Rough and Ready Botanical Wayside is a premier destination for hiking and botanical exploration. The interpretive trail starts at a shaded picnic area and traverses a unique ecosystem, characterized by the "serpentine" soils of the Siskiyou Mountains that cultivate rare and endemic plant species. The area, designated an Area of Critical Environmental Concern, features diverse flora, including various wildflowers and hybrids that only grow here; it is located in a region that is recognized as one of 200 biologically outstanding ecoregions in the world. Visitors are therefore encouraged to stay on the trail to protect sensitive vegetation.