Category Archives: Western Trails

Posts regarding trails I have ridden, plan to ride, or just hope to ride

Western Trails

A Couple Rides in Capitol Reef National Monument, Utah

During the weekend of May 25-27, 2017, Jon Tanner and I headed to Capitol Reef National Monument, southern Utah, to ride with the Utah Missouri Fox Trotter Association (UMFTA) and a few other friends. It’s a ride I have been looking forward to for a while.

Since both Jon and I were taking only one horse each, and since he lives up north and had to pass by my way anyhow, I threw in with him. He picked up me, my horse, and gear on Thursday afternoon about 2:15. We enjoyed a comfortable ride down in his nice rig and arrived at our destination sometime around 7:00 pm or so. We met the rest of our gang on private property that adjoins Capitol Reef, of which the owner is a member of the UMFTA.

On Friday morning, after a fine breakfast, we got saddled up and ready to head out about 10:00 am. That’s when the fun started.

I had brought my new horse, J Golden, figuring this would be an excellent training opportunity. This was officially his sixth and seventh rides, so he was pretty green, but hadn’t given me any trouble so far. Well, he was excited to see all the new horses and people and to be in a new place. As I tried to mount, he began fidgeting around. I reined him in on the left side and turned him a couple times, trying to get his mind on his business and to stand still, so I could mount. I thought I had him in check, so I pulled myself up. As I was swinging my leg over the saddle, however, J moved into me, which caused me to be over-balanced to the off-side. My right leg swung over as I hung on and I inadvertently jabbed him in the side with my spur. Well, J felt that jab, and not knowing what had happened, and with all the excitement, he immediately launched into a full-fledged bucking spree.

Here I was, hanging onto his right side, off-balance, never having gained the stirrup, and I knew I wasn’t going to stick this one out. I might have when I was 30 years younger, but I knew I wasn’t going to make it this time. I just picked out a nice spot on the lush, green grass and dove for it. I belly-flopped right where I was aiming and watched J go romping around the camp until he was caught up by my riding buddies.

Okay. So, no harm done. I was still in one piece with no broken parts. Even my cell phone survived.

Second try was more successful and once we were all gathered around, we headed off toward the monument boundary.

Jon Tanner on Spirit

Friday’s ride was over a trail that took us up on top of the “reef” known as Capitol Reef. It is a ridge of rock that runs roughly north-south over a long stretch of south-central Utah. There are a number of canyons that run through the reef which offer some spectacular riding, but this day we headed up on top to see the expansive views it offers. It was a dry ride, about 6 miles in, to a point of rock which marked the end of our trail. We could go no further, due to the terrain.

We had lunch on that point, after which we headed back to camp. While I forgot to start my GPS at the beginning of the ride, I remembered at the lunch stop and at least tracked it back.  The trip back was 6.4 miles. The entire ride was only about 4 hours. I haven’t yet figured out how to post the trip on the blog, but here is the link:

http://rblr.co/So3p

The view from our lunch stop point was amazing. I’m sure the visibility was in excess of 100 miles.

We spent a nice, relaxed evening back at camp, where our group all pitched in for a nice camp dinner. I took the opportunity to see how J would do with hobbles. I was pleasantly surprised to find that he reacted very little and the experience was pretty much a “yawner.”

J’s firs time in hobbles

That evening Jon and I shared his high-line. I have a high-line kit I bought a couple years ago, but have never used it, so I had Jon teach me what it’s all about. After stretching the high-line tightly between two cottonwood trees, Jon taught me the rule of 7s. The high line is to be 7 feet high, the horses tied 7 feet apart, and the lead to be 17″ long. He showed me how to tie the loops to attach the leads to the high-line as well. Pretty handy. I normally tie to a tree or picket pin, but those methods are sometimes less practical, less safe for the horses, and leave more disturbed ground in the tie area than the high-line. In areas where it is practical (or required) I plan to use the high-line in the future.

