Lower Mud Springs Loop - 9/19/15

Mud Springs (Brown in Foreground is Water)

Desert Panorama from Mud Springs Loop Lower North Quarter

Sisters and Macks Peak from Mud Springs Trail

Bushwhacking Down to Saddle Area

 Seventeen qualified explorers drove out Macks Canyon Road in the Spring Mountains NRA this morning and parked at the first campsite turnout after the Sisters Spur Road (0.30 miles further). This campsite turnout has a sandy entrance so it is wise to make sure you have 4WD before you go down the hill on the right so that you can get back up later! We began our bushwhack that we had done on previous hikes down to the Mud Springs Loop (south side) saddle area. From there, we continued down the wash trail away from the saddle.

Seventeen Qualified Hikers

 At around 1.1 miles, we passed the Mud Springs Loop south side junction. This trail to the right leads back to the Sawmill Trailhead in around 3.5 miles.

Negotiating the Connecting Wash

 Continuing down the wash, we bushwhacked to the north side of the Mud Springs Loop staying in the wash and keeping the high embankment on our left side. When the embankment lowers, there are three washes entering your main wash; look for the trail that crosses. There is a cairn on the right side of the wash only.

View from Near Junction of Mud Springs Loop North Side

The Undulations Well Underway

 We turned left here and immediately began the many undulations of the north side of the loop trail. The trail was easy to follow as we made our way across to Mud Springs Road. Horse and riders had recently walked along this part of the trail and the hoof prints led the way ... not to mention the kicked up sand and gravel. The first landmark on the trail was the crossing of Macks Canyon wash, or Macks Wash. It is a very wide wash with steep banks on either side.

Diving into Macks Wash

 We dove down into the wash following the horses. Views of the desert one way and the mountains the other were seen from the rims.

Macks Wash from Top of West Side

 After crossing the wash, we had a long steep climb out on the other side. In the distance, we could see Mummy's Nose, the Sisters Range, and the north side of Macks Peak. It was here that we began seeing motor dirt bike tracks. Such a shame that they didn't even stay on the trail at times.

Mummy, Sisters, and Macks Peak at Macks Wash

More Undulations

 Concentrating on trail directions that wound around, up and down, the next couple of miles went by fairly quickly. The group was staying together very well with no complaints. The only wildlife we saw was a cottontail and a few lizards. The cool air was cleaned by the winds of recent days and there were no clouds in the sky. Once in a while, a cool wind would anoint us as we climbed over a ridge. The undulations began taking their toll and the small ascents became more difficult.

Finally, the Old Trail Sign

 Finally, an old trail sign announced the junction with the Mud Springs Spur Road, although, at the time, we weren't sure whether the road was the spur or the main road.

Wrong Way Shenanigans

 For later reference, turn right here to go down to the fork a short distance away. Then turn left onto the main Mud Springs Road. There are no cairns here to direct hikers. We mistakenly turned left onto the spur road and followed it until we knew that we were not on the trail. Knowing our mistake, we took a steep bushwhack jaunt over the hill to our right and found the main road which had now become a trail above the large Mud Springs sign. At 6 miles into the hike, we took our main break satisfied that we were familiar with our surroundings.

Arriving at the Bottom End of Mud Springs

Fencing and Trail Along the Springs Area

 After our break, we continued up the trail toward Mud Springs. This climb that continues past the springs is definitely the most difficult part of the hike. We arrived at the bottom of the springs to see the old sign seen in the photo above. The trail follows along the fence that surrounds the springs. At the top end of the springs, there is a place in the fence that would allow a photographer to get the photo seen at the top of this entry. The trail continues into a maze of old and new routes. The cairn that we left here three months ago to help us with the route was gone.

Passing the Top End of Mud Springs

 Somehow, we got onto the old trail route that climbs the hill steeply instead of going a little further up to find a circular route up the hill. At any rate, we paralleled the new trail at the top and adjusted our route onto this one.

Returning on the New Mud Springs Loop South Side

 From Mud Springs to Macks Wash, the Mud Springs Loop south side leads along the contour of the hillside. There are undulations but not as many as the north side of the loop.

Seventeen Hikers Stretch a Long Way

Desert View from Trail

 On tired legs, we reached Macks Wash and climbed up to the saddle. We saw a few elk prints in this area. From there, the difficult bushwhack back up to the cars proved to be too challenging after 5 hours of hiking so we defaulted to Macks Canyon Road up to our right and finished the hike by taking a left on the road and back to the cars. This is a half day of hiking. We learned a couple of things and hope that this entry helps future hikers.

