Note to Reader: The videos in this series were captured during my 1,000-mile hiking quest in the summer of 2024. You can read more about that journey in my book The Woman on the Ferry: A Journey of 1,000 Miles to Redefine Success and Discover Joy.
It's a good sign when you discover your favorite trail early in your stay.
After settling into my riverside campground, I set out to find the Rogue River Trail. The wilderness here forces you to truly unplug—no cell service, no GPS, no digital distractions. Which sounds perfect until you realize you can't pull up AllTrails to find the trailhead.
A quick stop at the ranger station solved that problem, though their directions came with a warning: I'd need to drive down the steep boat launch road. I parked just as rafters were pushing off into the current, beginning their own river adventure while I started mine on foot.
Parts of this path could be called the Billy Goat Trail—a narrow ledge carved into cliffsides that offers spectacular bird's-eye views of the Rogue far below. I passed a flood marker from 1964, showing where the river once raged. Standing there, trying to imagine that wall of water, I gained new respect for the river's power.
The trail led me across Whiskey Creek on a wooden bridge, past the oldest remaining mining cabin in the canyon, and through dense forests where the river's voice never faded. Each turn revealed new perspectives on the mighty Rogue—sometimes gentle and reflective, sometimes thundering through rapids.
I returned to this trail again and again during my stay. There's something about finding that perfect outdoor space—your own listening point where nature's soundtrack drowns out everything else.
Turn up the volume and listen to the river's distant thunder. Close your eyes and let yourself be there on that clifftop trail, breathing pine-scented air, watching ancient water carve its way toward the sea.
It's never too late to find your own place like this—somewhere you can return whenever you need nature's soul-healing sound.
🍃Nature Listening Points is free and accessible to all. If you'd like to support this journey, I gladly accept trail snacks (contribute here).
