Osprey Trail, AZ

This is a new trail recently opened in the White Mountain Trail System. Named for an active osprey nest near the trail. There are no maps as of yet, but the trail itself is clearly marked by the standard blue diamond trail markers. Essentially this is a connector trail from the South side of the Timber Mesa trail travelling around the East side of Scott Reservoir and then connecting to the Ice Cave trail - which, of course, then goes on to meet up with the Blue Ridge trail. Basically this trail closes the loop for the Eastern section of the WMTS, allowing one to travel from Panorama to Los Burros without a gap in maintained trails.

With only 1.75 miles from the trail head to connection to the Ice Cave trail, this route allows previously unavailable views of Scott Reservoir and the nesting pair of osprey that have made the small body of water their home. There is one short creek crossing early in the trail, but I was able to cross without getting my feet wet thanks to a rock crossing added by the trail builders. What I really like is that one can now bike or hike this area without having to fight for a parking spot at the Ice Cave trail head, or having to navigate a path through the wet section early in that trail. The trail itself is easy hiking with a few rocky sections and should remain in good useable condition in anything but the worst of the monsoon weather. Some work remains to improve a few of the gates, but all in all this is a great addition to an already phenomenal trail system.

Check out the Official Route and Triplogs.

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2008-10-23 Strand