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Little Spring to Bismark Lake - 1 member in 7 triplogs has rated this an average 5 ( 1 to 5 best )
7 triplogs
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Jul 20 2015
avatar

 Guides 5
 Photos 1,229
 Triplogs 181

female
 Joined Mar 18 2008
 Flagstaff, AZ
Little Spring to Bismark LakeFlagstaff, AZ
Little Spring to Bismark Lake
Flagstaff, AZ
Hiking avatar Jul 20 2015
fotogirl53 • Triplogs 181
Hiking1.00 Miles 500 AEG
Hiking1.00 Miles
500 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Despite the destruction around the spring by AZ Game and Fish when they installed at 6 foot pipe fence around the spring and surrounding area, this is one of the best places on the peaks to see wildflowers and butterflies. This trip didn't disappoint. Even though I'd informed the FS last summer about the mess of cut down aspen and fir in the area and the meadow that had been driven on, no cleanup has been done. Driving tracks remain. The deer and elk are fenced out of the watering hole, but there are still wildlife trails for smaller animals making their way to the spring to drink. I'm pretty sure bear can squeeze through the bars to get to the water. Do deer crawl under?

I've posted a photoset with some of the flowers and butterflies. Coneflowers will bloom in a couple weeks. Sneezeweed, loco, lupine, wild dandelion, rose, penstemmons, columbine, geranium and more are in bloom thanks to the rain this year. Lots of butterflies: blues, fritillaries, tiger swallowtails, sulphurs and skippers.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Franciscan Bluebells  Purple Loco  Richardsons Geranium  Silverstem Lupine  Skyrocket  Wood's Rose  Yellow Columbine
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly  Honey Bee  Orange Skipperling  Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Substantial
_____________________
Allergic to cities.
 
Jul 18 2012
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 Guides 5
 Photos 1,229
 Triplogs 181

female
 Joined Mar 18 2008
 Flagstaff, AZ
Little Spring to Bismark LakeFlagstaff, AZ
Little Spring to Bismark Lake
Flagstaff, AZ
Hiking avatar Jul 18 2012
fotogirl53 • Triplogs 181
Hiking4.00 Miles 500 AEG
Hiking4.00 Miles
500 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
I parked at the junction of FR151 and the little road up to the trailhead. The recent rains have filled the pond at Little Spring and the pipe is a strong, steady drip. The coneflowers are in bloom and the baneberry is bright red. I was making the loop today, so up the "staircase" I went--476 feet in elevation gain in less than 1/3 of a mile. Great workout, beautiful old growth forest. There are many downed trees to work around.

Bismark Lake is dry, but one of the tanks below has water in it. Butterflies are everywhere feeding on the deer's ear plants. At the Bismark trailhead, no cars. Down the road to 151--no cars. The only vehicle I saw was when I made it back to my truck.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Aspen Fleabane  Deers Ears  Harebell  Milk Thistle  Narrowleaf Penstemon  Ponderosa Pine  Quaking Aspen  Senecio  Yellow Coneflower (Rudbeckia)
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Ants  Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly  Checkerspot Butterfly  Honey Bee  Spring Azure Butterfly  Variegated Fritillary Butterfly
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Humphreys Peak  Little Spring  San Francisco Peaks Natural Area
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Light
_____________________
Allergic to cities.
 
Jul 08 2012
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 Guides 5
 Photos 1,229
 Triplogs 181

female
 Joined Mar 18 2008
 Flagstaff, AZ
Little Spring to Bismark LakeFlagstaff, AZ
Little Spring to Bismark Lake
Flagstaff, AZ
Hiking avatar Jul 08 2012
fotogirl53 • Triplogs 181
Hiking1.00 Miles 500 AEG
Hiking1.00 Miles
500 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
I did this hike on 7/8, but couldn't get the calendar to work.