J and Spirit on the high-line

In the photo you will notice our leads are a bit longer than 17″. We tightened them up at night. It still allowed enough rope for the horses to lay down if they wished.

Our ride the following day (Saturday) was up Pleasant Creek, which is one of those canyons that pass through the reef. Pleasant Creek runs year-round and truly is a pleasant little creek. We crossed it a number of times, so if you have a horse that doesn’t like water, by the end of the day, he’ll be fine. Apparently, J got a little dehydrated the previous day, so every time he crossed the creek on Saturday he took the opportunity to drink deeply.

I have to apologize for not taking enough photos on the rides. This was J’s first ride with a group, so he was quite a handful. I had to hold him back the entire two days, although he was better the second day. At the end of each day of riding I felt like I had been doing curls all day with weights. I was able to snap a few shots with my iphone, but I didn’t even try with the Gopro.

Below is a small gallery of some of the views we saw, as we passed through Capitol Reef on the Pleasant Creek trail. We stopped near the visitor’s center at our halfway point. We took a look at the petroglyphs there and ate lunch on the banks of the stream. On the way back we found some more petroglyphs on the canyon walls. The few photos I took do not do the trail justice. It was a very beautiful canyon and a very pleasant ride.

The Pleasant Creek ride was about 13.4 miles and took us about 6 hours. I regard it as an intermediate ride. While there was nothing particularly difficult, there are a couple places where the trail is a little tricky for a beginner, although with a little coaching even beginners could handle it easily. It was not particularly challenging for the horses.

Here is the Ramblr link: http://rblr.co/So3t

The trailheads for the two trails we rode may be accessed from Highway 24 off of Notom Road. Go south from Highway 24 about 6 miles to a dirt-track road. Park wherever it looks like a good spot there off the road. Head southwest to locate Pleasant Creek, then follow the creek westward. You will eventually find the trail leading into the Monument. The trail up on top we took on Friday is a little harder to find. From Notom Road you will take a wash northwesterly until you see a knoll with a rocky rim around it near the top. Some folks call this formation a “Mexican Hat” or a “Chinaman”. It’s the only one in the area near the wash. Take a look at the links I posted and look at the maps with the satellite layer on. Keep in mind that our starting/ending point was private property, so look for another access from Notom Road.

A nice ride for a couple days. I’d like to take the Pleasant Creek ride again sometime. Maybe once I get J a little farther along in his training, so I can spend less time controlling him and more time looking around.

 

Good Stories, Western Trails

Louis L’Amour and Me…

I recently posted comments to a thread on a facebook group I belong to, entitled, “The Sacketts: Louis L’Amour.” My comments caused some stir among a couple members, who believe everything Louis L’Amour wrote or said is the absolute truth, despite the fact that he was an author of western fiction. I deleted my comments, because of the stir it created on another member’s thread. That did not preclude me from creating my own thread on the group, however. Once I posted it, the thought occurred to me that it might make an interesting post on my WTR blog.

So, here it is:

I love Louis L’Amour novels. I was introduced to them by my father when I was 12 years old. I have been reading them religiously for 46 years. I say “religiously,” because, over the years, I have recognized that I have been heavily influenced by many of the values and philosophies he incorporated into his stories. Most of them I have read numerous times. His stories, along with my father’s influence, lead me to a deep love of horses, trail riding, and horse packing. I have spent many hours in the saddle imagining myself being part of one of Louis L’Amour’s stories, while looking to see what was on the other side of one hill or another.

In my mid-twenties, having no idea how old Louis L’Amour was, I wrote him a letter, inviting him to come for a horse pack trip with my dad and me into the Blue Primitive Area in Arizona. He wrote back, responding that he had given up riding, due to his age, but he thanked me for the invitation and mentioned some of the people and ranches in the area with whom he had acquaintance. I have that letter in my safe to this day. He died about six months later.

