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Eight Dollar Mountain

©Avi Hesterman
 

Why You Should Visit    
Near Oregon's southern border, this cone-shaped mountain is covered with forest, grasslands and bogs harboring an amazing botanical diversity. Of the 3,370 plant species known to Oregon, nearly half are found in the Klamath and Siskiyou Mountain region. The prevalence of heavily mineralized, magnesium-rich soils helps account for the evolution of this region's extraordinary plant life.

Location
Near Selma, southwest of Grants Pass, in southwest Oregon

Size
45 acres

How to Prepare for Your Visit
For wildflower displays, the best times to visit the preserve are May through July. There are no signs or official trails. For more information, please see our Preserve Visitation Guidelines.

Directions

  • Take Highway 199 South from Grants Pass to Selma. The BLM and USFS lands on the south side of Eight Dollar Mountain can be accessed off Eight Dollar Mountain Road, four miles from Selma.
  • The Conservancy's preserve on the east side of the mountain can be accessed by turning west onto Gold Canyon Drive, about 2.5 miles south of Selma off Highway 199. 
  • Follow the road for .3 mile.
  • At the "T" intersection, park at the bottom of the old driveway directly across the intersection.
  • Follow the old driveway up the hill to access serpentine Jeffrey pine savanna and fens.

What to See: Plants
The varied elevations and aspects of Eight Dollar Mountain support outstanding examples of several serpentine soil communities and the heaviest concentration of rare plants in Oregon, including Waldo gentian, large-flowered rush-lily, western senecio, Oregon willow-herb and Howell's mariposa-lily. The preserve also contains western azalea thickets, chaparral and Jeffery pine forest, as well as bogs dominated by the carnivorous California pitcher plant and a tufted hairgrass wet meadow.

What the Conservancy Has Done/Is Doing
In addition to the Conservancy's property, public land holdings on Eight Dollar Mountain include the USFS, BLM and Oregon Division of State Lands – 4,400 acres in all. The entire mountain ecosystem is managed cooperatively by the Conservancy and those agencies to protect its exceptional natural values. Ecologists monitor the populations of rare plants.