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Ashland trails guidebook covers town and mountains By Tony Boom Jun 10, 2022 12:30 AM A A Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune Maria Katsantones hikes Wednesday on the Lower Red Queen Trail in the Ashland Watershed. Jamie Lusch / Mail Tribune Maria Katsantones is the author of “Hiking in Ashland.” In “Hiking in Ashland: a Comprehensive Guidebook,” author Maria Katsantones covers a much broader area than just the town. Highlighted are trails in nearby areas of the Cascades and Siskiyou mountains and information on diverse natural features that hikers will encounter along the way. “We are so fortunate. (Trail systems) are very close to town. That’s what is really special. In a moment’s time you are in a woodland setting that feels very remote,” said Katsantones. The author will give a talk and slideshow at Bloomsbury Books in Ashland at 7 p.m. Monday, June 20. She already has given a presentation at REI in Medford. While she has hiked in the Ashland area since the mid-1990s, it wasn’t until 2017 when she began gathering the data and taking the photos needed to compile the guide. “I recognized that Ashland needed a hiking trail guide book, and I took on the challenge,” said Katsantones. There was no one guide focusing on the Ashland area. Some of the information available on the internet was inaccurate, and in some cases described unauthorized trails, she said. The book is divided into five major sections by geographical areas: Ashland Watershed; Mount Ashland; Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument; Ashland parks and paths; and Siskiyou Mountain Park and Oredson-Todd Woods. In some cases, the sections include widely dispersed features, such as Emigrant Lake hikes being in the Ashland parks category. At the end of each section is a selection of color photos and maps. The photos portray flora, fauna, geological features and views that one will encounter on hikes. The maps have QR codes that can be scanned so they are available on smartphones. The 219-page volume contains 65 pages of photos and maps. Eighty hikes are described in the book, and each hike includes a box with quick data including hike length, season, use allowed, elevation range, elevation gain/loss and a rating, from easy to difficult. Hike features, directions to trailheads and a description of what a hiker will encounter, all are given in written narratives. It’s in the hike features that readers learn they will come across a massive landslide on the Wagner Butte Trail or read a description of the sound the pileated woodpecker makes. Side boxes in the book offer further detail on what hikers encounter, such as major types of conifers found in the Ashland Watershed. Hikers can use an attributes index to determine the type of hike that is appropriate. The index refers to page numbers for such things as hike rating, access allowed, ages and abilities, elevation gains, presence of poison oak and chances for exceptional birding, wildflowers and views. In recent years, Katsantones has seen an increase in trail use. The pandemic drove more people to get out into nature, she said. Completion of several trail networks by collaborations of government agencies and organizations also has increased the numbers. Katsantones worked on trail building and design with the Ashland Woodlands & Trails Association and served on its board of directors. “As recently as five years ago, I could run into the watershed on a Sunday and perhaps not see anyone. Now, any day of the week, you will go into the watershed and run into a hiker, bikers or trail runners,” said Katsantones. She is a trail runner, and the Mt. Ashland Hill Climb is a family tradition. “I love seeing families on the trails. We have an increasing number of families on the trails, including families with babies in daypacks,” said Katsantones. “There are trails easily accessible for families and young children.” When she started hiking Ashland trails, it would sometimes be with her sons in a stroller. But the technology for baby daypacks has evolved, making them the preferred choice now, she said. Being outdoors experiencing nature and making discoveries is one of the biggest draws of trails for Katsantones. She regularly encounters wildlife, but coming across Pacific fishers three times during a two-year period was one of the highlights. The animal, a relative of the weasel family, is described as reclusive, and encounters are considered rare. Katsantones has worked as freelance copy editor for 15 years after graduating from a technical writing program at Southern Oregon University. She primarily works with Duke University Press on journals and nonfiction books. The author’s self-published book had a first printing in July 2021. It’s now into its third printing, done locally by CDS Publications of Medford, with 1,000 copies sold. The book is for sale locally at Bloomsbury Books, Rogue Valley Runners, Northwest Nature Shop, Inspired by Oregon, Get ’N Gear, Siskiyou Mountain Club, REI Medford and Cycle Analysis in Jacksonville. The cost is $25. Reach Ashland freelance writer Tony Boom at [email protected].