Over the years I have had opportunity to ride my horses through several areas he described in his stories and have lived in a couple more. As I have passed through some of these areas, I have learned that Louis L’Amour took considerable license in his descriptions of terrain and locations in many of his stories. I have posted photos and videos of some of my trips into several of these areas. I have learned from personal experience that Louis L’Amour’s assertion that if he described a spring, “…that spring is there and the water is good to drink,” was not entirely accurate, at least not with regard to many of his stories. It may have been true at one time, or with regard to a particular story, but the publisher took that statement and used it to promote sales of the novels.

I do not say that to denigrate in any way the value of his stories or his story-telling artistry, nor to expose him as a fraud. I love his stories and the values and history he taught in them. However, I fully recognize that Louis L’Amour was a writer of fiction. Fiction writers have full license to “make stuff up” as they write their stories, whether it be plot, characters, historical “facts”, or terrain. Charles Dickens and Mark Twain did precisely the same thing. Quite frankly, as much as I love his stories, Louis L’Amour’s novels do not qualify as “historical fictions” in the same sense as those written by some authors today. His research, documentation, and even presentation do not meet the mark. However, none of those other writers has influenced me personally like Louis L’Amour did. For me the value is not in the history nor in the terrain, but in the values he taught. The rest just adds interest.

I made a couple comments in that direction on a post earlier today and was taken to task by a couple members. One requested that I post evidences to support my assertions, which I did. Another member agreed that everyone is entitled to his opinion, then followed by telling me my opinion was wrong. It was as if I had stolen something from someone, and maybe I did. Imagination, dreams, and fantasy are very powerful and are things to be treasured. To avoid further disturbance on another’s thread, I deleted my comments, which also deleted the responses to them.

Besides, why let a little fact or two muddy up a good story.

Sorry if some of you are offended or disappointed by this post, but this is my thread. You are welcome to disagree and post your own thoughts. I don’t mind.

Below are some photos from a 200-mile pack trip Dad (82 years old) and I took last year across the Mogollon Rim and up to Flagstaff, much of which is the same area presented in The Sackett Brand.

Good Stories, Western Trails

Riding Down Memory Lane…or Peak….or Up It….er…

This is one of my favorite photographs of Linda and me. It was taken in 1981 by my dad right on top of the tallest peak in Arizona, Mt. Baldy, at 11,421′ elevation.

Linda and I were dating then. I had invited her to come with me to Springerville, Arizona to meet and visit with my parents. While there, Dad suggested we take a horse ride up the mountain. We loaded up the truck and trailer and off we went. It was a memorable trip and an important part of our courtship, for both of us I think. That trip remains a sweet memory for me.

The first time I went there was also on a horse. That was in 1977 on an 8 or 10-day horse pack trip with my dad and 22 young Boy Scouts we brought along for a pioneering experience. It was on a Sunday and we had a religious service on top of the mountain with those boys, not far from spot you see in this photo.

You can’t ride to the top of Baldy anymore, because it is a sacred place for the White Mountain Apaches and that part of the mountain (the very top) is within the boundaries of the White Mountain Apache Reservation and horse travel has now been prohibited. The last time I tried to ride the lower parts of that trail, in 2009, it had not been maintained and was no longer passable for horses, due to blow-downs.

It’s been nearly 36 years since that photograph was taken. Linda has been my wife for 35 of those years. Life has been good to me.

Though I will likely never go there again, that spot will forever have a very warm place in my heart.

Tony Henrie

Western Trails

I am about to become politically involved…..

3 Comments

I have been following, although somewhat casually, the issues regarding land control and use in the State of Utah, which includes the recently created Bears Ears National Monument. I have read blog and facebook posts, articles, and other information shared by organizations of which I am, or have been, a member, which includes blatantly false and misleading information calculated to instill fear in the public mind that if control of federal lands is returned to the states, our treasured natural parks and other lands and resources will be forever lost and their beauty destroyed.

