FR-371 to Agate Mountain

Weather:  63º, sunny

About this Hike:  My home in Payson faces the Granite Dells which is known for Boulder Loop and Cypress Trail hiking areas.  Having a view of these mountains from my front yard, I was curious what lies on the other side of this pink granite range. 

Studying the maps, it looked like FR-371 would offer some views of the back side of the dells and possibly some views into an area I've been exploring all winter—Hellsgate Wilderness.  The access point was easy, just a few miles down the road in neighboring Star Valley.  The plan was to use FR-974 as a connector to FR-371 and follow this to a feature called Agate Mountain. 

The map indicated I would have to drive through neighborhoods to access FR-974. However, it also showed that the federal land boundary began immediately east of the neighborhood road. With a couple local businesses in the area, I believed the road to be a public right-of-way for residential and commercial use. 

I parked my truck in a large clearing near FR-974. A fence marked the beginning of 974 which was just a rough ATV road. The fence spanned the narrow roadway, but was otherwise accessible to walk around as a hiker. Interestingly, FR-974 exists only on the All Trails map...

After a brief riparian area near Houston Creek, FR-974 takes a steep climb. It ends at a junction with FR-371. While 371 has the Forest Service's brown stakes marking it, 974 has no such markers.

We followed 371 for a few miles, passing by some cow tanks and having a ubiquitous view of buzzy, high-tension utility lines above. In fact, the little butte known as Agate Mountain serves as an anchor point for a couple of those big, steel utility towers. 

The views on this hike were spectacular. From Agate we had 360º views of the Mogollon Rim, the backside of the Granite Dells, the Mazatzals, and into Hellsgate Wilderness. The dells have more prominence on this side due to being a few hundred feet lower than they are in Payson. The pink walls of the Houston Creek canyon also loomed close by. While there were some drop offs on the backside of Agate, these were more 'stepped' rock shelves covered in vegetation. In other words, no views into Houston Creek, although I could hear the water running. 

A beautiful afternoon hike ended up tainted a bit upon returning to the truck. An unhappy land owner let me know that I had trespassed on his land, despite what I thought was plenty of due diligence in mapping this out respective of private land boundaries.  He admitted his No Trespassing sign was sun-faded while an elk had plowed down the fence that used to mark the federal land boundary... I found it odd that neither the Forest Service nor this land owner bothered to mark the property boundary. In other areas where I've hiked adjacent to private land, boundaries are well-marked by both entities. I'm left to wonder if FR-974 is even an official road or an inaccuracy on All Trails. It exists on no other maps, nor does Tonto NF mention it on their website. 

The correct way to have done this hike would have been to drive in via FR-371, similar to how I accessed The Buttes area last month. I can't vouch for the condition of this section of 371, but I suspect it degrades quite a bit past the Star Valley brush pit. I'm just grateful I didn't get shot or have my truck towed...  

Stewart Ridge

Weather:  65º, sun and clouds

About this Hike:  Today didn't look like a hike was going to be possible between work commitments and an iffy forecast. By this afternoon I had completed my work obligations, and the sun was shining. 

Stewart Ridge is so close it's practically in my front yard...as in, I can see the ridge from my front yard. Today was the perfect opportunity to explore this trail so close to my home. 

I started my hike at the Mud Springs Trailhead. I've used this trailhead before to access the Oxbow portion of the PARCS trails. I must have blown right by the unmarked junction for Stewart Ridge in the past. 

The ridge trail offered fantastic 360º views of Payson, the Mazatzals, and the rim. Using binoculars, I was able to find my house, even if only the rooftop of it. There were a surprising number of late-season wildflowers blooming among the high desert landscape. The pink granite, pinon pines, and agaves were similar to what we hiked through last weekend in Hellsgate Wilderness, yet so much prettier at the same time. 

I hiked out to where the official trail ends at a rocky outcropping that I believe is called Gibson Peak. While the official, mapped trail had come to an end, cairns indicated I could go further. I pressed on, following the cairns along a path that was sometimes well-worn and other times overgrown. Past the rocky outcropping, the stands of pinon pine and juniper began to get thicker. I followed what seemed like a trail, although it quickly disappeared into the woodlands. The area was overgrown and increasingly more steep and rocky. I was on the edge of the ridge. With the number of elk bones I saw, I figure there's active mountain lions in this area. I opted to make this my turnaround point. 

I knew I just needed to parallel the rocky ridge to find my way back. However, I ended up on quite an annoying bushwhack, seeming to never find the path I used on my hike in. Eventually I rejoined the official trail and was glad to have done so. Apparently you can hike up to the top of Gibson Peak, although I imagine this would entail some tricky scrambling. I've read there's even some kind of stone structure on top. I might have to come back and explore some more...

As I hiked out along the ridge, the forecasted bad weather was beginning to build in. The skies were dark over the Mazatzals, and by the time I reached the trailhead, the first drops of rain had begun.