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| Hiking | 8.89 Miles |
1,302 AEG |
| | Hiking | 8.89 Miles | 4 Hrs 9 Mns | | 2.28 mph |
| 1,302 ft AEG | 15 Mns Break | 26 LBS Pack | | |
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| no partners | | My wife and I hiked Saddle Mountain Trail #91 on Sunday. We got a late start - after the drive, we ended up starting at noon. The forecast high for the day was only 82 so it wasn't that bad. It was sunny and warm (hot, according to my wife) at the start, but things cooled down nicely once the clouds moved in.
The instructions for getting to the trailhead are correct on the description page for Saddle Mountain #91. Make sure that you look them over before setting out. I tried relying on Google Maps; it was wrong in several respects. Most of the time it just works, but this time it definitely did not. The road out to Mormon Grove TH is in good condition, but will likely require a high clearance vehicle.
I had done this hike perhaps 16 or 17 years ago. I don't remember it all that well, but since I had done it before the Sunflower Fire, I'm sure it was different back then.
Saddle Mountain #91 is really easy to follow between the trailhead and the intersection with Sheep Creek #88. If you stay right on Saddle Mountain #91 (rather than turning onto Sheep Creek #88), the trail immediately narrows down, requiring light bushwhacking to proceed. It stays pretty easy to the fork (for the loop) and then past the fork on the left. The trail eventually appears to fork again later on. As far as I can tell, the left/straight fork peters out quickly. The right fork is the start of the small loop at the end.
The loop at the end is, in my opinion, not worth doing. Now that I've done this loop, my recommendation is to do both forks separately and turn around when the bushwhacking starts to get mildly unpleasant. If you push on, it will get distinctly unpleasant, and then, later, utterly miserable. Don't push on thinking, "It's not that far, so how bad can it be." It's further than you think and it does get pretty bad. If there's a good reason to do this type of bushwhacking, that's fine. But the loop at the end doesn't really add much to the hike IMO. My speed through that section slowed dramatically - it was more meaningful to measure my speed in feet per minute than miles per hour.
On my way back, I hiked out half a mile on Sheep Creek Trail #88. I wish that I would have spent more of my time on this instead of dong the small loop at the end of Saddle Mountain #91. It's a very pretty trail and, being part of the AZT, it's well maintained too!
I saw a deer (I think) while making my way around the loop at the end. I only had the briefest of glimpses and am not entirely certain that it was a deer. Definitely something big.
After rejoining my wife, we saw a snake on the way back - it was not a rattler, but beyond that I don't know what it was.
For the most part, Saddle Mountain #91 is a very enjoyable trail. When I do it again, I want to explore the Potato Patch side trail. I also want to do more of Sheep Creek Trail #88. |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