This evening I decided I will take an active part in this issue. On this  website, westerntrailrider.com and on my facebook page Western Trail Rider, I will be publicly supporting the efforts of the State of Utah and other states to return control of federal lands within their boundaries to the states themselves.

While I will invite and encourage educated and civil debate of those issues on this page and on my website, I will not tolerate uncivil or mean-spirited commentaries.

Western Trails

Gear Report: Mini Q battery device charger

In reading over some old posts on my blog about my pack trip from Eagar to Flagstaff, Arizona in 2016, I came across my post about a device charger I bought and realized I never made a report on our experience in using it on the pack trip.

So, here it is. I have linked the original post as well, for your reading pleasure.

http://westerntrailrider.com/blog/received-a-new-gadget-for-the-pack-trip-today/

Siliconized rubber upper

The Mini Q is a device charger that operates by heating an element in the unit and converting that heat to electricity. Water is used as a heat sink to regulate the temperature. The device has a base of machined aluminum, inside which are installed the electronic parts that actually convert the heat energy to electricity.  It has a heat-resistant siliconized, foldable sleeve, attached by a hose clamp to the base, which holds a bit more than two cups of water. The unit is placed on top of a heat source (camp fire not recommended), which heats the unit, thus generating heat, which is converted to electricity.  The water simply regulates the heat and gives the user an indication of temperature. The device has a permanently attached heat-resistant cord with a USB female plug on the end, which extends just far enough to keep the plug end out damaging heat.  A device may be attached to the unit via a USB cord with the appropriate mini charger plug on the device end.

I purchased the Mini Q, due to one particular incident that occurred on the pack trip in 2015, from the US/Mexico border to Eagar, Arizona. We had been traveling through a treed area and the weather had been rather cloudy, reducing the effectiveness of our solar chargers. Over the period of a couple days all our battery operated devices were exhausted except the DeLorme InReach Explorer GPS unit, and it was getting low. Our solar chargers were unable to keep up with our charging needs, due to clouds on the horizon in the mornings, when we got most of our charging done while we broke camp and packed up for each day’s travel.

As it turned out, we pulled the Mini Q out and gave it a go during a similar period on our trip in 2016, when our batteries were being exhausted faster than we could charge them.  Here’s what we found.

Durable zippered case
Mini O, by Ajirangi

First off, the unit is compact and durable. It comes with a zippered-closure vinyl case and packs to a nicely compact  1-1/2″ X 5″ diameter. It has no moving parts and the USB plug is attached permanently and extends far enough to keep your USB cable away from the heat. Once enclosed in the case, the unit can be dropped down into a panier or pack without much concern for it being damaged.

I read the instructions and made sure I used it exactly as it is intended to be used. Dad and I did all our cooking on a single-burner propane-powered coleman stove, which is what I used to heat the Mini Q.  I used filtered water in the Mini Q, to keep residue to a minimum, although I am sure unfiltered water would be fine. In fact, the use of propane could be maximized by using the Mini Q to boil water for drinking as well. The silicon rubber is easy to clean.

I filled the unit from my canteen and brought the water to a slow boil and connected my iphone 6 to it, via a USB cable. Once the water started to boil, the green indicator light turned on and my iphone began to charge. I was disappointed to find, however, that within a few minutes the charging light went out and the phone ceased to charge. I tried adjusting the temperature higher and lower, each time finding the charging light would go out after just a few minutes. I was unable to get enough charging from the device to increase the battery charge in my iphone more than about two percent before it stopped charging. After working with the unit for about two hours, trying to get it to work as advertised, my iphone went from 40% to 37% charge, after which I stopped trying.

Compact, about the size of a good hamburger

It appears the device has a very narrow temperature range within which it will operate. I was unable to keep it at a steady enough temperature on my single-burner stove to keep it charging.  It is also possible my unit was defective. In the end, I found the amount of propane used, even while the device was actually charging, was disproportionate to the amount of electricity produced, and if the unit was not watched continually, a lot of propane was wasted. For our purposes, the propane was more precious than the electricity produced.

