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| Hiking | 7.40 Miles |
494 AEG |
| | Hiking | 7.40 Miles | | | |
| 494 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no partners | | Now is the perfect time of year to be hiking the flume trail. It is a very nice day hike and also a very nice easy weekend backpacking excursion. It is approximately 4 miles from the trailhead parking lot to the actual springs. A nice easy hike down the flume road once you get up that first 1/4 mile incline from the parking lot. I carry my purifier with me and pump drinking water directly out of the flumes, hikers have made many access points to either wet your shirt or to quench your thirst.
You are getting close when you enter a very nice flat area surrounded by huge cottonwood and sycamore trees, you will feel an immediate temperature change as you are finally close to Fossil Creek. You will soon see the dam on the right and to the left the remnants of an older cabin/shed, unless the campers have already scrounged the old wood for firewood... DO NOT try to hop the fence and cross the dam! This is highly dangerous! Stay on the trail to the left and I also would suggest going all the way to where the springs emerge from the ground, (about 3/4's of a mile) passing the larger campsites, you may get overrun with boy scouts if you decide to camp before reaching the springs.
The springs themselves are quite a site, it literally gushes from the ground at times, and the emerging water is warm, heated by distant thermals. You can easily cross the creek here and then follow the trail to the right back down along the creek towards that dam you saw earlier. There are numerous nice camping spots and almost all of them near a nice swimming hole. Good swimming spots are below the dam also, but beware, the bottom changes drastically if we have had a wet winter with a lot of runoff. What was 15' deep the year before may only be 6' deep and there could be submerged logs etc. ALWAYS check before doing any flying leaps into the pools....skunks are numerous, and there are occasional javelina, keep your dogs in the tent at night, javelina have no mercy on a dog tied to a tree for the night.
If hiking early morning or before sundown and you have a smaller breed dog it may be advisable to keep them on a long leash. I know of 2 people who have had their dogs scooped up in a flash by a mtn lion, doesn't make for very good memories. The same goes for night time around camp, keep them close to you, skunks have no fear... Our drought has had a severe effect on some of our native critters, food is scarce for the mtn lions and coyotes. I'm not trying to make you paranoid about the trip, just letting you know of the possible hazards, it's much better to be well informed and have nothing happen because you are prepared. |
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| All Who Wander Are Not Lost, and I do walk to the beat of a different drummer.....'cause I lost my drum |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
