Sanborn Park Road
We were down to three vehicles on our last day based in Naturita. We drove down Norwood Hill with Julie, but then she continued on when we turned onto Sanborn Park Road. The trip down Norwood Hill was gorgeous, and we were looking forward to running along the river at the base of it. The trailhead was easy to find at a sign.
It was chilly and shady in the early morning light at the bottom of San Miguel Canyon. The road was easy, and we were passed by a work truck on its way out. Then, the trail turned, we went over a bridge, and we passed from inhabited areas to some switchbacks headed uphill.
It was a steep climb, but the road was easy. It would be a mess when it was wet, so we were lucky we'd had dry weather. The road stayed steep through a few curves and switchbacks, and then we popped out on top of the mesa and it was easy again.
There were trails all over the place at the top of Iron Springs Mesa, and we weren't sure how many we'd have time to do. We had a plan to cut a big loop from here to Montrose and back, just to get the lay of the land. Looking at topo maps, it looked like Hanks Valley Road would be the most interesting diversion, so we took that trail out and back before continuing along Sanborn Park Road.
The road didn't go much farther than that diversion. We found ourselves at the three-way intersection where the trail ended, and decided to keep pushing on along Dave Wood Road. Sanborn Park Road was easy, but it accessed a lot of other trails. We knew it wouldn't be the last time we'd see it.