Lamp was an unexpected bonus

Had the Mini Q operated as advertised, it would have been a useful device for keeping a cell phone or other device alive in an emergency situation, however, I could not get it to function as advertised in a primitive camp environment.  Additionally, the unit charged (when it actually worked) too slowly to offset the value of the propane required to heat it. For the price of over $90, including shipping, I cannot recommend it for pack trip use.

After the trip I forgot to contact the manufacturer, who is in Korea, so I have to admit I have not given the manufacturer the opportunity to address the issue. It has been nearly a year since I bought it, so it’s probably too late now.

So, my evaluation of the utility of the Mini Q for the purposes of horse packing is a “thumbs-down.”

5V LED lamp included

The included USB LED light, however, works fine and uses little electricity. It comes in handy on occasion, if you have the battery power to support it.

Maybe your experience will be different. If so, feel free to post your comments.

 

Western Trails

A cold, but enjoyable afternoon ride at Elberta, Utah…

Heading out from Salem, UT

This afternoon a friend and I took an afternoon ride to see an abandoned railroad tunnel near Elberta, Utah, a little southwest of Utah Lake. We had planned to get out there early in the afternoon, but a few complications arose and we ended up saddled and riding around 3:30pm. We decided we would start our return to the truck about 4:30pm, since it would be dark by 5:30. Besides, it was below freezing and temps would be dropping further with the fading daylight.

The trailhead, well not really a trail, but where we started our ride, is at the intersection of US Route 6 and Elberta Slant Road, several miles west of Elberta, Utah. After nearly getting stuck in the snow a number of times while trying to park the truck and trailer, we started riding north on Elberta Slant Road.

Taking the railroad bed

A short half mile or so along the road, we came across the old railroad bed. The railroad was to be a narrow-gauge, intended to service mining interests in the area, but it was never completed. The railway beds were graded, but track was never laid. This was between 2009 and 2015, after which the effort was abandoned. The failed railroad effort left , for folks who like hiking, ATV-ing, and horseback riding in the hills, a very nice network of trails through much of the area between Eureka and Elberta. We left the road and followed the railroad bed.

The tunnel

About two miles along, after a few twists and turns, while enjoying some very nice (although very cold) riding and scenery, we came to the old railway tunnel. It runs through a low hill that interrupts the climb of the railway bed through a turn. The tunnel is large enough to allow a full-size pickup to drive through it. It is not reinforced, but does not appear to be dangerous. It runs about 100 feet in length, so it does not get any darker than shadow and one is never out of sight of at least one of the entries. Still it was pretty cool.

The tunnel entrance

By the time we headed back to the truck, the light was already fading. We allowed the horses to trot much of the way back, to save time. By the time we were about halfway back, I noticed my face was stiff and I was having a hard time talking. When I raised my gloved hand to warm my face, I found my face was completely numb! I had to pull my glove off and rub my face a little to make sure I didn’t get frostbite.

By the time we got back to the truck it was full dark and we were very cold. Our feet felt like solid stumps. The horses and my dog, Clancy, though, seemed unbothered by it. We hurriedly unsaddled and loaded the horses. By the time we were halfway home we were beginning to thaw out.

Still, it was a very nice ride, one I will take again under warmer conditions.

 

Great Western Trail, Website Management, Western Trails

Hmmm. I need to update the website….

I recently created a new website for a sports fan group I have belonged to for more than ten years. We are die-hard fans of everything related to Brigham Young University sports, especially football. We had been using a forum service, YUKU, for a lot of years and finally got tired of the poor service and goofy advertisements they slipped into our forum. We had to pay a fee not to see advertisements. Finally we got so fed up with it that we began to talk about looking for a new home for our forum. As we discussed it, I realized that it would be a pretty simple solution for us to buy a domain name and create our own website and forum. So, that’s what we did, using my web hosting account with Bluehost. So, I created byufans.net. It is a closed group, though, so membership is limited to the current members and those individuals who are personally invited by a member.  Sorry.

