfitter.

- Grandmother Nolan

The most obvious place to visit near Ashland is Jacksonville.  It’s an old gold mining town that was preserved like a fly in amber by being bypassed by the railroad.  We spent a night in the old hotel (Jacksonville Inn) years ago.  The food was excellent then, and probably still is because the restaurant reviews are good.  There are cute shops in the town and some wineries and wine tasting rooms in the area.  Crater Lake National Park is a good choice for a fairly long day trip.  Its about 78 miles from Ashland and there are two routes so its possible to make a round trip without having to backtrack.  It seems far, but there are very few places to stay nearer Crater Lake other than campgrounds. Mount Ashland is much closer.  Apparently you can drive to the top if you don’t mind gravel roads.  It’s also said to be a good place to hike and the views are great.    River enthusiasts praise rafting trips on the Rogue River.    For visitors to Ashland who like to hike, it probably would not be raining along the trail in July, but it does get very hot in midsummer.  It’s best to go rafting with an outfitter.  We tried to hike the fabled Rogue River Trail one spring break.  We were going to park our car and start walking at one end and exchange car keys with friends who were supposed to start at the other end.  It’s a 40-mile hike one way and is supposed to take three to five days.  So off we went.  It rained torrents when we got to our end.  The other people had already backed out.  We checked weather reports then drove around to the other end and started out in a light rain.  Your father was stoic.  Mary was not.  Baj, the Siberian Husky seemed to be having fun.  I don’t think Sidney was having fun, but he kept a stiff upper lip.  In places where the trail was sliding into the river I had to take my backpack off and crawl through the slick mud on my hands and knees.  We spent one night on the trail in the rain then turned around and headed back.