10 miles; 2000 feet elevation gain; 5.25 hours

Arriving at Macks Wash on Return

Tree Decor at Alternate Trailhead Junction in Macks Wash

Climbing Up to the Saddle

Red Indicates Our Wrong Way Routes Today

Mormon Girls' Camp (Camp Stimson) Loop - 9/18/15

Mummy's Nose from Camp Stimson

Renovated Resort Cabin

Yellow Aspens with Mummy's Toe and Deer Creek Canyon

Hiking Down to the Deer Creek Picnic Area

 Sixteen hikers arrived at the trailhead located on Archery Range Road off of Deer Creek Road in the Spring Mountains NRA this morning. We only do the Mormon Girls' Camp hike once a year and we have to wait until after mid-September to do it. During the summer, the busy camp is full of nice young women who are there enjoying the Spring Mountains at Camp Stimson. Sometimes we see the youngsters on the trails we hike. And, today, it was our turn to hike on their turf.

Up Through the Deer Creek Picnic Area

 We parked at the large dirt parking lot at the Archery Range Road turn. After making our preparations, we started hiking up the road past the camp's access road junction.

Taking a Breath on Cougar Ridge Trail

 Archery Range Rd. junctioned with an old road that dropped down to Deer Creek Road where we began hiking up into the Deer Creek picnic area. The asphalt climb opened our lungs and, soon, we connected with the Cougar Ridge Trail, a dirt road that continued up the canyon.

Sawmill Ruins and Cabin Area

The Group at the Old Sawmill Location

 We reached the resort cabins and heard the history from Chris. These cabins were built to house the sawmill workers at the ruined site up the hill. In recent years, the cabin property was bought to renovate into a rentable rustic resort. We continued our climb up to the old sawmill site where not much remains then returned to the road. The next stop was at a couple of old buildings that were not renovated. These were the old bunkhouse, a storage building and the old outhouse. We peeked inside. Interesting. The next cabin was in good shape. It was the old cookhouse.

Inspecting the Bunkhouse

 We returned to the road again and were met with the steepest climb of the day. The large group climbed at their own pace.

Steep Road Up

 At the top of the long hill, there is an overlook ... er ... a lookout. Well, whatever you call it, we had a grand view of Mummy's Nose which was quite a bit higher than us.

Overlook Area

Hiking Down Cougar Ridge Trail

 Just before the overlook, there is a right turn. We took this turn to continue on Cougar Ridge Trail. Most of the remaining hike was downhill from here. As the road swung out around the hill to our left, we had views of the distant desert playa. We also had a complete view of Wild Horse Ridge and two separate aspen groves that had turned yellow in the last day or two. We hiked the road conscious of the private properties on either side. There were many No Trespassing signs and we tried to obey by staying on the road at all times.

Cougar Ridge Trail and Aspens Above

 The road led us around the hill and down. After a short climb, we took a right fork in the road.

Nearing the Right Fork

 On a past hike, we had dropped down to the wash on our right here. Today, we continued out the road until we reached the flat ridge point. Taking the ridge point out until it started to drop, we found ourselves on a very steep game trail.

Fun on the Steep Game Trail

Entering Camp Stimson from Top

 We were very careful and moved slowly if we had to. The treacherous trail ended in fun since no one got hurt. At the bottom, we arrived at the very top of the girls' camp where they kept their fire wood and chopped it up. When everyone reached the canyon floor, we started down on a wide trail area that led into the camp. Aspens grow all through this area but these trees have not yet turned yellow.

Taking Our Break near the Springs

 At the first large set of picnic tables, we stopped for our break. It was near the spring marsh where there was a field of columbines growing.

Various Camp Stimson Facilities (Mike not included)

 The camp has upgraded its facilities in the past two years as evidenced all around.

Hiking Down through the Center of the Camp

Remains of the Old Rope Bridge

 Tent platforms had been built everywhere! The amphitheatre had been torn down and a new one has been built. (This one probably has a better sound system!) The zip line, climbing wall and totem pole are the same. But, alas, the old rope bridge is history. It was lying on an embankment in pieces. Perhaps a new one will be built for next year's girls. Other than that, Mike made a BBQ discovery at the camp kitchen. Probably not too good by now.

Starting Down the Fire Exit Trail

 We hiked on down to where the rope bridge used to be and started down the trail that would be used by the girls in case of a forest fire.

We need a rope like this in a lot of places!

 There was one more fun obstacle that had no way to get around without doing it. It was the slip and slide rope hill!

Grandpa Negotiates the Slip and Slide

Debbie's getting the hang of it!

 We each had our own technique for using the rope ... or not using the rope. But, we all had a ton of fun. From there, the trail continued through the small canyon and forked one more time. Taking the right fork again, we climbed an old road trail up to the cars. This is a fun loop hike with bits of historic and "back to being a kid" values.

5 miles; 1100 feet elevation gain; 3.25 hours

Marg saw the camera.

Nice Sign!

Climbing Up to the Cars