Anyway, what does that have to do with Western Trail Rider? Well, the new website looks so good and works so well and is so easy to manage that I was quite impressed with myself (hehehe). But, when I switch over to my WTR site, well, it started looking a bit drab and old. Now, every time I look at WTR I think I need to update it.

So, I’m going to be looking at new themes and other apps and programs that might sort of dress up the site and make it more user-friendly and easier to manage. Once I decide what to do, I’ll let everybody know that it may be down for a few hours…that is, if everything goes well…or a few days, if I mess up. Now, nobody need suppose that I am a website developer or otherwise expert, or even knowledgeable, about websites and blogs. I just trip along until something looks pretty good and works ok. WordPress has made things pretty simple for guys like me. It is mostly a matter of figuring out what I like, then plug-and-play. Still, I seem to be able to mess things up pretty well, as I try mixing and matching different services on the site. The challenge is going to be ensuring that I don’t lose any of the photos, information, posts, and serviceability of the current site.

Also, I understand how each provider of an app or service can spend thousands of hours developing a simple app for dummies like me to “plug-and-play” and that they certainly deserve to be paid for their efforts. However, when a guy like me starts adding up the various fees and subscriptions and donations, the cost starts to reach a significant level per year, particularly when I am not making a penny on the website.

I created the website shortly after I started planning my big horse pack trip a few years ago. A number of folks suggested that I start a blog, so they could keep up with my planning, gear purchases and reviews, and other developments, as well as documentation of the trip itself. It occurred to me that I might just as well purchase a domain name, start a website of my own, and invite other horse and trail riding folks to blog along with me. The thought was that we, together, might create a website where like-minded people might come to find information about horse trails in the western U.S. and to get first-hand information from people who had actually ridden those trails. I’m not talking about state and national park trails – there are numerous websites for those places. I’m talking about the backtrails and places that are almost unknown except to riders from the local areas. Places folks hear about, but few ever see. I figured that eventually there might be enough bloggers on the site that a little advertising income might be generated, to pay for the website maintenance. That hasn’t developed, so I’m content with simply using the site as a place to document my horse adventures for a few faithful followers to enjoy.

Still, I’d like to make it an attractive and interesting website. So, I’ll be working on updating it over the coming couple of months.

Stay tuned to see what I come up with!

P.S. The invitation is still open for anybody who would like to start their own horse-related blog under the WTR banner or to link an existing blog through WTR. The only requirement is that it be related to horse trails in the western U.S. or some aspect of horse or mule packing. There is no charge and I maintain the site at no expense to you…unless you would like to help out.  If you have interest, send me an email at tony.henrie@westerntrailrider.com.

 

Great Western Trail, Western Trails

A few photos from the pack trip from Eagar, AZ to Flagstaff this year…

I recently found an old email from Nancy Hood, one of the many people Dad and I encountered on our pack trip last summer, who so generously helped us out time and again with fresh drinking water and good conversation. Nancy had a photograph of Dad and me that she took. She emailed it to me just a couple days ago. Made me think I should post some of the photos from the trip.

I still need to make a post or two to document the last two weeks of the trip for my followers. Time has been at a premium for me lately and I just haven’t been able to get the time and energy together at the same time.

These photos are roughly in order from our departure at Eagar, AZ to the end of our trail at Flagstaff, AZ. Many of these photos were taken on the Arizona Trail.

Enjoy the photos, and much thanks again to all those who so generously contributed to our successful ride.

Western Trails

Ride to the Secret Corrals

Went for a great ride on Saturday. We had a group of about 14 riders, including Jon Tanner, who always takes me to great places to ride.
 