I hiked up to Little Spring to check out the wildflowers and butterflies. The spring is dry--not even a drip coming from the pipe. There are puddles of water and signs of the elk and deer who drink here. Lots of fritilaries and satyr anglewings. The sneezeweed is gone, and the yellow coneflowers are still in bud. They should be blooming in a week. Not much locoweed this year--too dry. Baneberry is turning red and another red-berried bush is plentiful. I think it is sugar sumac.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Arizona Sneezeweed  Baneberry  Skyrocket
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Arctic Blue  Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly  Bee Fly  Mourning Cloak Butterfly  Satyr Comma
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate

dry Little Spring Dry Dry
_____________________
Allergic to cities.
 
Aug 01 2011
avatar

 Guides 5
 Photos 1,229
 Triplogs 181

female
 Joined Mar 18 2008
 Flagstaff, AZ
Little Spring to Bismark LakeFlagstaff, AZ
Little Spring to Bismark Lake
Flagstaff, AZ
Hiking avatar Aug 01 2011
fotogirl53 • Triplogs 181
Hiking1.00 Miles 50 AEG
Hiking1.00 Miles   2 Hrs      0.50 mph
50 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
Its been several weeks since I've been hiking due to my first ever trip to Europe (great!), helping my son get his new house in livable condition, and driving with my daughter and her 2 cats to Iowa. I NEEDED to get out and picked Little Spring to check on what flowers were now blooming.

On Hwy 180 before Snowbowl Road, I spotted a large nursery herd of elk grazing and lying in the grass. Then, on FS 151--Hart Prairie Rd, I came across a doe that wasn't very afraid of the traffic on the road. The walk up the closed road to Little Spring was beautiful--wildflowers, moss, butterflies and birds. The sneezeweed is getting droopy but the locoweed is going strong. Around the spring, the yellow coneflowers are in full bloom. The fritillaries are still in abundance, with sulphurs, blues and some Weidemeyer's Admirals feeding on the wildflowers. Harebells are blooming in the meadow and wild strawberries are sending runners everywhere--but no berries to be found.

The spring is still putting out about a pint/minute and the pond isn't stinky anymore. The sumac is fruiting and so is the baneberry. So pretty but so poisonous!

This is one amAZing place. Visit soon for an easy walk, great wildflowers and lots of butterflies. But visit in the morning so you don't get rained on.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Arizona Sneezeweed  Baneberry  Cutleaf Coneflower  Golden-Beard Penstemon  Harebell  Princely Daisy  Sugar Sumac  Wild Strawberry  Woodland Pinedrops
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Elk  Honey Bee  Mormon Fritillary Butterfly  Mule Deer  Police Car Moth  Satyr Comma
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Little Spring
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Substantial
_____________________
Allergic to cities.
 
Jul 01 2011
avatar

 Guides 5
 Photos 1,229
 Triplogs 181

female
 Joined Mar 18 2008
 Flagstaff, AZ
Little Spring to Bismark LakeFlagstaff, AZ
Little Spring to Bismark Lake
Flagstaff, AZ
Hiking avatar Jul 01 2011
fotogirl53 • Triplogs 181
Hiking1.00 Miles 50 AEG
Hiking1.00 Miles   2 Hrs      0.50 mph
50 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   none no linked trail guides
Partners none no partners
My first trip up on the Peaks for 2011! I had alot to do in the afternoon, so I chose Little Spring because I knew it would be a butterfly paradise. The short road in from FR 151 is in terrible shape with large ruts an high rocks. You definitely need high clearance on this one. If you don't, just park at 151 and walk an extra 1/4 mile to the trailhead.

The high winds have cause alot of blowdowns along Hwy 180 and some were also along the trail, but were easy to manuver around because this is a closed road. In the meadow below the spring is a grove of old growth firs marked with "Wildlife Tree" signs. I love this place. The wildflowers included roses, yarrow, penstemmon, lupine, locoweed and mules ear--both of which were providing nectar for the biomass of butterflies: tiger swallowtails, sulphurs, skippers, fritillaries, blues, checkerspots and hairstreaks. I felt like I was walking through the butterfly exhibit at a botanical garden, but these were all wild and free.

