Page 57 - Southern Oregon Magazine Winter 2021

which is plowed during the winter. So far the Klamath Trails Alliance
has created 42 miles of trails that are especially popular with moun-
tain bikers as well as hikers and trail runners.

“Most people don’t know that Spence Mountain receives a bit more
snow than Klamath,” says Drew Honzel, a KTA board member who
often skis several days a week in winter. “It offers great cross-coun-
try skiing or snowshoeing along with amazing views of the Upper
Klamath Lake and the snowcapped Cascades.”

Sections of the Old Eagle and Mazama trails, both rated as easy, partly
parallel Shoalwater Bay and connect with the Modoc and Captain Jack
trails. Honzel notes there is no designated parking area in the winter
so he recommends that people parallel park against the snow bank.
Along with designated trails, he says skiing is permitted, on interior
roads that bisect the 7,400-acre property.

Staying close to home to ski or snowshoe is enticing. Sure, it’s only
62 miles from Klamath Falls to Crater Lake National Park and only
half that distance to the Lake of the Woods. But for Honzel, Bellon
and others, when the weather cooperates, skiing out the front door
or after at 10- or 20-minute drive is what makes snowy winters
addicting.

For more information on Spence Mountain trails visit the Klamath
Trails Alliance at www.klamathtrails.org. The website has maps
of Spence and Moore mountains. Updated recreation conditions
at Moore Park are available by calling Bellon at 541-883-5391 or
emailing jbellon@klamathfalls.city. Information on the OC&E
Woods Line is available at www.stateparks.oregon.gov or by
calling 541-783-2471.

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