This time he directed me to the Cottonwood Canyon trailhead, located just off of the Gooseberry Exit, I-70, about five miles or so east of Salina, Utah. We all met at the trailhead and were on the trail by about 10:30am. Take the Gooseberry Exit, turn south, then take an immediate left just south of the exit. Take that road about a mile, until you pass under the highway. You will find the trailhead gate and parking area just past the underpass tunnel. This is ranching area, so please close all gates.
 
Our goal was to ride up to the “Secret Corrals”, which are a couple of ancient corrals, made of cedar logs. These corrals were once used by the infamous (or famous, depending on your viewpoint) Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch to conceal horses so he could refresh his mounts. They would arrive, saddle new horses and turn theirs into the corrals, then set a watch on a hill and wait until the posse passed by. Then they would ride out and make their escape.
 
The Cottonwood Canyon trail takes you up a pretty steep climb to a summit just over 7500′ elevation, then makes a loop back to the access road about 1/2 a mile east of the trailhead. The entire loop is about 10 miles, all through rocky country full of cedars and oak thickets.
 
If you keep a sharp eye out you will pass a small “kiva” built up on the side of a rock as you pass up through the canyon. Must have been a native American village there at some point.
 
We came upon the corrals, just off the trail on the east side of a saddle, probably six or seven miles into the ride. The GPS coordinates are approximately N 38*54.7565′ W111*39.8122′. I’m not too worried about them getting overrun with traffic, because getting there was tough. Nobody but the local ranchers and a few die-hard trail riders ever make it up to the corrals. It’s no wonder they have remained “secret” all these years.
 
The trail is not for beginners. There are parts of this trail that I consider to be quite challenging for both rider and horse (and I’m no novice). Also, there are areas where the trail is not very obvious and if you have not been over the trail before you are pretty sure to get lost, at least for a while. Getting off the trail is not particularly fun, as the oak thickets are unavoidable. However, if you get lost, just head south and you will eventually get to the highway.
 
I have the Earthmate app on my iphone and the topo map of the area downloaded, so I was able to see the trail on my iphone, complete with an arrow indicating my position. Be aware, however, that trails change over time and sometimes the line on the map is not precisely located where the trail is actually located on the ground.
 
We arrived back at our vehicles about 5:30pm or so. It was a nice, challenging, fun ride, and we were all pretty well pooped-out when we got back to the trailers.
 
Unshod horses with good feet will be fine on the trail, but shoes are recommended. Unshod horses will be tender by the end of the day.
 
Here are some pics I took. Enjoy

Western Trails

Jones Ranch Creek and Rock Spring Trails, Mount Nebo, Utah

I have a goal of riding all the trails that head on the Mount Nebo Loop Road, south of Payson, Utah,  within the next year, so I try to hit a new trail every chance I get. As I get through those trails, I will start on the trails on and around Mount Loafer.

My rig in the Jone Ranch parking area
My rig in the Jone Ranch parking area

Yesterday, my wife and I tried a new trail which heads at the Jones Ranch parking area about 9 miles south of Payson on Mount Nebo Loop Road. It was a nice three-hour ride. Linda rode my mustang Jimbo, and I rode my paint Quarter Horse, Reno. I ponied my Fox Trotter, Lizzy, along just for the exercise and because she really wanted to go with us. She got pretty upset when I took the other two to the trailer and didn’t take her.

The Jones Ranch parking area is adequate for even pretty large rigs to enter and turn around. There are no services offered. There are some primitive campsites around the parking area, but no hookups or conveniences. Some folks set up camp and spend several days riding out on the various trails. The best campsites seem to be right at the trailheads, so expect to have folks passing through or next to your campsite. These trails are “multi-use” trails, so they are open to hikers, horses, bicycles, and motorcycles. Most of the trails are well-maintained and fairly well-traveled. Expect to pass other folks on the trail. Dogs are allowed and not required to be on leash, as long as you are outside fee areas, like Payson Lakes.

