Bear Camp Road

Bear Camp Road came into the national spotlight in late 2006 when James Kim, his wife Kati, and their two daughters attempted to reach Gold Beach via this route.

Late on the night of November 25, 2006, they missed signs warning of possible snow and continued up the mountain road.

He and his wife had attempted to locate their position using area road maps, and had estimated that the small town of Galice, Oregon, was only 4 miles (6 km) away.

Searchers traced James Kim's path down Big Windy Creek's canyon in an effort to find him.

It was first thought that the Kims' car was stranded at the intersection to the access road for Black Bar Lodge (42°39′1.25″N 123°44′54.15″W / 42.6503472°N 123.7483750°W / 42.6503472; -123.7483750).

Also, the directional sign ("To Gold Beach and Coast") at the spot where the Kims turned onto the wrong road has been moved and replaced.

Unlike the route of James Kim and his family who turned west up BLM 34-8-36 toward Bear Camp Road and Gold Beach, the Stivers-Higginbotham group took a different road, having missed the turnoff that the Kims took toward Bear Camp at the start of BLM 34-8-36.

Their RV had become stuck north of the Rogue River in March, about 7 miles (11 km) north-northeast, geographically, from where the Kims' car was stranded in late November 2006.

Confusion about the whereabouts and intentions of the group caused law enforcement officials to call off their search after five days.

Police had received conflicting information on the group's destination, and some officials considered treating the case as a kidnapping.

Inside the motor home, the family was able to see television news reports of the search effort, but became convinced that rescuers would not find them.

Two of the six in the group hiked out to search for the searchers, and were found (by accident) by Bureau of Land Management employees on routine patrol.

Becky Higginbotham, who was listed in the warrant as Rebecca Ann Bess, was also charged with possession of drug paraphernalia.