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| Stoddard Mountain on the right and Pot Head far left. |
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| Grants Peak Pick up a free Dixie forest map at a visitor center like the one in Cedar City. The main attraction in the Harmony Mtns is the basin on the south side of Stoddard Mtn that has numerous granite formations. Two trails run thru it. May is the best time to hike before heat and cattle move in and streams dry up. |
HARMONY MOUNTAINS HIGH POINT el 8380+ - a plateau about 3 miles SE of Stoddard Mtn seems to be the highest point in the range. Two easy 4wd roads go all the way as shown on the topo, but private land at the start has caused detours. From Kanarraville, go north on the main road for a mile or two and turn west at the sign for Bumblebee Spring Rd. Drive to the end of pavement then just follow the main road up to the plateau el 8000+ then the high point has a tower on it. I saw a fifth wheel trailer at el 7400 on this road. The road is good beyond the high point as far as Dry Lake then gets terrible but ends soon anyway. The other road up is out of New Harmony. Go north from town on a main road into Pace Draw and turn right at N37 30533, W113 19307 el 5650. Go a mile then make a left and start up. Both roads merge at about el 7700. I went up from New Harmony then down the other on a dual sport cycle. This plateau has some nice stands of trees. Posted 2017.- STODDARD MOUNTAIN el 8378 appears to be the second highest peak in the Harmony Mountains. The Duncan Spring trail runs along the north side for access. Take highway 56 to mp 43.8 and turn on graded FR 009 at the big sign for Pinto. Go about 1.1 mile to the new TH reading N37 35860, W113 22447 el 6550. Walk the trail to a cow trail at 35153, 21712 el 7100 for the first possibility to ascend thru the big trees. I wanted to see the spring so I stayed on the main trail and found a tiny stream along the spring area. I followed the trail on past the spring to a cow trail at 34629, 21023 el 7350. I weaved thru the brush zone to a faint fork at 34622, 21087 el 7350 and went left to 34594, 21104 el 7400 then on to a clearing at the base of the slope reading 34564, 21140 el 7400. Then I went up the open slope to 34549, 21290 el 7850 then into the big trees at 34481, 21370 el 8100. I soon topped out on the main ridge and came to some minor crags. I went around the right side at 34481, 21485 el 8150 and stayed mostly just below the ridgetop to get to the reg and Page BM at 34595, 21590. For the descent, I started NW on the main ridge but brush made me chicken out and turn around. But looking up from the trail later I could see that there couldn't be too much brush. 4 or 5 hours with about 2000 gain and a lot of light brush to weave thru but not a major factor with long pants. I think you could also get up this peak from Big Hollow Spring. On the other side of FR 009 is a trail that goes for 10 minutes to something interesting. ASPEN SPRING is north of the peak. To get there now you have to drive back north on FR 009 for half a mile and turn on a narrow jeep road best suited for OHVs and mtn bikes. It winds for a mile and a half to the spring in an aspen grove at N37 35677, W113 21002 el 6800. Water was coming out of a pipe. A foot trail goes on but looked abandoned. No cattle in late May. Posted 2017.
- STODDARD MOUNTAIN LOOP - the Duncan Spring Trail and Big Hollow Trail can be used to circle the base of the mountain with one mile of off trail to connect them. Take highway 56 to mp 43.8 and turn on graded FR 009 at the big sign for Pinto. Go about 3 and a half miles to a 4wd road on the left reading N37 34622, W113 24470 el 6150. Take that for .7 mile to the TH el 6250. The wide path soon shrinks to a shady foot trail and follows the stream for 2 miles to Big Hollow Spring at el 6800. It was a dry pipe. Follow the trail on past the pipe thru a saddle el 6900 and the trail crosses a little stream at 35221, 22207 el 6800 then gets fuzzy. Pick it up at 35275, 22127 el 6900 then again at 35251, 21870 el 7000. This section needs pruning and more cairns. It goes on another 350 feet to a T at the heavily used Duncan trail. Turn right on that and go 2/3 air mile to another T at a stream. Turn right and go along the stream past Duncan Spring then the trail goes to a saddle el 7500 and starts wrapping around the mountain and tops out at el 7700. It then drops down to another stream at el 7000. Stay on the trail to el 6900 then get off and walk a couple hundred feet to the right to 33800, 22258. Next, drop down into a drainage on the left and that goes a mile to the Big Hollow Trail at 34272, 23087 el 6550. The drainage will start to get brushy but there was always a cow trail thru it. I wore shorts with no problem but had to duck a lot under branches. A stream was flowing and the water line for the pot farm was in this drainage. And one sleeping rattlesnake. Once on the trail again, it's a half hour back to the start. That took me nearly 5 hours with about 1500 gain and rarely steep. SHUTTLE VERSION - with a mtn bike for a shuttle, the loop can be done without leaving the trail. Drive FR 009 south for a mile or so and turn left on FR 29 at the sign for Grants Ranch. Drive up that for 4 miles to the south Duncan TH reading 32390, 22287 el 6600 and leave a bike. Cars can get here if the road isn't rutted by people driving it wet. Then go back and do the hike but stay on the trail the whole way. WATER - aside from the streams mentioned, a spur road near the south TH reading 32429, 22767 el 6550 goes a fifth mile to a water pipe. I'd filter it all. There is no telling when they dry up. Posted early June, 2017.
