DESTINATION Red Mountain Trail #25 1 Photoset
2022-06-22 | | -
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| Hiking | 5.38 Miles |
952 AEG |
| | Hiking | 5.38 Miles | 2 Hrs 49 Mns | | 2.07 mph |
| 952 ft AEG | 13 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | After sitting through 12 plus hours of rain the day and night before and with the forecast calling for rain as early as 8:00 a.m., I was just looking for somewhere to stretch our legs before the next big system rolled in. Therefore, I took the pups down the road for a short walk and recon of a trail that I have been meaning to do for a long time now.
The trailhead for Red Mountain is at the scorched Strayhorse Trailhead and Rose Peak pullout area. We started off on the old roadbed from the charred trailhead, just after six. The roadbed walk to the trail was downright pleasant in the early morning light and most of the forest along the opening stretch somehow sparred the devastation the trailhead area received. The actual start of Red Mountain's single track trail began after just over a mile. A large cairn marks the beginning of the trail, as well as an easy to miss sign on a tree. The sign says 8 miles to Red Mountain. We only hiked a few minutes in and turned around after the trail reached some stretches of trail overgrown with gambel oak. A HAZ user has actually completed the trail and noted pretty good conditions (2013) further in, but that was pre Brigham Fire and it appears nearly all of the trail lies within that more recent burn scar, so I expect some of those conditions may have worsened. From the interpretative area/viewpoint further south down the 191, a trail-cut can be observed several miles in on the Red Mountain Trail, so there is some hope for followable tread along the long route. After the Red Mountain Trail, we hiked some of the Bear Pen Springs Trail #32 for the first time. The trail utilizes an old roadbed, but still had some charm and offered some unique views into the rugged central Blue backcountry. We went a mile in, hoping to see the springs that were marked on the sign, but no springs were found. After examining a map, they appear to be about another mile further than what we went. Scenes along the "trail" varied from pleasant stretches under ponderosa to entirely scorched sections and I would probably only give it two stars, but I would still like to get back out there and hike the trail from the other end to see what the spring(s) have to offer and complete the obscure trail properly. We returned the way we came.
A nice successful morning in the Blue Range scouting a new trail and filling in some blanks on the map. I hope to be back one day for something more ambitious along the Red Mountain Trail when I do not have the pups with me and despite its unspectacular nature, I am still intrigued by what is at the namesake of the Bear Pen Springs Trail. |
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