U-Bar to Dane Spring / Canyon

Weather:  65º, sunny

About this Hike:  Nearly two months ago we hiked Barbershop Trail.  At that time I mentioned the original plan was to hike up to the Dane Spring Cabin--a plan that was quickly scrapped when we began to take in the beauty of Barbershop Trail. 

Hoping to catch some fall color, we decided to return to the rim today to explore U-Bar trail up to Dane Spring. In September we parked at Buck Springs. That weekend the Mogollon Monster 100 race was going on, and the trailhead at FR-321 was a bustling aid station complete with RVs, spectators, and copious amounts of propane to power all the festivities. The 321 road was a different story today. Quiet and peaceful, with just one other car at the trailhead. 

The brief introductory segment of this hike was on Barbershop Trail. It became quickly apparent that fall color was far past peak. The aspens were bare, although a few bigtooth maples clung to their last colorful leaves. 

We turned north at the U-Bar junction and hiked up to the Dane Spring Cabin. It looks like it has gotten some maintenance and reinforcement since I last saw it in June of 2022.

I debated turning around and going back to Barbershop. The massive old growth blue spruces and other conifers in this canyon never cease to amaze me. Instead we pressed on. The trail begins to hug the rim of Dane Canyon. We met a trail runner who advised us we would drop into Dane Canyon just up ahead, and a drop into Barbershop Canyon was still further ahead. 

We opted to check out Dane and Barbershop Canyons. Both looked dark and a bit foreboding from their respective rims, but an easy hike down well-maintained trail took us into forested meadow. Both canyons' creeks had some water. 

The foliage was not as majestic as what is found along the Barbershop Trail. Occasional stands of fir and spruce often gave way to ponderosa, grassland, and pale iron-colored rock and soil. 

Despite the name, Barbershop Canyon past Dane Canyon is not part of the Barbershop Trail. Otherwise, this would have an interesting loop opportunity. We turned around after exploring the bottom of Barbershop and made our way to FR-321. We arrived back to the truck right at sunset as the November air was beginning to get chilly. There was a moonrise and then some opportunities for star gazing. 

It was a beautiful day on the Mogollon Rim.