I apologize for innundating you with the specific directions below,
but it is imperative for you to follow the directions provided--we
need to show respect for this foothill area. This is truly a
fantastic hike that takes you through part of the burnout area
above Farmington. Mother Nature has made quite a comeback since
that fire--She is very resilient! Enjoy the hike and I hope you
take the additional time to go all the way to Flag Rock--by the
way, my brother's 7 year old granddaughter made the hike to Flag
Rock along this trail without any problems. Enjoy!!
OK--I'm going to be taking you by the hand and guide you to very
specific waypoints. We found an alternate trail that leads all the
way to On Top of the World Trade Center cache and close by that
cache is Flag Rock with a beautiful flag flying over the city of
Farmington.
First off, get on 100 East in Farmington and drive up Farmington
Canyon to the "Fire Break" cutoff. If you have a car, I would
suggest that you park at CAR PARKING WAYPOINT and walk the .7 miles
to the trail that breaks off the "Fire Break" road. This parking
spot is located at the following coords:
CAR PARKING WAYPOINT: 40 59.967N; 111
52.765W
Any SUV, truck, etc. (4-wheel drive not required) can proceed from
this point and will proceed to the following:
TRUCK PARKING WAYPOINT: 40 59.404N; 111
52.770W--As you proceed from the CAR PARKING WAYPOINT
along the Fire Break road, you will eventually see a wooden fence
along the hillside just to the east of the road. Where this fence
ends, there's a split in the road. The Fire Break road continues to
your right--don't go to your left. As you approach the TRUCK
PARKING WAYPOINT, you can do a "U" turn and pull off the east side
of the road and park close to these coordinates.
From the Truck Parking Waypoint you will walk south a bit along
the Fire Break road to the following waypoint:
TRAIL BREAKOFF FROM FIRE BREAK ROAD: 40
59.390N; 111 52.762W
At this waypoint you will notice a small cairn and small rocks
outlining a trail heading east up the hillside. Not too far up this
small trail, you will run into an old ATV trail/road that you will
follow south for a bit and then hang a left on the ATV path that
heads towards the east. You will be looking for this next waypoint
that cuts off this ATV trail.
MAIN TRAIL WAYPOINT: 40 59.473N; 111
52.706W
Now, I must clarify this waypoint. Look for a trail heading off the
ATV trail to the south. You're probably saying to yourself, "What
trail!?" Again, look for a couple of rock cairns and a pretty good
length of small rocks outlining the beginning of this trail. This
is a very heavily used game trail that you follow up to the next
waypoint.
WHERE TRAIL ENTERS THE TREES--VERY
IMPORTANT WAYPOINT THAT YOU MUST GET TO:
40 59.416N; 111 52.454--I
CAN'T EMPHASIZE THIS WAYPOINT ENOUGH!! This is where the trail
enters into the burnout. Do not start bushwhacking
your way to the cache. Not a good idea to follow Mr. Pointer! Stay
on this trail and you will switchback your way up leading you to
the cache.
OK--that's the detailed instructions for this hike. Please stay
on the trail throughout your hike. The first part of the hike is
fairly steep but has quite a few switchbacks to help. Along the
trail, you are going to see a Balancing Rock that I would assume
hasn't been seen by many people until the 2003 Farmington Fire. It
really is an incredible sight and is at these coords:
40 59.383N; 111 52.256W. I
decided not to hide the cache here but is just a short distance up
the trail in some other pretty cool rocks.
After bagging this cache, I would recommend continuing up the
trail to bag
Top of The World Trade Centers . It's not much further up the
trail and you will be glad you went to "Flag Rock". Make sure you
have the cache page for the Trade Centers cache because it is a
multi.
If you need any further help with this,
just email me and I'll answer any questions you have.