Secret Blackberry Picking Spot

I think I have found the best place to pick blackberries in Southern Oregon. And it's great for kids and strollers too!

Its at The Valley of the Rogue Park just past the Rogue River exit in I-5, exit 45B.

Go in August, it's the best month for blackberry picking. When you check in, tell them you are blackberry picking and you get a free day pass and can park anywhere. Make sure to ask about the best places to pick, the park rangers have guided me to the current ripest spots.

What makes this spot so great, besides the wide paths, shady trees and walls of blackberry bushes growing conveniently next to the pathway, is the swimming hole about half-way from the ends of the pathway. We pick and eat and just about the time we get a little hot, we are at the swimming hole. There's a small sandy "beach" for taking off shoes. The swimming hole is lined on three sides with a wall of stones and about knee high at its deepest point (on adult knees), so the water is safe for little ones. We love that place. It cools us off enough so we can pick more blackberries all the way back to our parked car.

Here are some tips that have helped us have a better picking experience: You'll want to wear long sleeves and long pants (but make sure you can wade in your pants, or wear a swim suit underneath).

Our favorite picking container is a milk jug with the top cut off and the handle threaded through a belt.

I have young children, so I always bring a stroller as well, and the pathway is fairly level and well-maintained.

We grab a stick on the way so we can push aside thorny branches to get to the Jackpot spots--and we keep regretting our lack of gloves, but have yet to remember them.

I hope you enjoy blackberry picking as much as we have, and if you know of a better spot--tell me!