Mt. Bolivar Trail #1259

Mt. Bolivar was christened by Simon Bolivar Cathcart,  a Coos County land surveyor, who was born in Indiana and moved west with the first wave of white settlers. He named it in honor of Simon Bolivar, the Venezuelan-born leader who liberated Columbia and Peru from Spanish rule. Mount Bolivar is not only the the highest point in Coos County, but is also the highest point in the Coast Range. Hikers who summit this amazing peak climb 1,160 feet and will be seeing the world from 4,319 feet.

The Mt. Bolivar trailhead and first 0.2 miles are located on lands administered by the Medford District Bureau of Land Management, and then continues on to lands administered by the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. This trail is in the Wild Rogue Wilderness, and is open to hiking only.

This 1.4 mile trail (one way) gains a substantial amount of elevation at a slow and steady climb through a variety of landscapes, including the edge of the lightning-caused 2005 Blossom Fire, where the varieties of manzanita and other species that come back in after a fire are diverse and beautiful. Visitors will also pass through shaded stands of large trees and by rock outcrops carpeted in mosses and lichens that appreciate the cooler temperatures in the heat of summer. Near the summit, the wildflowers are best viewed in early summer, where the diversity is spectacular in its color and forms.

The trail ends at the summit of Mt. Bolivar, where visitors are afforded a spectacular view into the Wild Rogue Wilderness to the south. The summit was once home to a Forest Service fire lookout.

The plaque at the summit was placed in a ceremony on September 22, 1984, and was a gift from Venezuela to commemorate their appreciation of the naming of this beautiful peak after their much-celebrated liberator.

At a Glance