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RAILROAD SPRING
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| Swale at Railroad Spring |
During Arizona’s late 19th-to-mid-20th century logging heyday, railroads ran through thick Ponderosa pine forests hauling woody loads to mills in Flagstaff and other Northern Arizona towns.
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| Gate near Fulton Canyon Tank |
Some of the old railroad grades have been decommissioned and either turned onto popular Rails-to-Trails paths like the Peavine Trail in Prescott and Railroad Grade in the White Mountains.
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| The old railroad grade |
Others have been incorporated into hiking routes like the Arizona National Scenic Trail.
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| Leftovers from a logging railway |
Still others were unceremoniously disassembled and left to decompose adjacent to backwoods roads and rangeland.
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| Rocky Mountain Irises bloom May - Sept |
While the remains of many old railroad grades are little more than scattered cinder beds, rock walls and rotting railroad ties, some retain remnants of life on old timey logging trails.
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| Start of the railroad grade segment |
A few miles south of Mormon Lake, an unassuming dirt road leads to a fading stretch of scrapped railroad and a spring site.
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| Fulton Canyon Tank |
The short hike to Railroad Spring begins on Forest Road 9488K, moving easily into the pine woodlands of Coconino National Forest.
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| Spring box at Railroad Spring |
The first 0.8-mile of the rough road is open to motorized vehicles, but where the route meets the shallow pocket of Fulton Canyon, a gate bars entry to all but foot and horse travel to protect sensitive soil, prevent the spread of invasive plants and preserve wildlife habitats.
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| Railroad Spring |
Beyond the gate, Fulton Canyon Tank, a glassy created water catchment, sits off to the left.
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| Spring water flows over the railroad grade |
The road gets much more rocky as it heads downhill to where it meets a fork at the 1-mile point. Take the left fork and then an immediate right at a bright yellow sign in front of boulders barring motorized travel. This is the entrance to the old railroad grade.
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| Swale at Railroad Spring |
Strewn with cables, ties and rusty nails, the disintegrating track parallels a green swale. A few yards in, a slick curtain of tricking water spills over the track.
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| Western Dog Violet bloom May - July |
The spring water issues from a culvert-like structure built into a slope. Just across the track, a huge spring box made of concrete and native stone sits above the swale, metal pipes barely dripping moisture into the grassy channel. Nearby, a pair of concrete water troughs hint at former livestock runs in the area. Both were bone dry.
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| Troughs at Railroad Spring |
Even with the spring’s meager issue, the swale is a lively, lush natural drainage rife with irises, violets and swarms of butterflies. Tiny ponds and rivulets ramble through the mini wetland. It’s a beautiful place as well as an important resource for wildlife and native vegetation. Beyond the troughs, a faint road heads uphill to the left. A short walk through fragrant pines and wildflower meadows leads to a log fence and the junction with the Mormon Lake Passage 29 of the Arizona National Scenic Trail.
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| Arizona Trail Passage 29 |
The junction makes for a good turn around spot, otherwise, for a much longer hike, consult the Arizona Trail website (https://aztrail.org/) for how to continue on to Mormon Lake Village (north) or Happy Jack (south).
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| trailhead |
LENGTH: 4 miles round trip
RATING: easy, with uneven footing
ELEVATION: 7,208 - 7,479 feet
GETTING THERE:
From Interstate 17 just before entering Flagstaff, take the Lake Mary Road/ Mormon Lake Exit 339 and go right at the bottom of the offramp. Continue 28 miles south on Lake Mary Road (County Road 3) to Forest Road 9488K on the right just past milepost 315. There’s parking behind the gate. There are no facilities. Roads are paved up to the trailhead gate.