- BIG HOLLOW TRAIL (aka Marijuana Trail) - this runs along a stream on the west side of Stoddard Mtn, as the topo shows. Pot Head el 7538 is what I call the highest granite peak on the west rim of the canyon. A loop can be done. Take highway 56 to mp 43.8 and turn on graded FR 009 at the big sign for Pinto. Go about 3 and a half miles to a 4wd road on the left reading N37 34622, W113 24470 el 6150. Take that for .7 mile to the TH el 6250. The wide path soon shrinks to a shady foot trail and follows the stream for 2 miles to Big Hollow Spring at 34910, 22499 el 6800. The stream started drying up as I neared the spring and it was a dry pipe. For the peak, go past the pipe for 100 feet or so then go left on a game trail and double back to bedrock at 34935, 22567 el 6850. On the other side of that is a wide canyon. Go up along that then up bedrock at 35034, 22823 el 7100. Keep going up to the summit at 35045, 22985. It's easy to head back on the rim staying right of big crags then descend an easy canyon at 34580, 23212 el 7150. It goes right down to a pot farm near the trail at 34330, 23110 el 6600. Sorry, it's out of business. Then it's a mile back to the start on the trail. That took me nearly 4 hours with 700 gain to the peak from the trail, no brush. Mtn bikes are allowed on the trail, but I wouldn't go more than a third mile in because after that are too many sharp, rocky crossings. Backpackers might set up in here and take a crack at Stoddard Mtn too. No cattle in late May. Posted 2017.
- GRANTS PEAK el 7119 is what I call a little granite peak along the road near Grants Ranch. Take highway 56 to mp 43.8 and turn on graded FR 009 at the big sign for Pinto. Go nearly 5 miles to the sign for Grants Ranch at the historic Page Ranch. Turn there on FR 29 and there is a good camp spot in a fifth mile. Keep going for 3 miles to a corral on the right. The easiest route is to go south up a draw on cow trails and circle to the SE side of the peak reading N37 32245, W113 23396 el 6750. Then go straight up the ridge center all the way. Another way is to go directly up from the corral to visible bedrock then keep left around a cliff. The summit block has several routes. It might be possible to go up the spine, or use a ramp on the NW side which is how I came down. Or walk the east side to get up. 90 minutes, 600 gain, nothing harder than 3rd class. This could be combined with a good mtn bike ride. Start riding at the Page Ranch and go on past the peak to the divide, then coast back and do the peak. That's 5 miles each way on packed dirt in a beautiful valley gaining 800 feet. Cars can get to Page Ranch but the Grants Ranch road can get rutted up by people driving it wet. I wouldn't ever take a car over the divide to New Harmony, but I would coast down on a bike to a second car spotted there. This is all on the topo. Posted 2017.
- PINTO SPRING el 6550 has a good camp area. Take highway 56 to mp 43.8 and turn on graded FR 009 at the big sign for Pinto. Go about 8 miles to signs for the county line then go left on FR 14 for 4 miles to the end at the spring. That last 4 miles is a good mtn bike ride and that's all there is to do unless you're backpacking. The Summit Trail departs from the spring but it's a boring old road for miles. I walked it to the trail for Rock Spring but that trail is gone. Paradise Spring had a good flow from a pipe. Posted May, 2017.
- OLD IRONTOWN - turn off highway 56 at mp 41 and go 3 miles on a paved road to a day use area where the ruins are. Posted 2017.
- IRON MOUNTAIN el 7831 appears to be the high peak in the Antelope Range. A 4 mile dirt road goes to towers on top. Take highway 56 to mp 42.4 then turn north. Cross the RR tracks then stay right at a fork and follow the main road up. It's 2wd until a fork near the top. The left fork soon ends. The right fork is easy 4wd for half a mile to the summit. Wind demolished one tower. Mtn bikes would work for those who can handle the grade. The huge mines here are mostly abandoned. Some of this is not public land and might get blocked. I can just picture houses being built on the tailings. Posted 2017.
- BIG POINT el 10024 is the northernmost 10000 footer in the Pine Valley Mtns. A 7 mile trail goes up Mill Canyon almost to the top. I used FR 11 out of Pinto for 8 miles to a sign for Mill Creek TH. Cars can make it. I followed the trail to N37 24643, W113 23373 el 9400 then deep snow compelled me to start up the left slope. I topped out in a burn area on the rim at 24715, 23095 el 9750. Don't top out any more to the north or the burn area is a headache. I had to walk the edge of the rim to get thru the burn area to the summit at 24843, 22870. 8 hours, 3000 gain. The TH has a good camp spot. Another good camp spot is on the trail at an old boiler reading 26555, 24127 el 8000. From there, the trail gets rougher with more fallen trees until Mill Flat at 25893, 23315 el 8550 where there are nice meadows. There are 30 creek crossings. I stayed dry but the logs I used might be gone so it's best to wait until the snow has melted. The first mile of the trail is outside the wilderness but signs were fuzzy about bikes being allowed. Posted late May, 2017.
- SIGNAL PEAK el 10365 is the highest peak in the Pine Valley Mtns. A trail goes up from the east as the topo shows and might be the shortest. Use the Silver Reef Rd on the north side of Leeds. It will turn into a graded road then come to a main fork. Stay right on FR 32 to the end at the TH el 6550 and Oak Grove Campground. Cars normally can make it. The trail goes up and over the main ridge then down losing 100 feet on the north side to a sign for Further Water. Go left there then the trail goes over a minor saddle and loses 200 feet then on to the saddle a third mile NW of the peak. The peak is at N37 19175, W113 29533. We got turned back by snow a mile short of the peak. Count on taking 7 or 8 hours with nearly 4500 gain. Posted May 2017.