On this ride, Linda and I chose to ride the Jones Ranch Creek trail, Forest Trail #123, which heads south from the parking area. The trailhead is on the south side of the road and continues southward. Again, the trail is well-marked and well-traveled. Can’t miss it.

Linda on Jimbo
Linda on Jimbo

The trail starts out climbing at a slight grade and heads up through spruce and fir forest, as well as aspen groves and a couple of nice open areas. It crosses two or three spring-fed creeks and is a very pleasant ride, suitable for even the very youngest and most inexperienced of riders. The elevation at the trailhead is around 7,000 to about 7,200 feet. This trail is about three and a half miles long and ends up back at Mount Nebo Loop Road near the Payson Lakes ranger station a little higher up the mountain.

The “scariest” obstacles we encountered on the trail were a couple of places where small culverts have been placed and covered with gravel and lined with landscape timbers. Our horses sort of eyeballed them, but passed over without complaint. There is plenty of room to go around these bridges if necessary. There is one gate to be opened and shut about 3/4 mile from the trailhead.

Junction of FT #101 and #097 looking at Mount Nebo
Junction of FT #101 and #097 looking at Mount Nebo

About two miles up the trail, the Rock Spring trail, Forest Trail #101, intersects it. We elected to take the Rock Spring trail to check it out. This trail heads southwesterly, climbs a bit, then descends, then climbs again, offering some very nice views of the surrounding area. Again, this trail is not challenging and is suitable for anyone who enjoys riding in the mountains. We followed it about a mile and a half, then turned south on an intersecting trail, Forest Trail #097, that shows on my USFS map as a “Jeep Trail”.

We followed this trail south, climbing steadily, about another mile and a half to its head at Mount Nebo Loop Road. I noticed that near this trailhead, on the south side of the road, there were a few nice primitive campsites. It occurred to me that one could set up camp here and enjoy several days of nice riding.

IMG_2111At this point we turned around and headed back. My USFS map from about 1967 or so, showed a separate trail paralleling trail #097 back to Rock Spring Trail, so we decided have a look. It is not marked and started out as a two-track that descended into a canyon (ergo the “Jeep trail designation on the map), ending at a “yurt” type domicile. We avoided that and tried to continue on the trail indicated on the map. Following my GPS we found where the trail was supposed to be, but it was nowhere to be found. It appears that it was a trail at one time, possibly used by the old ranchers, but through disuse it has simply disappeared. We bushwhacked for about a half mile to get back to Rock Spring Trail. The bushwhacking wasn’t bad, as the terrain has a gentle slope and the vegetation is not closed, like an oak thicket would be, so I actually enjoyed just following my nose. My wife, however, did not enjoy it and expressed concern that I might be lost (Word to the wise: Don’t try bushwhacking in the mountains with someone who isn’t comfortable with it). Alas, we found the trail right where we left it. Of course, I knew where we were the whole time.

On the way back, on FT #123 looking northward at Mount Loafer
On the way back, on FT #123 looking northward at Mount Loafer

The ride back to the trailhead was as enjoyable and relaxed as the ride out. It took us two hours to get to the Forest Trail #097 trailhead and, as usual, about half that to get back to the Jones Ranch trailhead.  It was a very pleasant three-hour ride in which we covered just under five miles (we take things pretty easy).

My horses were barefoot on this ride. I pulled their shoes and trimmed them all in the past week. They got a bit tender toward the end of the ride, due to the sharp rocks on the hard trail. None of the horses got stone bruises or received any injury, however, and were simply a little tender toward the end. I feel like this trail is suitable for barefoot horses for a day ride, but if one were camping and riding for a week in that area they might get uncomfortably tender.

Me on Reno, ponying Lizzy
Me on Reno, ponying Lizzy

Trail notes:

From the junction of #097 with Rock Spring Trail (#101), you can also head northward and explore several other trails down in that area. You can get back to Mount Nebo Loop road at two or three other places as well. I’ll be riding and reporting on those trails in the future.