Saxon Mountain
There were only two of us on Spring Creek and we didn't end up behind anyone, so it was only noon when we came off of South Spring Gulch and onto Saxon Mountain. We'd had a late snow this year, so we weren't sure if we could get to the top of Saxon Mountain. We could see snow above timberline on other mountains, but it was worth a shot. We turned left at the intersection to head up to the top of the mountain.
We saw some snow in one spot a few yards from the trail, but the trail itself was completely clear. When we got to the top, it was chilly and windy enough to need jackets even though it was over 80 degrees at the trailhead. We spent a lot of time at the top just walking around, taking photos, and looking at what looked like new buildings and cell phone towers. The views at the top are pretty amazing, and we really didn't want to leave. We checked out the picnic areas and then headed down the mountain.
It was bumpy, as usual but we knew this wasn't going to be like our previous runs down Saxon Mountain. We knew a rock slide had covered parts of the trail, and we really didn't know what to expect. We knew it was passable, though, so we decided to check it out.
We stopped for a bit at the cabin but then kept going. We found some 4Runners parked at a wide spot and we chatted with them for a bit. They had just come through the results of the rock slides and they said it was tight, but they made it through. We had smaller vehicles, so we relaxed. Still, a rock slide on a shelf road is something Monica and Matt really don't like.
When we got to the Rock Slide, it wasn't where we thought it was supposed to be. Apparently there was more than one. It was a mess, but a slab of rock had been leaned against it on the high side to make it easier, and rocks were stacked on the low side. It was basically a small hill. But it was a tight squeeze between a rock in the wall of the mountain and a rock on the ledge side. A bigger vehicle would definitely find it challenging. We made it through with inches to spare.
Then we went through a collection of rocks and a tight fit near the edge, but there were trees next to the trail so it wasn't as intimidating. Then we passed the other cabins and started down the switchbacks. There was one more skinny section after the first set of switchbacks.
Then we came to where we were expecting the rock slide to be. It had been fixed so it was little more than a mound of dirt. We imagined it was tough, though, before that point.
After that, the trail was bumpy and easy down to the bottom. We headed south to the roundabout in Georgetown to get to the Visitor Center where we aired up. It was early afternoon and we were done for the day, which was weird but honestly pretty good. It was a great trip over the mountain.
Reports from Other Days: 5
Use the arrows or dots to flip through the previews of the other reports for Saxon Mountain. Click one of them to read more and see all of the photos from that day.
