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Iron Springs Hike
Munds Park
October 26, 2024
by Victoria Johnson
group A
Trailblazers at Iron Springs. [photo by Vicki]
Bruce, Vicki, Lisa, Diane, Terry, Jon.

Five hikers showed up on a beautiful fall day where the trailhead displayed bright yellow and red fall colors of the Gamble Oaks. The trail began on a crisp cool morning in the section of the Coconino National Forest 20 miles south of Flagstaff that is part of the Munds Park Trail System. Temperatures were in the low 70’s affording ideal conditions. The Iron Springs Connector Trail ran into the Frog Tank Loop junction.

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Easy to follow trail. [photo by Vicki]
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Some fall color. [photo by Vicki]
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Starting to change. [photo by Vicki]

At that junction the hikers turned right and followed the trail downhill into a drainage. Due to the time of year the wild Bergamot and tiny pools of water were gone. At .2 miles from the Frog Tank Junction, the trail met a 3 way-intersection where the hikers continued straight onto Leap Frog Trail #246. At the 1.5-mile junction the trail connected with the Frog Tank Loop where the group took a scenic detour, headed left and made a .04-mile round-trip trek to Frog Tank. Even though this watering hole is a favorite for waterfowl, elk and domestic cattle, none could be spotted. The group continued north to FR 246 across to Forest Service Road 78A and then began a moderate climb through the Horse Park Forest thinning project. Cut trees and log piles were visible along this segment that is part of the Coconino. At the end of FR 78A the group stopped for lunch where silhouettes of Mormon Mountain (8,456 ft.) and Apache Maiden Mountain (7,307 ft.) peaks could be viewed among the tall Ponderosa pines. The group headed back to the cars. A delicious barbecue dinner was eaten at Agee’s Barbecue Market.

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Which way do we go? [photo by Vicki]
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Frog Tank. [photo by Vicki]
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Nice spider. [photo by Vicki]
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Odd tree. [photo by Vicki]
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Some more color. [photo by Vicki]
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Arizona Trailblazers Hiking Club, Phoenix, Arizona updated December 7, 2024
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