The spring is running well, but has been fouled by millions of flies that have died and are floating on the surface of the little pond. The smell is kinda like a pigsty. There is a widowmaker just beyond the spring that is creaking and making sounds like elk in the fall. Weird.

At the spring I saw a red-faced warbler. A new one on my lifelist. I also saw some ravens and a horned lizard. I imagine all sorts of wildlife frequent the spring. Someday I'll hand out in the late afternoon/dusk to see what comes.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Wood's Rose
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Checkerspot Butterfly  Clouded Sulphur Butterfly  Funereal Duskywing Butterfly  Red-faced Warbler  Spring Azure Butterfly  Weidemeyer's Admiral Butterfly
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Moderate

water 1 out of 5water 2 out of 5water less than maxwater less than max Little Spring Quart per minute Quart per minute
Not quite a quart per minute--maybe a pint a minute.
_____________________
Allergic to cities.
 
Jul 15 2010
avatar

 Guides 5
 Photos 1,229
 Triplogs 181

female
 Joined Mar 18 2008
 Flagstaff, AZ
Little Spring to Bismark Lake Loop, AZ 
Little Spring to Bismark Lake Loop, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Jul 15 2010
fotogirl53 • Triplogs 181
Hiking4.00 Miles 4 AEG
Hiking4.00 Miles   3 Hrs      1.33 mph
4 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   linked  
Little Spring to Bismark Lake
Partners none no partners
This is off Hart Prairie Road (FS 151), FR418B. The road to the trailhead isn't that long but should probably park at the junction if you are in a car and walk the 1/4 mile to the trailhead. The pirate is right--the wildflowers are abundant right now on the Peaks, and so are the butterflies. My plan was to make a loop hike of this, but after leaving Little Spring, the trail up to Bismark Lake has been covered in deadfall and since I didn't have the GPS coordinates of Bismark Lake with me, I lost the trail several times, then backtracked to the spring. Then I drove to the Bismark Lake trailhead and up that 1 mile to the "lake", around it, and back down. These are both great little, easy hikes for flowers and butterflies.
 Flora
 Flora [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Deers Ears  Fendler Rose
 Fauna
 Fauna [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Atlantis Fritillary Butterfly  Cabbage White Butterfly  Mule Deer  Painted Lady Butterfly  Satyr Comma  Thicket Hairstreak Butterfly  Weidemeyer's Admiral Butterfly  Western Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Little Spring
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Extreme
_____________________
Allergic to cities.
 
Sep 27 2008
avatar

 Guides 5
 Photos 1,229
 Triplogs 181

female
 Joined Mar 18 2008
 Flagstaff, AZ
Little Spring to Bismark Lake, AZ 
Little Spring to Bismark Lake, AZ
 
Hiking avatar Sep 27 2008
fotogirl53 • Triplogs 181
Hiking4.00 Miles 500 AEG
Hiking4.00 Miles   2 Hrs      2.00 mph
500 ft AEG
 no routes
Linked   linked  
Hart Prairie
Arizona Trail
Little Spring to Bismark Lake
Partners none no partners
Hiked the loop from FR 418B off Hart Prairie Road (FR 151), past Little Spring, up the mountainside to Bismark Lake, then walked the roads back to where the truck was parked. I'm glad the husband came along as there was bear sign in abundance--scat, prints, torn up logs, but I haven't seen a single bear this season. Water was flowing from the spring. Saw a few butterflies, wildflowers, and the early aspen that have turned. It was a beautiful afternoon for a hike, but too early in the day to see or hear the elk.
 Culture
 Culture [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Inscriptions
 Named place
 Named place [ checklist ]
[ checklist ]  Little Spring
foliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observationfoliage observation
Autumn Foliage Observation Light
wildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observationwildflower observation
Wildflowers Observation Isolated
_____________________
Allergic to cities.
 
average hiking speed 1.08 mph

WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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