Buckrock Tunnel East End

Directions

From Ashland, drive east up Highway 66 towards Klamath Falls, approximately 9 miles.

Turn right on Buckhorn Springs Road, and drive approximately 0.35 miles to Emigrant Creek Road, just past the bridge across Emigrant Creek. Turn right and drive up Emigrant Creek Road approximately 2.1 miles to the gravel parking area for the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The GPS location of this lot is approximately N 42 degrees, 6 Minutes, 33.4 seconds; W 122 degrees, 33 minutes, 12.4 seconds. Park, and walk across the road to the right, and past the yellow metal gate. This is the start of your hike.

 

To reach the East end of the tunnel, walk up the old road until you reach the first road branching off to the left. This junction is at N 42 degrees, 6 minutes, 16 seconds; W 122 degrees, 33 minutes 24 seconds, and an elevation of approximately 3393 feet. Walk this road past the Monument’s berm for closing the road, and around a deep washout, until you reach a wide landing where the road continues up the hill to the right. The tunnel is through a wooded area to the left of the continuing road, up a cleft probably excavated for the railroad bed, but now partially obscured by fallen rock, especially at the tunnel entrance itself. The SOHS yellow marker is visible before the tunnel entrance.

The Marker reads:

SITE OF THE EAST PORTAL OF THE ORE. AND CALIF RAILROAD COMPANY’S

UNCOMPLETED “BUCK ROCK TUNNEL”

CONSTRUCTION COMMENCED AUG. 17, 1883

WORK ABANDONED       FEB 8, 1884

Southern Oregon Historical Society 1977

Information from Mark Lawrence in 1977:

               Markers are located at both portals of the abandoned Buck Rock Tunnel located in Sec. 14, T 40 S, R 2 E.  This tunnel was started in November, 1883, and abandoned in February, 1884.  It is reached by a BLM road leaving the Buckhorn Springs Road a short distance above Highway 66 on the right side and various logging roads.  Visitors not familiar with the area should obtain the services of someone who has been into the tunnel before.  If you plan on entering the tunnel, take a big flashlight or gas lantern and wear a hard hat as the old timbering has entirely disappeared.  Loose rock on the tunnel floor indicates that rocks do fall at various times and are large enough to cause serious head injuries.  The borings penetrate the mountain about 300 feet on the east side and 200 feet on the west side.

Research Date
2015-08-01
Categories
Location