Red Mountain Trail #25 • Hike • Arizona • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Aug 10 2024

ShatteredArm

Guides 12
Routes 192
Photos 863
Triplogs 356

42 male

Joined Nov 30 2015
Phoenix, AZ

Rose Peak exploration, AZ

Hiking		Aug 10 2024
		ShatteredArm • Triplogs 356

Hiking	7.50 Miles	1,293 AEG

Hiking	7.50 Miles	2 Hrs 56 Mns	2.63 mph
	1,293 ft AEG	5 Mns Break

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Rose Peak Trail

Red Mountain Trail #25

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With no rain in the forecast, I decided to check out something a little more on the exposed side, so I decided to head down to Rose Peak, which I had been meaning to check out for awhile. I started out on Red Mountain Trail, which for the first 3/4 mile or so, follows an old road. This made it easy to follow, and relatively clear until the Bear Pen junction (although there is deadfall here and there).

I was hoping to go all the way to the end of the trail, and the first quarter mile or so down from the Bear Pen junction offered some false hope. But once it left the lightly burned area for the moonscape burn, the trail quickly disappeared into overgrown, although hints of it could still be seen here and there. I started down from the first knob along the ridge, but by this point I was just following the fence trying to find relatively clear paths, and it was just not fun. I could kind of see the trail cut along the top of the next knob, but even getting there would've been rough. So I decided to head back up. From a later vantage point, I could see that almost the entire trail goes through heavy burn, so at this point I think it's safe to say that past a mile or so in, Red Mountain Trail is a thing of the past. Shame, because before the fires, it probably would've been a pretty cool route.

Back up at the road, I decided to head down Bear Pen trail. For a half mile or so, there were some stretches of burn and a few intact stands of trees, and a couple of locust thickets. Got to the end of a ridge where the trail turns sharply to the west, and there was heavy moonscape burn as far as I could see (which is about a half mile of trail probably). At this point I decided it's not worth it, and headed back.

Finally, I decided to summit Rose Peak. I was looking for the actual trail, but there was no sign of it, so I headed up the road. The ridge where the trail was is just covered in locust and charred trees. Got to the lookout at the top, and there was no sign of the upper end of the trail, either. Hung out at the top for a few minutes, climbed the lookout tower, used the bathroom, then jogged back down.

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1 archive

Jun 22 2022

FOTG

Guides 37
Routes 556
Photos 10,872
Triplogs 1,052

43 male

Joined Jan 21 2013
AZ

Red Mountain Trail #25

Alpine, AZ

Red Mountain Trail #25

Alpine, AZ

Hiking		Jun 22 2022
		FOTG • Triplogs 1,052

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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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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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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