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Guide to Dane Springs
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| Camp Facilities | None - Dry Camping | |
| Camp Elevation: | Camped at 7400 ft, hiked down to 7000 ft, the spring is located at 7365 ft. | |
| Hike Trails: - Dane Canyon | Distance: | We hiked about 3 miles - but could have traveled further. |
| Difficulty: | Easy | |
| Hike Time: | 3 to 4 hours or less | |
| Other Activities | Hunting, Equestrian use Area, ATVs | |
| Season: | Spring, Summer and Fall - Roads are closed after the 1st snow until the following spring. | |
| USGS Maps: | Pine, Kehl Ridge, Dane Springs | |
| Directions: From: Payson: |
From Payson continue North on Highway 87 through the little settlement of Strawberry. FR300 is approximately 10.4 miles north from the center of Strawberry. Turn East onto FR 300 and follow this adequate gravel road for approximately 18.25 miles to the marked intersection with FR 321. Turn North on FR 321 and drive 4.6 miles to the Dane Springs Road. Turn left and drive approximately 0.5 mi. to the Parking area. | |
A couple of friends camped for nearly a week near Dane Springs above the Mongollon Rim, hiking and hunting squirrels. A couple of us from our camping group joined them for the weekend. To reach the area in which we camped, continue on through the parking area following the road north for about 1/2 mile or so. Watch for a gate in the fence on the left and proceed through the gate for a short distance - pick a camping spot of your choosing.
You can also reach the camp site from the north - Continue North past FR 300 on Hiway 87 to FR 95, turn South on FR 95 and follow it to the bridge at the bottom of East Clear Creek Canyon. Cross the bridge and immediately take the left fork onto FR 96. Follow FR 96 until it forks to the right onto FR321. Follow FR321 South to the Dane Spring Road.
The parking area is just west of the Springs with a well developed trail from the parking area down to Dane Springs and the ruins of on old cabin. The trail leads away from the springs to the north-west, following a fence for a short distance, and then parallels the canyon for a while until it finally dips down through a few switch-backs to a wonderful meadow in the canyon bottom. Continue on north from the meadow along the game trail which follows Dane Creek's journey to join the East Clear Creek. The hiking is easy and it look like you can continue down the canyon as far as you want without great difficulty. Turn around and retrace your path to return to your camp or vehicle.
As you approach the spring from any direction, the old cabin ruin is the most notable feature to greet you. The small spring itself was converted into a cistern (as many were) and has become somewhat over grown - and is very disappointing. I saw three pipes running away from the cistern, one of which has been bent up and over as to feed a non-existent stock tank. The miniscule flow issuing from this pipe provides all of the water that is flowing above ground in the vicinity of Dane spring. However, there is significantly more water in Dane Creek as it meanders around the meadow, although it still was not a large amount of water when we there on the third weekend of October.
Enjoy,
Trekker