Swazey’s Leap
We ran out of time to do this trail when we were in the area last time, doing the Black Dragon trail. We were looking forward to seeing Swazey's Leap itself because of the legend around it, but it wasn't meant to be.
We did Black Dragon and had lunch, then went to the end of Swazey's Leap to go in that way. When we got to the spur to the overlook, we skipped it to do it next time. The scenery was big and open, and it was a really nice drive on the relatively easy trail. The Jackass Benches were very interesting.
We finally got to the spur for Swazey's Leap and were surprised to find a few nice ledges to play on. The scenery changed from dusty desert to big, red mesas as we got closer. Then, in the distance, we saw a fence. When we got closer we saw that the 4x4 trail was closed and we couldn't get all the way to the end. It was hot and later in the afternoon, and no one was up for a five-mile hike so we turned around and headed back out.
We took the spur to Sulphur Springs thinking it ended at the top of the first ridge. But then when we got to the top it kept going. There was a sign to Sulphur Springs and that made it sound like it got to a town, but we didn't want to risk it. It was a good thing because it doesn't go to a town, it goes to a spring.
We headed down from the ridge and soon ended up back at Black Dragon. It was a nice diversion, and we'd definitely do the hike to Swazey's Leap next time.
