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| Hiking | 6.09 Miles |
2,499 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.09 Miles | 3 Hrs 50 Mns | | 1.87 mph |
| 2,499 ft AEG | 35 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | This one has been on my radar for several years, but the drive in has generally discouraged me from going.
We took the “simplified southern” route, as noted in the HAZ guide. Worked great —note that Google maps pulls up this route (while Apple Maps pulls up the traditional route).
The drive definitely requires high clearance, but 4x4 not required (at least on this trip).
The most surprising part of this hike was how many people were there. As we made the final turn under the powerline toward the trailhead, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw 6 cars following me in! At the TH, we discovered it was a hiking group of about 20, who drove in from the north (and they reported the drive from that direction was more gnarly—earning their cars some desert pinstripes). In addition to the hiking group, there were already 2 other cars at the TH.
We managed to get on the trail before the big group and stayed clear of all except one couple that reached the summit at the same time we did.
We enjoyed the summit views and were on our way down when most of the group was still on their way up. In addition to passing the group, we passed 3-4 other groups, including a group who drove down from Flagstaff, and a couple who didn’t drive in with a high clearance vehicle and thus hiked several miles just to get to the th.
When we left, I counted 12 cars in the parking lot and 40 names in the trail register. I wondered: is flatiron closed today?  
So, my expectation of solitude was definitely not realized.
A couple of trail notes: the trail is well marked until that last quarter to half mile before the summit. Also, there is a restroom facility at the TH.
The quartz summit truly does stand out, and views were nice. It was surprisingly windy. |
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