Shady Cove Recreation & Tourism
The mission of Shady Cove's Recreation and Tourism Commission is to create healthy lives, happy people and a strong community.
The Recreation and Tourism Commission in cooperation with the City of Shady Cove strives, through a planned process to deliver quality recreational opportunities, facilities, and special events, to a diverse public.
Shady Cove also serves as the gateway to Oregon’s only national park, Crater Lake, and is a key stop along the Rogue-Umpqua National Scenic Byway. Just nine miles north of the city lies Lost Creek Lake, a favorite spot for boating, fishing, and hiking.
small town. BIG ADVENTURES.
Shady Cove has been a recreational hub for tourists and Jackson County residents since its incorporation in 1972.
The city is best known as a premier destination for year-round fishing. This section of the upper Rogue River is renowned for its runs of large, feisty Spring Chinook Salmon, followed by the famed Summer Steelhead. In early September, the Fall Chinook return, attracting anglers from near and far. Several fishing guides and outfitters are conveniently located within the city.
In addition to fishing, rafting and kayaking are popular summer attractions. Professional rafting guides offer exhilarating whitewater adventures for those seeking a thrilling outdoor experience.
"The river has great wisdom and whispers its secrets to the hearts of men."
Mark Twain
The Lonesome Hickory
Carya ovata-the scientific (Latin) name for a shagbark hickory tree.
Mary Louisa Black was a 19th-century American pioneer known for her detailed diary chronicling her family's journey along the Oregon and Overland Trails in 1865. Departing from Missouri with her husband and three children, she meticulously documented their experiences as they traversed territories that are now Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, and Oregon.
Upon settling near Shady Cove, Oregon, Mary Louisa Black planted this shagbark hickory near her home in 1866 from nuts she carried from Missouri on the Oregon Trail in 1865. Of the nuts she planted, two grew into trees. This tree is the lone survivor of snow, summer heat and Rogue River flooding and the only shagbark hickory in the area.
Mary Louisa Black's legacy endures through her writings and the enduring presence of the "Lonesome Hickory", symbolizing the enduring spirit of the pioneers.